Fishing Apparel

Fishing involves many hours in the outdoors, often in less-than-ideal conditions. Never underestimate the value of proper attire. Conditions that might be a minor inconvenience in every day life going in and out of temperature controlled buildings and cars can be a serious issue when you are spending many hours outside. For that reason, I have specialized clothing for both very hot and chilly temperatures, as well as for rain. I say chilly rather than cold because if it is super cold outside, I don't fish. If the temperature is neither hot nor chilly nor rainy, you can pretty much wear whatever you want so I won't address that here.

Hot Weather

I have fished in many steamy jungles and oceans around the world, and proper attire is a must in order to withstand many hours in the heat casting big lures and fighting fish. The sun can be very dangerous in the near term and have serious adverse affects in the long term, so I cover up as much as possible. I made the mistake of not dressing properly in Bolivia once and ended up with heat exhaustion, and that scared me into dressing properly for the heat (as well as hydrating). That usually starts with a hat on my head, generally a baseball cap. Those are good for keeping the sun out of your eyes but don't provide the best sun coverage, so I pair it with a lightweight neck buff that I can pull over my neck and ears as well as my face. If it's really hot, I sometimes consider a visor because it lets more heat escape off the top of your head.

As a shirt, I wear long sleeve, lightweight polyester shirts such as those made by Simms and Pelagic. They provide good sun protection and breathability. I often wear gloves as well to get more coverage, although I typically use fingerless ones so that I can easily tie knots and do other fine motor things. The exception is if I am casting big topwaters on spinning gear for Giant Trevally or Cuberas or something where it is helpful to have finger protection for casting the heavy lures with heavy braid.

For pants, I usually go with long pants so that I don't have to worry about sunscreen. Sunscreen is important to use on exposed areas, but can rub off or you can miss a spot and still get burned so I prefer a physical barrier like long pants. Kuhl (www.kuhl.com) makes an excellent warm weather pant that I like a lot called the Freeflex pant. It is very lightweight, breathable, quick-drying, and has some stretch. That's everything I look for in a tropical pant. It is probably the most comfortable long pant I have ever worn. I own more than 30 pairs of Kuhl pants in every different weight, and there is a good Kuhl pant option for every type of weather. Kuhl is also an independently-owned company that does not have PE or other outside money that could potentially jeopardize quality, and it shows.

Cold Weather

When fishing in colder places like Alaska and Canada, I like to start with a base layer of merino wool. Kuhl makes some great options that I use a lot in both long and short sleeves. Merino wool offers good insulation, even when wet (unlike cotton) and really resists odor. I then usually put some sort of fleece on top of that, and then either an insulated rain jacket or a rain shell depending on how cold it is. It's always good to wear layers so you can take them off or put them on as needed as the day progresses. I wear a neck buff most of the time to keep me warmer and help keep the bugs off, but in cooler climates I use ones made out of wool.

For pants, I like either the Rydr or the flannel-linned Hot Rydr if I'm not wearing waders.

Rain Gear

Good rain gear can really make or break your trip if it rains. No matter how many fish you are catching, it is hard to have fun when you are wet and cold. You have to be prepared for rain anywhere you fish. There is a HUGE difference between "Water Resistant" and "Waterproof" when it comes to clothing. Personally, I generally don't bother with anything that is water resistant unless I'm not expecting rain; I want everything to be waterproof.

I was once on a trip in Alaska where it rained hard for 3 hours while we were riding in the river back to the airport. Everyone pulled out their rain gear, and everyone got soaked because it was coming down so far and their rain gear was not up the the challenge. Lots of people found out their gear was water resistant rather than waterproof that day.

I use the same rain jacket for both warm and cold climates. It's breathable enough for the warmer climates and I can layer under it for the colder ones. My jacket is from Arc'teryx; they make extremely good rain jackets. I also have a pair of light waterproof pants I use a lot from Simms.

If I know it is going to be rainy all day, I often wear a pair of waders to really keep the rain out. Both Simms and Patagonia make good w