Stealthy Fishing Blog

These are a few tips that fish and other anglers have taught me over the years:

[1] Fish when the barometric pressure is steady or rising. Avoid fishing when it is dropping.

[2] With a full moon, fish seem to feed at all hours (more light, more eating). So fishing without full moon will probably make your daytime angling more successful.

[3] Keep your hook sharpener handy. Lots of strikes don’t end up on the line because of dull hooks.

[4] Fish can be leader or monofilament shy. Better to use a smaller diameter line and get strikes rather than of refusals.

[5]  While on the subject of monofilament, it’s one of the least expensive tools in your fishing arsenal. Be sure to keep fresh line on-hand so you can land more fish without break offs.

[6] Keep a low profile when approaching your casting zone. The last thing feeding fish need to see is a walking billboard with rod in hand.

[7] Don’t forget about fishing shoreline edges. Many fish cruise the water’s edge while looking for terrestrial food.

[8] Take five minutes to read and watch the water before casting. You may be surprised what the fish will teach you about what, when and where they feed.

[9] Fishing etiquette may not impress the fish but may impress the guy that’s catching all the fish. Follow the Golden Rule and the angler with the bent rod will probably be nice enough to share a tip or two.

[10] Wear clothing that will allow you to blend in to nature from a skyward perspective. Like just about every creature in the water, you need to be camouflaged too.

To suggest that we can address all the fishing tips on the planet in one blog post would be disingenuous. Fact is, there are hundreds if not thousands of ideas on how to stalk, catch, release and understand fish. First, there are all the various recreational fishing methods including fly fishing, spincast, bait, spear, off-shore, in-shore and others. And within those styles there are many variations and methods used to land fish. What we’ll focus on in this post is how to get close enough to those finned creatures to cast a lure or double-haul a fly.

Vision, ears and lateral lines are the greatest assets to any wary fish. If they see, smell or feel something is not normal, they will bolt out of harm faster than you can say “the big one got away.” So getting close is all about the approach and how surreptitious you are.

Vision
There is one complex built-in radar system that helps fish stay away from trouble and that is their eyes. It’s been said that the eye is the most complex device on earth and good reason to say so. If you can see the fish, the fish can see you. Due to eyes on both sides of the head (with the exception of a few species), fish can see in almost all directions except for blind spots in front and rear. Their eyes are classified as both binocular and monocular vision. Staying away from of their field of vision is best when approaching a nervous trout, bonefish or other species. Another strategy is to blend in to their skyward vision. In other words, from their refracted perspective, the more “natural” you look, the less they will suspect you are a predator. To see how you would look camouflaged from a skyward perspective, have a look at our fishing video featuring a furtive angler.

Ears and Lateral lines
Can fish hear? Definitely yes. Fish have inner ears although no openings (ears) as we would know them. If you’ve ever been watching fish from a boat and tapped the hull with an oar, you understand how well they can hear. Fish also hear with their lateral lines. Being audibly quiet when coming near water holding fish can be as important as a visually quiet approach.

I want to be candid. Regardless of the type of fishing you do, why would you want to wear any technical fishing shirt, wading pant, fishing hat, cap or bandana other than Aqua Design’s Voyager Series?

Let’s assume the premise that you are not a believer in wearing camouflage while fishing. Okay, we’ll table that for now. So if color isn’t a good enough reason to wear the Voyager Series products, here are 7 other reasons why wearing Aqua Design makes sense.

1. Voyager fishing clothing will protect your skin from harmful UV sun rays. All colors have been certified and rated as “excellent.”
2. It’s very possible that our fishing shirts, pants, hats, caps and bandanas are the most comfortable clothes you have or ever will wear. Our design team searched for the perfect textile (comfort-wise) and we believe they found it.
3. If you’ve ever worn a garment that is too noisy, the Voyager products will remind you what it is like to wear clothes that are quiet (no sandpaper roughness here). Smooth, soft and quiet wear is what you will experience.
4. Moisture management is another term for wicking properties - the effectiveness of a fabric to lift and evaporate moisture from the skin. This is our best wicking fabric ever. The unique weave is designed to achieve excellent moisture management results that will keep you comfortable.
5. Along with wicking, the breathable qualities of our AquaPoly fabric are just as impressive. Cool comfort is what you can expect.
6. All features designed by anglers for anglers. We didn’t skip on the details. From special places to hang your favorite tools to vented backs, underarms and pant legs that can be cinched with shock cord, there are many functional and creative features built in to our products.
7. 100% satisfaction guarantee. Feel free to read our guarantee for your self. If you are not completely satisfied, return your item.

With 7 excellent, compelling reasons to wear our apparel, you can now look at our camouflage design as a bonus. Of course we’re biased, but we believe there’s not a better fishing clothing value anywhere.

Creek fishing can be the most technically challenging of all types. Skill, patience and knowledge are required to cope with a spooky trout or a cautious bass. Sometimes, the first cast will be the only shot you get so you have to make it your best shot.

Casting can be a challenge if you’re in an area of overgrown brush or trees. Or without lots of shoreline vegetation, some even resort to belly crawling to get close enough for that “all important” shot.

That’s why we highly suggest wearing camo headwear that can help conceal your approach (and save your neck from harmful UV sun rays at the same time). With the optional neck cape, the long bill Voyager Cap was designed by fishermen for fishermen. Lightweight, moisture wicking, functional and UV protected, this cap will help blend into the surroundings with its marbled design in four color options. The Voyager Boonie Hat is also angler-friendly down to the oval shape of the brim to give a bit more space for casting. Made from the same AquaPoly fabric, the Voyager Hat will help block your eyes from the sun and give you a stealthy advantage with those creek-side casts.

One other item in the camo arsenal is the new Voyager Fishing Bandana available in matching color options like the headwear.  Designed to cover your neck, face or head, you’ll not only be less visible by fish but better protected from the sun.

Creek fishing is rewarding but can be frustrating. Fishing while wearing Aqua Design will increase the odds in your favor.

Seen fishing is not a good tactic for sea fishing. It’s a war zone out there - everything eating everything else. You quickly learn this if you’ve chased bonefish for any amount of time. Bonefish chase the crabs and shrimp and are chased by barracuda and shark. Consequently, everything is trying their best to be camouflaged to avoid being an entree on the next “catch of the day” menu.

So why is it that some anglers wearing colors that scream think they can’t be observed? Perhaps it’s because they’ve never been chased by a predator. Or perhaps it’s simply that they don’t realize that you shouldn’t been seen sea fishing. Whatever the reason, even the fish teach us that being undetected - and not seen -  is the best strategy.

So if you are wondering why we call Aqua Design fishing camouflage visually quiet fishing apparel, now you know. Using proprietary water photography, our design team created several stealthy color options that blend angler into nature… very quietly.

If you have an angler on your Christmas gift list, we have a few suggestions that will make a lasting impression and won’t break the piggy bank. Like all of our unique camouflage fishing clothes, you can be confident that a gift by Aqua Design will be remembered for its one-of-a-kind, water-inspired appearance.

Not sure of the size? Perhaps sun protective headwear will be a good choice to protect skin from harmful UV rays while keeping the angler stealthy.

Voyager Boonie Fishing Hat
Voyager Long Bill Fishing Cap With Optional Neck Cape

Or if size is unknown and your budget is tight, perhaps a Fishing Bandana would be an excellent gift choice.

If your favorite fisherman (or fisherfemale) would like to be visually quiet while chasing those wary fish, a fishing shirt is a great gift idea. In sizes from S - 4XL, there are color and size options to outfit most. The new Voyager Series fishing shirts are the premier technical shirts for the discerning angler. For styles that are on sale, take a look at our discounted fishing shirts.

Another unique idea for the angler that has everything is fishing wading pants with convertible zip off legs.

One of the best reasons to give the gift of Aqua Design is our 100% satisfaction guarantee.

Merry Christmas,

The Staff at Aqua Design

If you are always for for ways to improve your time-on-the-water vs. catch ratio, perhaps a few minutes at our “25 Ways To Be A Stealthy Angler” page will be worth your time.

Tight lines!

We were fortunate recently to speak with the much-sought-after Albula Vulpes. Mr. Vulpes resides in the Florida Keys and holds an honorary PhD in marine fisheries and shallow water navigation. What follows is the unedited interview transcript.

Speaking from personal experience, bonefish are a highly intelligent, wary and quite handsome species, and the anglers are many who use every subterfuge imaginable to try to snare what is considered, in the so-called “sport” of fishing, a top prize. Camouflaged clothing appears (or, some might humorously say does not appear) to be one of the more recent ruses. I can assure you that on the flats of the Florida Keys, this attempt at deception simply does not… excuse me for a moment, that lone shrimp looks very tasty, and I see no fishermen in the vicinity….

Editor’s note: Vulpes went for a quick snack, and returned in 15 minutes, looking slightly embarrassed. 

Thank you for waiting. Ohh, my lip… What? Of course, I was merely demonstrating catch and release technique… in the interest of science. 

As I was saying, who are these humans who think they can hide from the keen eye of the bonefish—one of nature’s greatest ocular achievements. No, I am afraid that concealment is impossible considering the heightened senses of the…. I’m sorry, is that a crab? I was preparing for our interview and missed breakfast this morning…. Let me scan the surroundings… ha! It’s lunch time….

Editor’s note: We again waited as Vulpes took another food break. He returned, breathing heavily.

My word, that was exhausting. Just let me catch my breath. Okay. Alright. Proceed. 

Pardon me? Yes, I saw the two fishermen in the boat, pal. No, I did not mistake them for driftwood! Clearly you don’t understand that we have to play along with our fishing visitors to this great state. It’s all part of the Florida tourist program and the southern hospitality deservedly famous in this region…. Didn’t I explain that to you?

Now, where were we? Excellent, let me see that catalog. Yes. Hmm, hmm. I can confirm those clothes are patterned and colored much like what one sees underwater looking skyward. The maker obviously has studied this marine environment and applied it to the attire. It looks quite sporty, too.

But, let me say emphatically that, while it might have some utility in pursuit of the less intelligent species such as snook and those brutish tarpon, this clothing could never dupe the observant and sharp-witted…. Oh, my, I am ravished, and that morsel looks so good….

Excuse me one more time, I won’t be long.

Editor’s note: Vulpes went to grab a bite to eat again. Almost simultaneously, a stealthy, camo-clad fisherman who had waded close to the site of our interview hooked up with what appeared to be a large bonefish that quickly peeled off a good 60 yards of line. As the fight went on, the angler maneuvered away and disappeared behind a low islet. We gave it another 15 minutes and then headed over to a great local place for seafood. The interview made us mighty hungry.

Yes, we’re proud to say we’ve broken through some barriers with our new Voyager Series.

The shirts, wading pants (which convert to shorts with a zip), cap, boonie hat and bandana in this line have more vivid colors and more realistic patterns – thanks to improvements in printing technology. They are our stealthiest fishing clothing ever. And that’s saying something based on the comments we receive from anglers (and some photographers) around the world who have used Aqua Design clothing to be as visually quiet as they can when approaching places where fish are known to hang out.

Most anglers don’t really know if they’re scaring fish or not by their presence. Voyager enables you to replace uncertainly with confidence that you’re nearly invisible to fish — and improve your chances of a good catch.

Our first-ever bandana extends the angler camouflage arsenal. You can cover up nearly completely with this handy piece of cloth. And it can serve well to protect the back of your neck from the sun if need be.

Aside from clothing as cloaking device (apologies to Star Trek), we’ve made all the pieces very useful and comfortable. There are pockets and tool attachments strategically placed everywhere you really need them so you can load up on gear and never have to come back to shore. The material wicks sweat nicely, and dries quickly even if thoroughly water-soaked, so you stay comfortable. If you’ve ever been caught by a wind gust that sent your hat flying, you’ll appreciate the Voyager cap and boonie hat, both of which are size adjustable and float – in case an extra strong gust comes along.

We all know how harmful UV radiation can be, especially when reflected off the water. Not all clothing offers good protection. Voyager clothing naturally blocks up to 99% of the sun’s rays, so if you’re covered, you know you’re well protected.

Maybe one of your older Aqua Design shirts is wearing around the elbows? Or maybe you’re new to camouflage clothing. Both are perfect opportunities to test out something from our Voyager line. When you do, please tell us what you think when you get back home.

If fish weren’t sensitive to color and patterns, I guess we’d all be tying gray-colored flies.

“They’ll never notice the difference…”

You can see where we’re going with this, and you’re right. Fish see color and patterns. They use their eyes to find the right food (and how picky they can be), and their lives depend on good eyes to spot other creatures that want to make a meal of them.

It’s the same with creatures that roam the land, too, of course. Prey animals are fooled by predators that do a good job of camouflaging their presence enough to get in close for a quick strike. Bow hunters especially understand this and use camouflage well.

Anglers should, too. Your body’s outline is easily recognizable against the land and sky. And screaming your presence with loud, solid-color clothing can’t be good. The more we anglers can render ourselves invisible through camouflage, the better chance we have of getting close enough undetected to make the perfect cast to an unsuspecting fish.

You want clothing that breaks up your outline and blends into the background environment as seen from the fish’s perspective.

That’s why we developed shirts, pants and hats specifically for anglers to accomplish these objectives.(We’re also working on a bandana that can be used tied around the face or neck.) The patterns and colors are based on underwater photography looking up into typical backgrounds and light conditions encountered in freshwater and saltwater environments. Recent improvements in printing technology have really allowed us to translate what the camera (mimicking the fish’s view) has captured over to cloth.

So, the next time you’re wetting some line, think about how that REALLY big one out there somewhere got to be so big – by being very perceptive, naturally. Dress accordingly.