Bass Fishing Best of 2024 List: Tech Clothing - Favorites After a Year of Testing

I try a lot of bass fishing gear over the course of a year, and I always end up with a few absolute favorites. This list highlights the best of the best.

These are my favorite bass fishing tech clothing items for 2024 / Kurt Mazurek

AFTCO Reaper Sweatshirt

The AFTCO Reaper Hooded Sweatshirt is a super-warm, super-versatile addition to my cold weather bass fishing gear. / Kurt Mazurek

Why it’s Great: This AFTCO Reaper Sweatshirt’s versatility sets it apart. It works as a standalone jacket on cool days, keeping me warmer than any regular hoodie I’ve tried. On frigid days, it layers seamlessly under a larger insulated coat.

My Detailed Review: Growing up as a fisherman and avid outdoorsman in the Upper Midwest, I quickly learned the value of intelligently designed, well-built cold-weather clothing. Staying warm and dry can mean the difference between an enjoyable day outdoors and a potentially dangerous experience.

At first, I called it a hoodie, but that description sells it short. AFTCO seems to intentionally avoid the term because the Reaper integrates advanced features that make it far more than just a hoodie. Made of comfortable and warm micro-fleece fabric with built-in elements like a face mask and neck warmer, this sweatshirt combines the familiar comfort of a hoodie with functionality designed for anglers. Whether you wear the face mask and hood up or down, the Reaper offers plenty of ways to adjust for warmth and comfort.

Grundens Bering Fleece Pro Full-Zip Hoodie

You can feel the high-quality construction of the Grundens Bering Fleece Pro Full-Zip Hoodie from the second you put it on. Warm, comfortable and fashionable. / Grundens

Why it’s Great: This incredibly well-built zip up jacket is warm, comfortable, incredibly versatile and looks great. It comes in four great colors, but I think the Amber and Anchor, two-toned model is absolutely killer.

My Detailed Review: The Bering Fleece Pro Full Zip Hoodie is a layer-able, mid-weight, three-season fleece with Durable Water Repellent (DWR) treated, stretch woven overlays at the chest and hood to keep you warm and dry. For the relatively warm climate where I live in South Carolina, this ends up being just about everything I need in a winter coat. While I appreciate its warmth and rugged build when I’m on the water, it’s good looking and comfortable enough that I wear it daily for running errands around town.

AFTCO Helm Insulated Fishing Gloves

Incredibly warm for their relatively thin material, these AFTCO Helm gloves are perfect for cold weather bass fishing. / Kurt Mazurek

Why it’s Great: Perfect for medium-cold weather fishing, these AFTCO Helm Insulated Gloves are very well made and incredibly comfortable. Plus, I cant tell you how handy it is to have the Interwoven touchscreen compatible index finger tip for using a phone or other touchscreens without pulling your gloves off.

My Detailed Review: For a gloves that will keep you warm in the colder temperatures, it still provides great mobility for all day fishing. They’re built with a windproof outer shell with micro-fleece insulation, a reinforced palm with silicon palm texturing for uncompromising grip, and an extra long cuff so they tuck up into your sleeve. And for super cold applications, these aren’t at all bulky, so you can layer them under a bigger glove for maximum warmth and protection.

SIMMS SolarFlex Guide Glove

The Simms Solar Flex Guide Gloves outperform and outlast every other bass fishing sun glove I've tried. / Simms

Why it’s Great: While I’m including these in my Best of 2024 list, these have been my favorite sun protection gloves for years. The Simms SolarFlex Guide Gloves are just more comfortable and more durable than anything else I’ve tried.

My Detailed Review: These are the ultimate glove for warm weather angling. The reinforced, water-resistant, goat leather palm overlays provide durability and grip even when wet. Their lightweight, quick-drying, and breathable stretch fabric is rated at UPF 50+. And Simms is one of the few manufacturers that make a glove in a size big enough to fit my giant paws. They cost a little more than other sun gloves, but they’ll last three-to-four times longer.

AFTCO Jason Christie Hooded LS Performance Shirt

The AFTCO Jason Christie Hooded LS Performance Shirt is super versatile and super comfortable—perfect for summer bass fishing. / Kurt Mazurek

Why it’s Great: This isn’t AFTCO’s most advanced or most expensive sun shirt, but it is my favorite. AFTCO Jason Christie Hooded LS Performance Shirt's oversized, zip-front hood offers so many easy ways to protect myself from the sun and reduce glare, that it’s a must have for all-day bass fishing.

My Detailed Review: This is the sun shirt I reached for most often this year. Like I mentioned, that zipper on the front of the hood just made it so easy to slip between some sun protection and maximum sun protection. The AFTCO product development team worked alongside bass tournament legend, Jason Christie, to create a sun shirt with his unique modifications and produce a performance sun protection shirt with an increased hood size, zipper neck closure system and an integrated hat visor pocket that allows you to pull the hood all the way up over the bill of your hat.

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