Fly Fish America presented Swenco with an Editors’ Choice Award for the Steel-Flex puncture-resistant insole, under the category of “Best-of-the-Best New Fly Fishing Gear.” Swenco received the award in July at the International Convention of Allied Sportfishing Trades (ICAST) in Orlando, Fla.
Sold in stores and by online retailers, the Steel-Flex insole gives consumer boots and shoes a high degree of puncture resistance. It is the same product Swenco supplies to manufacturers of industrial safety footwear, and is ideal for hunters, anglers and home doit-yourselfers who need occasional protection from hazards on the ground.
“This is wonderful recognition of a great safety product for men and women who enjoy the outdoors,” says Paul Sweeny, owner and president of Swenco. “The Steel-Flex insole can be the difference between a trouble-free hunting or fishing trip, and a long, painful walk back to the car.
Lost hooks, sharp rocks, oyster beds and shards of glass and bottles are among the submerged hazards that anglers should keep in mind when they wade into water.
Steel-Flex insoles come in five sizes. Wearers can trim them for a custom fit. Hunters, and spin-cast and fly-fishing anglers, can keep a pair of Steel-Flex insoles in a kit bag or tackle box until needed.
This was Swenco’s first time at ICAST as an exhibitor. ICAST bills itself as the world’s largest sport-fishing trade show, and it attracted about 13,000 retailers, outfitters and media this year.