Critter Shorts for the Saltwater Angler

In case you’re not a member of Bushwood Country Club or a lacrosse bro, you might not be aware that “critter shorts” are an actual category of clothing. As the name suggests, they are shorts (often, but not exclusively khaki) with repeating sequences of animals or objects across them. 

In the preppy northeast, that might be Labrador retrievers or lobsters (the latter can be changed into crawfish for your South Louisiana friends). There are also martini glasses, anchors, collegiate logos, all sorts of little cultural identifiers to show off your allegiances. Mainstream clothing companies including J. Crew, Ralph Lauren, Tommy Hilfiger and Izod have intermittently featured them in their lineups. 

While there are plenty of board shorts that have fishing-themed animals on them, I’ve been able to find fewer button-up shorts that might be suitable for something fancier than sitting around the pool or a beachside bar. Here are some of my favorites. 

Castaway Clothing Company’s Grand Slam shorts have tuna, marlin and mako sharks on a 9-inch inseam. If you want some, act quickly because only a few sizes are left, although they have a wide variety of other designs available. 

Our trips to Casa Vieja may have tipped the scales on this one, but my current favorites are these psychedelic sailfish from Scales Gear.

Their Tropical Marlin shorts in black will have to wait until I catch my second marlin. 

Country Club Prep has the fancifully-named Merciful Marlin Resort short in classic stone.

While most of the shorts in this category have tiny critters, the Vintage Marlin model from Native Outfitters are better for the sight-impaired.

These shorts from Wavelife add a bit of technology – they reveal tuna, mahi or marlin silhouettes as they get wet. 

And Tipsy Elves, which got their big boost on Shark Tank, have shark-themed shorts in baby blue.