January 09, 2018
By John Geiger
When drop-shotting at 60 feet, do your clothes matter? No. But there are times they do. (Image from manufacturer)
With new fishing camo, Mossy Oak and Realtree think it's time anglers get the edge of stealth on the water, too.
Summer 2018 might be remembered for what we wear as much as what we catch.
Fishing-specific camo patterns soon will be applied to fishing shirts, shorts and about every other piece of gear you could imagine as camo industry juggernauts Mossy Oak and Realtree jump into the fishing fray in a big way.
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Companies like Under Armour and Huk have been offering fishing clothes in camo styles for years, so Mossy Oak and Realtree aren't the first to the party. But they are the biggest, and this represents a big change in the fishing gear segment.
OK, camo makes sense for deer hunting, when we need to blend into the surroundings, but what about while bass fishing?
Do we really need to melt into the sky while flipping, pitching or beating the banks with a Zara Spook?
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As any anglers who have spent a lot of time on the water will attest: what you do above the surface, and what you wear, matters.
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Trout fishermen figured out a long time ago that bright colors will reflect light unnaturally and put fish on alert. Savvy saltwater anglers know shallow-water game species will dart off the flats if you are waving a fly rod with a shirt which contrasts with the backdrop above.
While fishing camo may help boat more fish under the right conditions, Mossy Oak and Realtree readily admit this is also a "lifestyle thing" — meaning, many people who never wet a line will buy these shirts, pants and whatever else licensees decorate with these patterns (coolers, bags and gear boxes are being produced right now).
But for us avid anglers, these new patterns offer great on-the-water fashion, while helping us get closer to fish.
This, while having the latest technology to keep us cool, comfortable and dry. After all, a comfortable fisherman is a focused fisherman.
ELEMENTS Mossy Oak calls its camo line Elements and is partnering with Huk Performance Fishing to produce shirts, shorts, hoodies and women and youth wear.
According to Mossy Oak, Elements utilizes the three core elements of the natural world — earth, water and wind — fused together into three layers of multi-directional, photo realistic images that actively disrupt the human outline at any distance.
FISHING Realtree went a different way on their pattern. They use modern fish-finder images, like down scanning and side imaging, weaving those into their pattern.
Old roadbeds, submerged trees and other structure anglers target are ghosted in. A big partner of Realtree, G2 Gemini Jerseys, is now producing shirts with the Realtree Fishing patterns.
Other companies are expected to camo-cloak all sorts of fishing and general-use products, from neck gaiters to shoes and even boats.
