PRO-ANGLER GUIDE SHIRT.
Chris Tyler tears strips off a dedicated fly fishing shirt.

I have to declare my hand up front on this review and say that Gavin at Pro Angler gave me one of these to review, for free. At first appearances these shirts are like a lot of other fishing shirts, only not as expensive; so what is the difference?

In addition to the expected features, the Pro-Angler shirt has a seriously handy little slide on the left breast pocket for forceps. This is a great idea, and I love it: no more forceps pins tearing the material or jammed sideways in the pocket right when you need them most. There are no flamboyant labels, just a nifty little logo of their rod brand ‘Stalker’ above the left pocket, and their exclusive material brand ‘Guideskin’ on the sleeve.

Material-wise the shirt seems soft and pliable. It is certainly comfortable to wear. ‘Guideskin’ is a nylon micro fibre material that is easy care and long lasting, but also cool and provides sun protection with long sleeves (with roll-up tabs) and vented back for tropical flats fishing. This shirt is also roomy and easy to layer on a snowy alpine trout hunt. The sizing is accurate, so for me XL means XL, and that I like! No more buying one size up to fit. I have washed this shirt a few times and it is definitely colour fast, with no shrinkage. It comes off the washing line very presentably. I know that will excite many appearance-conscious fishermen out there!

The pocket tabs on the test shirt are Velcro. I’m not a big fan of Velcro, but I have to admit that these do close securely. There’s no risk of the pockets coming open to allow your fly boxes to slide into the murky depths just as you lean over to cradle your catch for the camera (been there, done that). There are two zipped security pockets, and a rod holder tab as well.

I started testing this shirt by trying to tear off the Velcro patches, but they were sewn on very tight. Likewise the other stitching, and even with the aid of my wife’s thread unpicker thing I had a hard time to tear any of the sleeve or pocket stitching. Once started, the stitching was very resistant to ‘run.’

Now I did say that Gavin gave me this shirt to test, right? So next came the rip test, and I have to say that I just couldn’t tear it by hand. Even when I stabbed a hole with my knife I just about sprang a hernia trying to tear this material. Then my wife and kids had an evening’s entertainment trying to rip it apart, and now I readily concede that while it may not quite be bullet proof, it must be damn close. This is one tough shirt!

My ‘test shirt’ came in a pleasant sandstone colour, and more shades are on the way. Some Pro-Angler features like the forceps slot and tippet pockets show how well thought out the design is. Not only that, but both the design and material used is comfortable, sturdy, and damn near indestructible.

All in all, I’m sold on this for value. At $59.95 it’s a winner. Sadly though, I now have to replace the one I destroyed.

Only available from Pro-Angler stores, www.proangler.com.au