Wired2Fish 2012 Wishlists | Fishing Apparel
Posted by Jason Sealock on Tue, Dec 13, 2011 @ 12:01 AM
It's getting cold all over the country now, and a lot of folks are inside more planning their fishing for 2012. Those of us die-hards are still hard at it, and our ice-fishing-loving brethren are chomping at the bit to start drilling holes and snatching fish from the depths.
Fishing is often about endurance. Weathering the elements and staying comfortable and dry all day enables you to out last the fish or make it until they finally start feeding. What you wear can be a big part of success on the water and not to mention your own health. Protection from harsh weather and the bearing sun is becoming more important to more anglers as they see what it has done to some great men of the sport. So we take our apparel as serious as our gear.
The last few months we've been fortunate to sample a lot of apparel from several companies. There is some great new apparel out now geared specifically to folks who spend their time on the water.
Simms Pro Dry GORE-TEX Jacket and Bibs
Simms came out with new raingear this year that they first shared with pro fishing anglers to introduce the new gear to anglers all over the world but to also get insight on what improvements needed to be made in the raingear.
The result is one of the top rain suits on the market. Simms has a long history for making high end gear for fly fishermen and outdoorsmen, and their gear is well made using the best materials. They spare no expense and don't skimp to make high-quality, long-lasting gear.
Todd and Terry have been wearing the Simms rainsuit this summer and fall and both have liked their suits for fishing and also for inclement weather days away from the water.
Columbia Blood and Guts Superlight Long Sleeve Shirt
This shirt from Columbia has a lot of great features that makes it a great all year fishing shirt. It's lightweight but the long sleeve features the Omni Shade technology that blocks UV rays while keeping you cool on hot days. Worn with a baselayer shirt, it's a great fall fishing shirt. But one of the best features we found is that it's stain resistant. Slime, blood and other things that get on you when out fishing won't ruin this shirt. It's another high end offering in the apparel category, but one we really loved.
Columbia Silver Ridge Booney II Hat
Big hats are great for big shade in the summer. Yeah they're not much to look at, but the functionality is undeniable. They keep your face neck and even back cooler and help with vision into the water when sight fishing by blocking odd sun angles that your shades don't block.
This hat features a drawstring to lock the hat on your head on windy days and loop lock on the back of the hat to alter the fit on your head. The white color reflects the suns rays, but it's available in other colors as well.
This is a great option for those dog days of summer.
Frabill FXE Windproof Fleece Jacket
The wind. If you're an angler who spends any time on the water, you know wind is a big part of figuring out the fishing. Some days you love it and some days you hate, but either way you can stay comfortable with the right apparel.
Probably Jason's favorite piece this fall has been the Frabill FXE Windproof Jacket. It's comfortable, light and makes a great in between layer on really cold days. But it's amazing how well it blocks the wind for being so thin. It has well thought out pockets on the chest and sides. It has zip flaps under the arms to make the jacket more breathable as it warms up. We like the longer cut in the back and shorter cut in the front. It dries fast too if it does get wet and it does a good job repelling water in light rain and spray although it's not fully waterproof. This is a great all the time jacket for any angler.
Frabill FXE Task Gloves
Every angler who fishes in the fall, winter or early spring needs a good pair of gloves. Whether it's for running the boat, warming a hand while fishing in cold water, or trying to keep the rain and snow off your hands to keep them warm, a good pair of gloves that will last is invaluable.
The new Frabill FXE Task Gloves are waterproof, windproof and not so bulky that you can't grip your rod and reel. They have great diamond mesh traction patterns on on the palms with straps around the wrist to keep them snug on your hands. The gloves are cut well. We tested the XL pair which was good on Jason's large hands for a variety of fishing applications like driving the boat, casting in the wind and cold and even landing fish in icy cool water.
Buff Sport Series Water Gloves
Our hands are one thing we often neglect as outdoorsmen and women. The sun and wind can make your skin dry chapped or worse. The new gloves from Buff aim to keep your hands looking good while protecting you from the elements in warm weather. I've actually warn them this fall too and they do a good job knocking the wind down too. And we found out they are like velcro when landing bass which can be an added bonus when trying to wrangle a fish at the boat without a net.
Tasc Beaver Falls Long Sleeve
Another new company that anglers are going to want to check out in 2012 is tasc. They feature new clothing made of bamboo performance material. It's a departure from polyster that's been used in most other performance clothing.
What we can tell you is the tasc base layer is noticeably softer, like a 2000-thread-count bed sheet. Jason has been wearing his all fall and loves it. It works perfect under sweatshirts, the Frabill FXE Fleece and other top layers. It's extremely comfortable, fits tightly to your skin but doesn't feel constricting. So it's great to fish all day in this base layer whether it's hot or as an under layer when its cool.
G2 Gemini Neck Gator and Beanie
We've been testing and helping get the cuts right on the new G2 Gemini Neck Gator and Beanie. Both are being developed out of great materials, feature fully customizable design options and will complete a great look while being extremely functional.
We're big fans of wearing face guards to keep the sun and wind burn at bay and also for keeping ears covered when fishing in cold weather. So having warm layers sewn into soft great looking customizable soft layers on the Beanie will make this one of the best available. The Neck Gator is comfortable, breathable, and looks great while keeping the sun and wind off your face and neck.
There are lots of great new apparel products for next fishing season, but these are some of the ones we've been able to wear, test and report back to you as some of the best we've tried.