Dress Yourself in Diving Birds and Screaming Drags

Aug 26

Pete Robbins of Half Past First Cast caught this yellowfin tuna on a topwater popper at Sportfish Panama Island Lodge in Isla Paridas, Gulf of Chiriqui

As if I needed to get any more excited for our upcoming return to Sport Fish Panama Island Lodge, every time I turn on the Google machine it seems to taunt me with another reminder about how excited I am. Some of these reminders come in the form of fishing reports or YouTube videos, while others are more subtle – even the recent controversy over whether Subway’s tuna sandwiches contain any real fish got me thinking about our island hideaway.

While I’ve already acquired four new items that will accompany me on Copa Airlines to Panama City, and then onto the island, I keep discovering new clothing that brings to mind both the epic offshore and inshore fisheries that await me.

Daiwa’s new offerings for ICAST 2021 included this short sleeve performance shirt that subtly evokes a yellowfin tuna’s signature body coloration.

Daiwa Short sleeve performance shirt with yellowfin tuna pattern stripes

Huk also rocks a tuna look, in this long-sleeved “refraction fade” ice shirt.

HUK blue ice refraction fade performance shirt with a yellowfin tuna on the back

Hanna added roosterfish to her life list of fish species when we visited Isla Parida in April. I came up short, so it remains over 26 years since I caught my last rooster. Home Run Apparel offers us this shirt with pez gallo’s signature striping on the front and a feeding scene on the back.

Home Run Apparel roosterfish pez gallo performance shirt for inshore fishing in tropical climates

You can also wear your roosters “below the equator” thanks to these micro-stretch polyester boxers from Simms.

Simms Micro-stretch polyester roosterfish boxer shorts for comfort in hot humid climates while fishing

It’s not just the fish that keep us coming back. Well, actually it is, but they’re not the only members of the food chain that get our adrenaline pumping. In order to find the fish, we had to find the diving birds on Captain Shane Jarvis’ Simrad radar. Scales Gear has developed a whole lineup of frigate bird camo, including hoodies, sun shirts, walk shorts, boardshorts, neck gaiters and bikinis. Yes, please!

Scales gear frigate themed bikinis and other clothing for both men and women to wear while fishing

AFTCO, one of our favorite clothing brands, has also introduced a frigate-themed pattern, specifically on a pair of boardshorts.

AFTCO frigate boardshorts are a great fit for surfing or fishing because they are cool, look great and dry quickly, and even include a handy pliers pocket

And if we drink so many cervezas that we forget what we’re fishing for, we’ll just go with this all-purpose, super-friendly lid from the crew at Weedline.