What To Wear Fishing

What To Wear Fishing
4 Min Read
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When getting ready to go fishing, one of the first things on your mind might be what you’re going to wear.

Some people want to look good while they’re catching fish (after all, you never know when a photo op might strike!), while others just want to be comfortable. 

Today we’ll be looking at the best clothing to wear while fishing. Of course, you can wear whatever you want, but we have some tips to help you get the most out of your fishing experience without feeling uncomfortable while doing it. 

What Is Fishing Attire?

More seasoned anglers have three main must-haves when it comes to the clothes that they wear while fishing. The first is protection. You’re going to want to be protected from the elements, any bugs in the air, and more. 

The second must have is comfort. You’re going to be fishing for hours on end and you won’t want to miss a catch because your mind is occupied on how uncomfortable your jeans are or how scratchy your sweater is. 

Finally, the third is camouflage. Just like with hunting, you should consider camouflaging up so that the fish aren’t scared away from your area.

Of course, this applies to some types of fishing more than others, such as clear water fishing. 

If you ever ask an angler what they recommend you wear while fishing, they will all say the same thing – layers! Three on a cold day, two on a warm one. 

Even if you look out of the window and think that it looks like a gloriously sunny day, you’ll still feel much colder when you’re fishing. That’s just the rules. 

Shirts

You’ll want a base layer shirt to wear underneath your outer shirt when fishing. This should be lightweight and breathable so that it doesn’t make you too warm that you start to sweat.

Instead, it should work as another light layer of insulation around your body. 

Some base layers come with sun-protective qualities, which can be very beneficial when you’re standing outside fishing all day.

The best materials for your base layer shirt are merino wool, polyester, nylon, or poly-cotton. 

Your outer shirt can either be short sleeved or long sleeved depending on the weather.

If it’s really hot then you may want to opt for a short sleeve to keep yourself cooler. 

However, if it’s cold then you may want to stick with a longer sleeve. This works as your middle layer on cooler days and your outer layer on summer days.

We would recommend getting a longer sleeve shirt even if you think you’re going to be too warm. Believe us, you’ll be surprised by how cold you can be when you get by the water! 

Fishing is a surprisingly messy sport, so we would opt for a darker color shirt as opposed to a light colored one. Brown, black, gray, dark blue, and muted greens are all good choices.

If it’s colder and you need a third layer, any coat will do the trick. We would suggest a waterproof coat, but you can opt for a different choice.

Use your better judgment as to how warm this coat needs to be. If you’re fishing at night or in the dead of winter, your coat is going to need to be thicker than if you were to fish in midday on a day in September. 

Pants

Wearing the right pants while you’re fishing is also very important. Nylon is always the preferred material choice for fishing pants as they are water-resistant but not too warm.

They are also very easy to move in and lightweight so they won’t weigh you down. 

You might be wondering why you should have to purchase pants just for fishing (most people won’t have a pair of nylon pants in their closets).

But let us ask you one question – have you ever sat around in wet cotton pants or jeans? We rest our case. 

Another reason to get pants specifically for fishing is because they come with lots of pockets that other pants aren’t equipped with.

These pockets will become your best friends while fishing, and once you use them once, you’ll never want to go fishing without them. 

Shoes

The shoes you wear fishing is completely up to you.

We might suggest that closed-toe shoes are best in case you drop any of your equipment on your foot, but fishing equipment doesn’t tend to be too heavy so you shouldn’t have too much of an issue. 

Some base layers come with sun-protective qualities, which can be very beneficial when you’re standing outside fishing all day.

Some people like to wear sandals or flip flops during summer when fishing, and this is fine if it’s what makes you comfortable. 

However, as we tend to get cold while fishing, we prefer to wear socks and sneakers or boots. Boots offer the added benefit of being waterproof, which is a good choice if you hate the feeling of wet socks and shoes. 

Accessories

Again, the accessories you wear will depend on the weather and time of year. Fishing in summer might call for a baseball cap and sunglasses, while fishing in winter might require a wooly hat and gloves.

If you’re going to wear gloves, go waterproof or water-resistant so that you don’t make your hands colder thanks to wet gloves. 

People tend to overlook accessories because they don’t want to take too much with them to the water.

However, we cannot stress the importance of these things enough. If you go fishing without a hat, sunglasses or gloves, you’re bound to regret it. 


Summary

We hope that this article has helped you understand what to wear while fishing. It’s really quite simple: choose clothes that are appropriate for the weather and time of day.

You should also remember to bring along some extra items such as hats, sunglasses, and gloves. 

Seasoned fishermen will always recommend dressing with more layers than you think you’ll need. In the summer,  you should be wearing at least two layers on your top half to avoid feeling chilly and having to go home early. 

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