Gannett News Service
Terri Cardwell, owner of Adventure Angler Outfitter in Louisville, Ky., models a Simms Windstopper jacket, Patagonia waders, Simms Freestone wading boots and Smith eye protection as assistant manager Dick Haas modeled a Patagonia deep wading jacket, Orvis waders, Orvis fly fishing vest and Simms lightweight wading boots.

Outdoors enthusiasts pay price for fashion

LARRY MUHAMMAD, GANNETT NEWS SERVICE

Originally published Monday, March 11, 2002

Any old beat-up jeans, hand-me-down shirt and ball cap used to be sufficient for the time-pressed fisher. But now even traditional fishing attire, from outfitters such as Orvis and L.L. Bean, is tastefully designed and engineered for comfort, durability and protection.

Some fabrics for today's anglers block ultraviolet rays. Others are windproof or waterproof.

"I think that fishermen are finally starting to learn about technical products that skiers, campers and hikers are already familiar with," says Bob D'Orso, manager of outdoor apparel for Galyans outdoor apparel shop in Louisville, Ky. The chain of stores introduces its first angler-specific line this year.

"Used to be that fishermen would ask for cotton," he says, "but now they're wearing synthetic things."

Scientists say fish can see orange and red, so anglers also have to be careful about the colors they wear.

"It's the shadows that pinks and reds cast on the water," says Anna Perry, a Louisville dentist and avid fly-fisher. "On the Madison River in Montana eight years ago, fishing for trout, my partner had on a red hat. You see the fish coming up to you, you make a move, there's a shadow, and they dart away."

That's why camouflage design, which became a trend in haute couture, has returned to its outdoor roots with shirts colored like water and sky, helping fishers blend their silhouette into the environment.

"I'm a big Patagonia fan," says John Stewart, a Cumberland River fly-fishing guide in Frankfort, Ky. "I have their shirts ($50-$100) in earth tones and saltwater colors that tend to be very light, light blue, light green, and made with flat seams so they ride on your body comfortably."

Clothes-conscious anglers also are wearing polarized sunglasses that reduce the water's glare (Costa del Mars, $80-$100), quick-drying cotton-blend shirts that breathe ($30-$50 from Columbia, Filson, Remington) and two-piece hooded rain suits ($350 from Cabela). There are capilene undergarments for waders and nylon and polyester pants that convert to shorts.

Then there are the tackle sets in stylish briefcases to handily outfit the weekend sportsperson who jets off to Canada or Belize. Orvis offers the seven-piece, 8-foot Trident TL rod with the CFO III Disc reel and WF5F line ($800), while Cabela has five-piece rods, 7-to-9 feet, with two-reel option ($99).

And although function trumps fashion for the outdoor enthusiast, clothes made expressly for field and stream -- vests with multiple pockets, boot soles with serious tread, ventilated shirts -- now typically double as casual wear.

"I'm able to stay in my clothes on the river an entire day, and feel comfortable going into a restaurant and making new contacts without looking like a slob," Stewart says.

Even after a day outdoors, drawstring T-shirts in white and solid colors by Jack Cowan and Guy Harvey ($15-$30) look spiffy under a sports jacket.

" 'As long as you look good' -- that's our motto," says Terri Cardwell, owner of The Adventure Angler & Outfitting, a Louisville retailer of fly-fishing gear and apparel by Patagonia, Columbia, Orvis, Filson and Barbour.

The Olympian Copyright 2002

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