I’ll be honest, when I first heard about a shirt that was supposedly made with some magic insect repellent fabric, I was very skeptical.  After wearing this shirt for a good chunk of the last 2 weeks on the water, I can tell you one thing..IT WORKS!

Simms uses a technology in this shirt called the No Fly Zone.  Rated for up to 70 washes, it’s supposed to repel all of the pesky insects that you encounter fishing: mosquitoes, horseflies, yellow jackets, and anything else that might buzz around and bother you.  After a summer in Deckers of lathering myself up with aerosol insect repellent, I was pretty sick of being coated in sticky, smelly bug spray.  I decided to put this shirt to the ultimate test over the last few weeks by forgoing any bug spray at all.

I can honestly say that the times I have fished in this shirt have been the only times this summer where I haven’t had to swat horseflies and mosquitoes off of my neck, face, or arms.  If you spent any time in Deckers during the heat of this summer, you know that the horseflies were outrageous, particularly in the lower river.  I found that with this shirt, they were no longer a nuisance.  As an added bonus, I haven’t had a mosquito bite me since I have been wearing this shirt! Even the bees stay off, when I was having lunch on the river the other day, I noticed a few yellow jackets flying that would usually either land on me or near me, but they stayed at a distance.

To go along with the insect repellent power, this is by far the most comfortable fishing shirt I have ever worn. It’s light and has managed to keep me cool on the river even when the sun is beating down on you.  Simms’ Cor3 Technology which includes UPF50 protection kept the heat off me and kept me from being worn down by sun at the end of the day.  After a 10 hour day on the Arkansas in the hot sun on Saturday, I felt little fatigue from the sun and almost like I could fish for another 10 hours!  I’m definitely a fan of anything that can keep me on the river fishing for longer.  Not to mention that the shirt looks fantastic.

I have worn a fair share of fishing shirts in my life, but I can say with confidence that the Simms BugBlocker shirt is by far the best piece of clothing I have owned so far.  This shirt will keep you cool while keeping the bugs off, which will keep you on the water longer.  I am yet to be disappointed by any product made by Simms, and this shirt met and exceeded all of my expectations. 10/10!

-Matt