The Six Coolest Things I Saw at The 2026 Pacific Coast Sportfishing Show

Since 2023, Southern California anglers have kicked off their season with the Pacific Coast Sportfishing Show, which treats guests to educational seminars, hundreds of vendors, and plenty of great deals. Spanning two iterations, one in Orange County, CA and another in San Diego, CA, PCS has become the premier outdoors show in Southern California.

The Pacific Coast Sportfishing Show is Southern California's premier outdoors trade show | Cory Hayashi

Having been out of town for the larger Orange County show, I took the trek down to the Del Mar Fairgrounds to check out the event there. PCS is attended by not only the biggest brands in the sport, but smaller retailers, local tackle shops, sportfishing landings, and popular fishing resorts from around the world.

Fishing Gear and Seminars

It's a great place to stock up on gear for the upcoming season, score some nice giveaways (my favorite was this Gamakatsu G-Box with any $25 Gamakatsu purchase), and discover new tech to improve your fish-catching skills. Here are some of the things that caught my interest the most.

ALLROD features portable and versatile rod systems for surf, fly, and saltwater applications. | Cory Hayashi

1. ALLROD

As someone who has been very guilty of overpacking on fishing trips, I've become a big fan of versatility and minimalism when it comes to gear. The folks at ALLROD caught my eye with their ultra-portable travel rod systems that can be configured to fit whatever length or power setting you need. Fishing rods for fly, surf, or even saltwater applications, on up to 100-lb test line. Even better, these rods pack down into a convenient travel case perfect for leaving in the car for those impromptu fishing sessions.

2. Drag Set Go

Setting your drags accurately can be an arduous task on a long-range trip, but poorly configured drags often lead to lost fish. You can use a spring scale, but there's new tech evolving. Drag Set Go is a scale that makes life easy with a digital display where you simply enter your line test and preferred drag range, then start pulling. The device turns green when you're in the preferred range and red when you've gone too far. It's about as idiot proof as it gets.

3. Katch Hook Keeper

Hook keepers are an underrated utility, particularly with saltwater fishing, and the Katch Hook Keeper is undoubtedly my new favorite of the bunch. Not only is it crafted to stay in place better than the glorified rubber bands that make up most of the market, but thanks to their patented o-ring design, it can also secure fishing line. That extra feature will come in handy for securing weights when fishing dropper loops or drop shots.

Imported from Japan, the Nature Boys VIBZn has been particularly effective on local yellowtail. | Cory Hayashi

4. Nature Boyz VIB Zn

While restocking my vertical jigging supply at West Coast Jiggerz, they tipped me off on the new VIB Zn jigs from Nature Boys. Nature Boys specializes in bringing Japanese fishing equipment and techniques to the US, and recent reports say the new VIB Zn jigs have been very hot on the local yellowtail bite.

Reel Happy creates stylish clothing inspired by California fishing culture as well as anime and manga | Cory Hayashi

5. Reel Happy

While new gear is great, it's also important to represent your favorite hobby with style. The crew at takes inspiration from anime, manga, and Southern California fishing and turns it into fun, stylish shirts, hats, and hoodies. These designs have become increasingly popular on local sportboats and provide a colorful alternative to the more basic, technical apparel in the fishing scene.

6. The Return of the OG Penn Fathom Reel

Penn did not need to bring out a new product to create a buzz at PCS this year with the return of their original Fathom reels, considered by many to be the best bang-for-your-buck reel in saltwater. Originally discontinued after the release of the lighter, more ergonomically designed Fathom II in 2022, Penn has listened to the many anglers who missed the durable workhorse that was the original. The re-release will be available only in the 25, 30, and 40 sizes and will be right-hand only. Sorry Flanders.

The DockDogs exhibition is always a hit at PCS | Cory Hayashi

All in all, it was a great time at this year's show. After wandering the aisles to restock my tackle box and pick up some new bass combos, the rest of the day was spent catching up with some friends, taking in seminars, and then finally grabbing a beer and watching the DockDogs compete on a gorgeous Southern California afternoon. Now on to the season!