Over the years I’ve constantly been approached in the shop or on message boards or other venues about “what clothing has to do with fishing”. Well it’s pretty simple to me. To catch fish you need to be on the water. The longer I’m on the water, the better the chances are that I’ll catch fish. And the more comfortable I am on the water, the longer I’ll stay on the water… So in math class it would have looked something like this:
TIME ON THE WATER = MORE FISH
COMFORT ON THE WATER = MORE TIME ON THE WATER
Therefore: COMFORT ON THE WATER = MORE FISH
So now that we have that basic mathematical equation worked out we simply need to approach what makes us more comfortable on the water. First and foremost this time of year would be warmth. But within that I want to stay warm with the least amount of clothing on, because anyone who fishes often knows that bulky coats and coveralls can hinder your ability to operate in tight quarters in a boat, and now even though I’m warm I’m not comfortable, and the equation falls apart. Luckily for us there are a plethora of options out there that offer maximum warmth from light non-bulky clothing pieces.
Take the Simms Fall Run Jacket for instance:
Constructed with Primaloft insulation and weighing in at a whopping 12.8 ounces this jacket is extremely light weight and packable, but has the ability to cut the wind and keep you comfortable on those cool fall mornings.
Likewise Mountain Hardware’s Thermostatic Jacket:
Constructed from Mountain Hardware’s patented Thermal Q insulation is 35% warmer than any other jacket in its class, and offers the same light weight as the previously mentioned Simms offering.
As we all know the sun isn’t always shining, and sometimes we need not only to be warm but dry as well, that’s where the Simms Buckley Jacket comes in:
Offering the warmth of the Primaloft insulation and covering it with a Gortex shell keeps you both warm and dry on even the nastiest of days.
Now that your top half is nice and toasty, let’s take care of those legs. Both Simms and Mountain Hardware offer options in this area as well. Simms keeps your lower appendages covered with their aptly named Cold Weather Pant:
Offering a quick dry water resistant shell, lined with Simms’ Cor3 fleece lining these pants keep you warm even when running from spot to spot, without hindering movement.
Mountain Hardware’s Yumalino Pant:
seeks to achieve the same goal using a soft four way nylon stretch material with a DWR water repellant coating, lined with soft fleece. Maximum warmth and mobility.
So to recap. The clothes don’t make the fisherman, but they do make him or her more comfortable, and at the end of the day they will lead to a more enjoyable day on the water even on the coldest days, and possibly more fish. The Charleston Angler has all of these options in stock right now, alongside many other great cold weather options from Columbia, Patagonia, Simms, and Mountain hardware. So please come by, try some on, and see what you’ve been missing out on. Good luck out there.
Capt. Mad Mike Benson
