Topic: The Best Fishing Shirts of 2023, Tested and Reviewed (Read 26 times)
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Topic: The Best Fishing Shirts of 2023, Tested and Reviewed (Read 26 times)
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There’s no doubt that Simms has built a shirt to provide maximum performance while keeping no-see-ums and other critters off you. There are quite a few shirts out there that offer some sort of repellent fabric or additive—and you can do it yourself to any shirt with a dose of consumer-strength permethrin – but many of those shirts leave key areas exposed. When the insects are particularly bad, you need a “belt and suspenders” approach, so a crew neck or traditional button-down just isn’t enough. This one has an athletic build with tight sleeves that prevent anything from getting inside. Even with all this coverage it’s still eminently breathable. It stretches where you need it to stretch and protects you from both the sun and bugs.
On the outside, these solid-colored hoodies look pretty standard, but once you put one on you’ll realize that they’re made for co*fort. Not only does it drape co*fortably over everything from athletic physiques to the more-co*mon “dad bod,” but it wicks away sweat with ease. That’s due to the proprietary Cocona/37.5 Fabric, which increased surface area by a substantial amount to prevent cooling. That also means that if it rains you won’t be wet all day. When I put it in the washing machine I didn’t need the dryer – the spin cycle alone was enough to make it fresh. Perhaps most importantly, this is a shirt that feels good to wear, both because it’s co*fortable and because it’s made with environmental consciousness in mind. Eclipse only use recycled fabrics and has a supplier code of conduct. They even offset the footprint of shipping by planting a tree for each order.
I tested the Gilla LS Hoodie for four months while fishing and getting ready for the 2022 USA Archery Outdoor Nationals. My testing started fishing for stripers in Roanoke Rapids where the temps ranged from 60 to 70 degrees and I wore the Gilla as a base layer. As the temps rose my fishing moved to saltwater for redfish and striped bass, where high humidity and long kayak paddles tested the Gilla’s moisture wicking ability. During that time I was also training for an archery national championship, which meant being in the summer sun for two hours a day. I also wore the Gilla while co*peting at the championship.
While I own many of the best fishing shirts featuring SPF, the Gilla became my favorite this summer. The fit is loose, but not too loose and runs true to size. The hood lays flat when not in use and doesn’t obstruct your peripheral vision when it’s up. The SPF protection worked fantastic when I spent over 8 hours in the sun. I live in the southeast where the humidity stays above 80 percent all summer, and the Gilla managed to wick the inevitable sweat, which kept me co*fortable in triple degree heat. Another noteworthy feature is that the shirt’s material didn’t hold odor like some synthetics do.
Free Fly’s hoodie is so incredibly light that you may forget that it’s there. Regardless of your body size or shape, it somehow drapes fashionably and co*fortably, with no pinch or pull points. The driving factor behind that co*fort is the 70 percent bamboo construction, but it also stems from the design, which includes a full coverage hood. I normally don’t like thumbholes on my sleeves, even though I recognize the value of sun protection, but these were co*fortable and didn’t wear at all after repeated uses.
The colors are mostly muted, consistent with Free Fly’s palette, but I also live in their Barrier Island Camo, which hides in its pattern the sea islands of the co*pany’s home state of South Carolina. Anglers who need a slightly heavier shirt or one with more sun protective qualities will be happy to note that Free Fly makes two additional hoodies in this lineup that are slightly heavier.
If not for the fish camo patterns, you might not be able to immediately distinguish the Iso-Chill from Under Armour’s other athletic wear, and in this case that’s a good thing. The co*pany has made its name building sport-specific gear that allows top performers to reach their peak. If the bass bite is on, or the tuna are rampaging while you’re on the verge of heat stroke, that’s going to hamper your efforts. The fabric is light and pulls heat away from your skin, which means humid 90 degree days—or even triple digit scores—won’t keep you from landing your personal best.
The Tide Point is the modern iteration of the Classic button-down fishing shirt, keeping anglers cool in a timeless style. It’s built to breathe and keep you cool without ever letting anyone see you sweat, and it even has a built-in microfiber sunglass wipe so you’ll continuously see your quarry clearly. The Tide Point is available in a number of standard solid patterns, plus gingham and plaid, which means you can wear it on the boat and then directly to dinner or possibly a casual business environment.
Grundens made their name building rain gear for co*mercial fishermen who operate in the most unforgiving environments possible, so when it came time to build a cold weather shirt, they applied that technology and came up with a winner. This insulated shirt, available in a quartet of traditional solid colors, is made to beat back the frigid air. While it’s not waterproof, it’s water- and wind-resistant. When others are heading back to the dock or shivering as they wait for a bite, the Windchop takes on all co*ers. If you’re not fond of the straightforward solid patterns, the co*pany’s Kodiak Insulated Shirt provides a co*parable effect in a variety of hearty plaid patterns as well.
American t-shirt and underwear manufacturer, Hanes hit a sweet spot in the budget with this simple long sleeved crewneck shirt packed with moisture-wicking, odor-resistant, UPF 50 protection. It’s possible to buy two, three, or even four of them for the price of many of the other best fishing shirts, and that would be warranted if they ever wore down—but these are made to last. Simply put, they fit and wear like a much more expensive shirt. They don’t co*e with a bunch of fancy features or doodads, but if you need something to cover up your torso and arms, and you want something wallet-friendly, this widely-available option should be at or near the top of the list.
Columbia