Fishing Clothing That Made It Into My Permanent Rotation in 2024
There is nothing worse than waking up early, early, early in the morning to fish and not knowing what to wear. Packing for a fishing trip is equally difficult: What do I take? What if it gets dirty? What if I don’t like it once we get there? I continue to refine my “must take” items to include a stack of clothes, gloves, jackets and sunglasses that go with me on nearly every trip. I don’t have to worry that I’ll make the wrong decision when I’m half asleep, I know exactly what to grab so I won’t be disappointed with my decision – and I won’t be too hot, too cold or too uncomfortable.
Any time I write about my favorite clothing, what I wear in bad weather and what you should give as a gift, my Gill rain jacket is always on the list. I’ve had the jacket for several years and I’ve needed it more times than I care to remember – but each time I stayed dry. It’s breathable, yet warm and although it is the men’s version it actually tapers in a little at the waist so I don’t look so boxy. The jacket has a longer tail so it helps keep your butt dry. It also folds up and fits in my luggage, backpack or camera bag. It goes with me on every trip.
The Striker hoody has so many great features that make it more than just a hoody: It has a ponytail hole, a removable neck gaiter that snaps, thumb holes and tons of ventilation. Blood washes out nicely and since so many of my other nice shirts now have blood stains this shirt can always be in pictures. Worn alone, it’s a summer shirt but you can also layer it under a sweatshirt to use the gaiter and the ponytail hole.
These fishing shorts are the perfect length for me -- no one needs to see my inner thighs and Bermudas are not my thing because my legs are too short). There is an inner liner, two pockets, waistband with drawstrings, quick drying fabric and they’re made of lightweight fabric that isn’t see through when bending over. Believe me, Pete checked. Combined with the hoody I have an outfit to wear, just grab and go no over thinking.
I hate being cold more than just about anything, and cold hands are the worst. These new waterproof gloves have that touchscreen fingertip capability which helps when you need to post your pictures to Facebook/Instagram and you don’t want to take them off. They say they have 4-way stretch. I’m not sure I would notice if it was 3- or 5-way but they have enough movement that you can actually hold a rod and reel in order to fish. I like that the glove fits tight on the wrist so it stays put and no water goes up your arm. They are thicker than most fishing gloves but most importantly they are WARM.
AFTCO Women’s Jigfish SS and Samurai LS Performance Shirt
These shirts are stylish, comfortable, not boxy, breathable, easy to pack, don’t wrinkle or shrink. If you teeter between sizes, size up regardless of the stretchy material. I have also found that when I get blood on them they have washed well. The long sleeve shirts have thumb holes. Both shirts have UPF protection and are quick drying. The colors are pretty and these are just go to shirts for everything, above and beyond fishing.
Finally, a really nice pair of shorts that come with a 5” inseam so when you sit down you don’t see what can’t be worked out any longer!! There is a nice waistband with drawstrings on the outside and two fairly deep pockets. They are cotton, polyester and spandex so they have a little stretch and are true to size. These shorts are nice enough to wear as everyday wear. The only downfall is they only have one color, Khaki.
At night, when the little bugs come out to feed, they find my legs. Sit next to me, I can be your bug spray. Hot or not I have to wear long pants when I am outside in the heat at night. I also wear them when it’s cold first thing in the morning, with shorts underneath, and then take them off when it heats up. The Columbia pull-on pants are lightweight and have a hem opening that fits over your shoes. They’re slightly baggy and for Columbia fit true to size (normally I feel that Columbia runs on the small side). They have side pockets, also zipped security pockets, a waist band that doesn’t roll and they are super comfortable.
My Bajio Paila sunglasses are orange (they have other colors, but why????). I love that not only to they enhance my outfits but they perform so well in direct sunlight, and they fit my large cranium. The only minor flaw is they are a little heavy on the nose if you wear them all day long. What did Billy Crystal say? “You need to look good to feel good,” so go buy a pair.
My first pair of polarized sunglasses were a pair of Wiley X purchased at the first Bassmaster Classic in 2008. I thought I was so cool with a different brand, and I was, but now there are so many other brands out there, many of which I’ve tried, but I found that my Wiley X Founders are often my first choice. I barely know they are on my face, they block out sunlight and they are comfortable on my nose. They may not be as fashionable as some others but I’ll admit it’s not always about the look (sorry Billy). Sometimes it’s purely about performance and these shades meet those fishing needs.
I recommend all of these items wholeheartedly. Take a look in my luggage and you’ll just about always see several of them, because I need to be comfortable in order to perform on the water.
