September 11, 2024
By Fly Fisherman Staff
Affiliate Disclosure: This page contains affiliate links. We earn from qualifying purchases.
Simms Glades Hoody $89.95 | simmsfishing.com This hoody is so soft and comfortable, you will be caught wearing it indoors. The magic in this sun shirt is its composition—76% recycled polyester, 5% Spandex, and 19% Tencel. Tencel is the secret ingredient here. It’s a brand name for a sustainable type of fabric made from wood pulp or cellulose. Tencel actually came from the bedding world where “cooling” Tencel sheets are a luxury alternative to plain cotton sheets because they are more breathable, absorb moisture better, and have a soft “silky” feel. And the Merrow overlock stitching provides flat, comfortable seams. So yes, you can use these for pajamas on days when you are not fishing.
Tencel and other brands of lyocell fibers were developed as an alternative to rayon and other fabrics, which require the use of carbon disulfide, which is toxic to workers and the environment. When blended with quick-drying recycled polyester it becomes extremely durable, and the Spandex gives it just the right amount of stretch for casting and other athletic movements.
The Glades Hoody is a perfect fishing shirt for sunny trout fishing, and for all-around fishing, but it’s a little “weighty” for tropical fishing or 90-degree days in the summer.
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The three-panel hood design secures with a simple, center front button closure and has single left chest pocket. The extended sleeves have a low-profile interior elastic thumb loop for back-of-the-hand sun protection.
The shirt is finished with HeiQ Fresh sustainable anti-odor fabric technology as well as HeiQ Stain Away to protect against everything from fish slime to gas station burritos to blueberry juice.
It’s available in four colors: dark clover, steel, sterling, and stone, and six sizes small to 3XL.
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$89.95 | simmsfishing.com
Duck Camp Drifter Pant $89 | duckcamp.com These rugged go-anywhere pants work just as well in a drift boat or raft as they do on a plane, in a restaurant, or around a campfire after a day of fishing with friends. The 2-way stretch Nylon Taslan material gives you a comfortable straight fit all day, and the articulated knees and gusseted crotch provide extra mobility and comfort. The material is quick-drying so you can jump in the water when you need to, but it’s also a little thicker, more durable, and less “technical” than some wading pants out there. You might not want to wade all day in these pants but they are perfect for boat fishing and you can go grocery shopping or to the bank afterward and no one will bat an eye.
Drifter Pants have zippers on the front right and back left pockets to secure things like wallets and cell phone, making them great travel pants whether you are fishing in the next state or international. The magnetic closures on the right side cargo pocket and the rear pocket on left leg, stay closed when they need to but are easy to open with one hand. I like to keep my tippet and Dry-Shake power in there so it’s easy to access.
Drifter Pants come with belt loops and a partially elastic waistband for a comfortable fit, and they come in 12 sizes from small to 3XL tall. Available in four colors: sandbar, charcoal, faded navy, and pintail brown.
$89 | duckcamp.com
Scott Fly Rods Session $675 | tridentflyfishing.com If you enjoy casting the Scott Centric (and most people do) you’re going to love the fishier feel, chill vibes, and the value of Scott’s latest made-in-Montrose masterpiece. The new Scott Session has all the blank technology of the more expensive series such as the Carbon Link epoxy resin system, ARC2 reinforcement, and ReAct technology, but a slightly different taper that provides more feedback while fishing and casting, and different components for an incredible price on a premium rod.
“Anyone who has fished Scott freshwater rods in the recent past will immediately recognize our signature ‘fast with feel’ action in Session rods,” said Scott President Jim Bartschi. “They share some of the design approaches and materials DNA with some of our most legendary rods. Incorporating some of our newest technologies give these rods their own unique feel and attributes.”
The new rods can still be categorized as fast action and give you excellent loop control but they load at closer distances than say the Centric, and they have a light, delicate feel for trouty tasks like precision casts with small flies. I used the 9-foot 5-weight with a 22-foot leader to drop #18 nymphs in front of big South Island browns—not only did the Session have the “juice” to go the distance, it had the sensitivity to stay connected with small flies and light tippets.
In terms of overall line speed, the Session action is somewhere between the G series and the Centric.
Bartschi, who is also the rod designer, said one of the performance goals was a light swing weight, but the actual weight is also extremely light, with the 9-foot 5-weight clocking in at less than 3 ounces.
The Session runs the entire gamut of the trout-fishing world, with a little 8-foot 3-weight for small mountain streams, all the way up to a 9-foot 8-weight you might use for throwing big jointed streamers on the White or for an indicator rig on Jurassic Lake. There’s also a big tip of the hat to technical nymphing aficionados with 4-, 5-, and 6-weight models in 9'6" and 10' lengths.
Components are a big selling point of these rods, and Scott always does a great job with top end components. The machined reels seats are Type 2 anodized with dyed green box elder wood insert. The double uplocking rings on the seats are aggressively knurled so you can easily tighten against the reel foot even with cold wet hands.
The grip is a little different than anything Scott has previously produced. It’s a modified wells design that feels slightly narrower than comparable Scott rods, with the bulge set slightly forward.
The stripping guides have super slick and hard silicon nitride ring inserts. The chemical compound SiN rates about 8.5 on the Mohs hardness scale, and this guide package with low-glare light wire snake guides with a PVD coating is super low-friction. There is also a hook keeper and rod blank alignment dots for easy set up. —Ross Purnell
$675 | tridentflyfishing.com
Patagonia Boulder Fork Rain Jacket $229 | als.com While some lightweight rain jackets feel a little flimsy, and give the impression they might only last through the first good storm, the Boulder Fork Rain Jacket is made from Patagonia’s burly 3-layer waterproof/breathable H2No for long-term waterproof durability. It’s rugged enough for offshore downpours, a summer of guiding in Alaska, or peacock bass trips in the Amazon rainforest, and the durable water repellent (DWR) finish is made without perfluorinated chemicals (PFCs/PFAS), so you’re not shedding “forever chemicals” into the ecosystem.
The streamlined design makes this jacket packable and practical for multiple uses. It’s a killer jacket for hiking in lousy weather, setting up camp, or for rowing to the boat launch. But it’s still packed with the features you need to make it a highly functional fly-fishing jacket.
It has an exposed, waterproof center-front zipper with a flap underneath so you don’t catch your other layers in the teeth. It has two welted, watertight, zippered handwarmer pockets that are placed high for deep wading. It also has a single watertight zippered left-side pocket for a large fly box.
An adjustable drawcord at the hem allows you to cinch up the bottom to keep out bad weather, and it makes it comfortable to combine it with a backpack waist belt or wader belt. The minimalist cuffs reduce bulk and contribute to the overall “packability” of this jacket. Simple hook-and-loop closures cinch up to keep the rain out.
The low-profile hood comes with a built-in laminated visor but also works just fine with a baseball cap underneath. A single pull cord adjusts from both sides to tighten the hood around your hat and face in a storm.
It’s available in eight men’s sizes XXS to 3XL and five colors: gather green, smolder blue, basin green, forge grey, and pufferfish gold. In women’s there are seven sizes XXS to XXL and five colors: subtidal blue, smolder blue, sienna clay, forge grey, and buckhorn green.
$229 | als.com
Skwala Sol Wading Pant $129 | skwalafishing.com When it’s hot and you are wading the flats all day, hiking into your favorite alpine stream, or wading the riffle water of a big Western tailwater, you want pants that are cool, light, and comfortable. We can all put up with uncomfortable, bulky clothes when it’s cold, but when it’s hot, the fabric and the fit have to be perfect to keep you cool.
Skwala’s Sol Wet Wading Pants are light. They weigh in at 11.1 ounces but they feel like almost nothing because they are built with a Toray Primeflex Dot Air stretch textile. Look at it closely and you’ll see the thread structure creates a square-shaped 4-way stretch grid with tiny holes throughout. It’s basically a cool, breathable, micro-mesh. The thousands of holes are plainly visible on close inspection and function to make the fabric super cool, fast-drying, and flexible. Don’t worry, the holes aren’t visible unless your eyes are inches from the fabric. The material is not see-through although it certainly feels breeze-through.
The smooth, fitted waistband has no stretch, so the pants won’t sag when they are wet. They have a trim, functional fit so you don’t have extra fabric flapping around in the water when you’re wading.
The pants have a single rear zippered pocket, deep jeans-style front pockets, and a zippered right front cargo pocket.
I wore them to New Zealand where the guides all wear stretchy tights and shorts to protect against sun and insects. Stretchy tights give you maximum mobility for sneaking around boulders and hopping over fallen trees. Sol Wet Wading Pants gave me all the same athletic advantages, but didn’t look as quirky and dried much faster. —Ross Purnell
$129 | skwalafishing.com
Simms Pursuit Shoe $139.95 | simmsfishing.com The Pursuit Shoe is a do-it-all water sneaker that isn’t just for wading—its grippy, almost barefoot siped sole makes it perfect for stand-up paddleboards, rafts, drift boats, or the casting deck of a saltwater flats skiff. And when you see a juicy riffle or tailing bonefish, you can jump off and have the foot protection to chase the fish where they are feeding.
It has a quick-lacing system that gives a snug fit and won’t snag your fly line, a stretch collar to keep sand and gravel away from your skin, and is sized to be worn barefoot or with a thin liner sock. The abrasion-resistant TPU overlays are strategically placed in high-wear areas for extra durability. We love this shoe for docks and decks and any time you are in and out of the water for strategic fishing. It’s not meant for long hikes or all-day wading. It’s available in colors steel or riffle green, men’s sizes 5 though 14 and women’s sizes 7 through 16.
$139.95 | simmsfishing.com
