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Print versionPelagic High Performance Offshore Gear
Finding good waterproof clothing for sea fishing can be hard. Whereas coarse and game anglers have lots of top-end quality clothing, specifically designed for their disciplines, sea anglers in the UK only have a few suits and smocks to choose from and, being brutally honest, many are cheap and do not last long when they’re put through their paces.
I haven’t worn a floatation suit in years - I find them just too cumbersome. For warmth, I find many thin layers are better than few thick layers and all I want is a decent, hard-wearing waterproof suit, one that won’t wear at the knees or leak water after a year, to wear over the top. But, to date, I haven’t found anything that has lasted more than a season, other than my Guy Cotten Oilskins.
In past reviews you will have noticed that I’m not opposed to looking overseas for items of gear I need or want. This is not illegal, as long as you’re not importing something that is already registered and distributed in the UK and as long as you pay your import fees and VAT on arrival. Some gear overseas can be cheap, some can be expensive, and for some items it doesn’t really matter what the cost, if it isn’t available anywhere else. The latter is how I felt about finding a good set of weatherproofs.
Finding something that was up to the job was difficult. Many suits can withstand torrential rain and beat wind, but what I was looking for was a suit for a boat angler, who fishes regularly. A suit that could survive extended periods in abysmal conditions, like oilskins; a suit that could keep the wearer dry for hours whilst being literally bucketed with water; and also, a suit that looked half sporty. A tall order?
After typing “Hurricane Jacket” (it seemed a sensible idea) into Google, on page two of the results I was surprised to see that Pelagic (the sunny game-fishing clothing company) offered an item by this name. After clicking on the link, I found their Hurricane jacket was a casual style, skippers jacket and not what I was looking for, but I carried on to browse at the Pelagic corporate site to see what else was on offer.
If you’ve never heard of them, Pelagic make clothing designed for offshore, big game fishing. Mention game fishing and one will conjure up thoughts of sun, big fish, shorts, t-shirts and flip flops, but we forget, chasing these big fish, sometimes hundreds of miles offshore, involves working out in some serious conditions...
Pelagic make a whole range of protective and casual gear for offshore use. Some of this gear is sporty looking gear to fish in, but other items in their range have been designed seriously for the harsh environment sea anglers choose to play in – wind, rain and sun! Pelagic’s protective range includes their Tempest (100% waterproof) jacket and trousers made from Storm-Tex fabric.
The Tempest jacket and trousers have been designed to work offshore and no expense has been spared in creating a true weatherproof suit for offshore boat fishing, which is why Pelagic is favoured by many overseas professional anglers and skippers who fish in horrendous conditions. Some features of this suit include a breathable membrane, cargo pockets, inside pocket, tapered seams, reflective strips and the like, but it is Pelagic’s Strom-Tex 100% waterproof fabric that make the Tempest suit valuable to every boat angler.
Pelagic kit doesn’t come cheap, but if you’re looking for top-end protective clothing to withstand the elements, you’ll be impressed with the Tempest suit. I have only had my suit for 7 weeks and it hasn’t taken a bucketing yet but it has taken everything that has been thrown at it so far - with ease. I couldn’t help but get myself a few t-shirts and a hurricane jacket too.
Check out Pelagic Outerwear Gear http://www.pelagicgear.com/index.php The Pelagic website also has a video section with some awesome footage of big pelagic fish. Dream on!
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