The Most Comfortable Fly Fishing Clothing Is Made of What?

This Charleston brand is redefining how fishing clothes are made.

Free Fly Apparel is bringing bamboo back. | photo by Jasper Taback

Bamboo isn’t new to the fly fishing world. If your grandfather had a high-end fly rod in the 1950s, you can bet it was made with split-cane bamboo. That time has come and gone, and those rods are relics now.

But bamboo is coming back – not in the rods, but in the clothes, and it's changing how anglers think about comfort on the water.

What Makes Bamboo the Ideal Fabric for Fishing

The first thing you’ll notice about bamboo fabric is that it’s soft – so soft that you’ll hesitate to wear it outside of the house, let alone fishing. 

But it holds up. It dries fast, regulates body temperature, and has natural sun protection in its fibers – everything you’d want from a fishing shirt. 

The fabric comes in nice colors too. | photo by Jasper Taback

The Charleston Brand Bringing Bamboo Back

I got my introduction to bamboo fishing clothes from Free Fly Apparel. I’d been seeing their clothes all over the water in Charleston – and figured they clearly must be doing something right. 

I’ve spent the last few months wearing Free Fly pants, shorts, shirts, and sweaters – and they’re definitely doing something right. The clothes are wildly comfortable and technical in all the best ways. 

Versatility On the Water

Free Fly makes clothes that are clearly designed by people who actually fish. The brand started out in Montana before moving down to Charleston – and their gear performs just as well in each place.

I tend to split my time between brutally hot days on a flats skiff and numbingly cold days in a drift boat, and it’s nice to not need a wardrobe for each. 

A Clothing Brand With Roots In Fly Fishing 

Free Fly was founded by a guide on the Missouri River who wanted comfortable gear he could actually work in. 

So when you wear one of their bamboo shirts on the water and notice it’s not sticking to your skin, that didn’t happen by accident. You can thank the guy who spent way too many days in sticky fishing shirts and decided to fix it. 

Comfort And Performance – You Can Have Both

Gone are the days of technical sun shirts that feel like a sheet of plastic. There are better alternatives out there, and Free Fly might have found the best one. 

The right clothes can make or break a day on the water – I’d highly recommend giving bamboo a shot.