13 Best Men’s Lightweight Long Sleeve Fishing Shirts

While you can wear any comfortable shirt and head to the waters to enjoy fishing, it isn’t the most recommended thing at all. Seasoned fishermen will tell you how the sun can totally ruin your day and prevent you from enjoying whatever you’re up to. Sun protection and ventilation are nothing to play around with, so investing in men’s lightweight, long sleeve fishing shirts is a must. When we were buying such a shirt, there were several things that we needed to and did consider and more to think of. Not only did we look at the budget, but we also looked at the make, the fit, the material, and more. That’s because we found a lot of shirts in the market, but how would we know that a particular shirt would serve its purpose?

That’s why, in this review, we have compiled a list of the best options we tried and made sure that they’ll be the best for fishing. Moreover, we have prepared a buying guide for those who want to go on their own and buy a fishing shirt rather than those recommended by us.

The American Outdoorsman Men’s Lightweight Long-Sleeve Graphic Shirt

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We begin our list with The American Outdoorsman Men’s Lightweight Long Sleeve Graphic Shirt that works for different purposes. This shirt is so versatile that we actually grabbed one for beach days, not necessarily for fishing. The material is sun protective, and that’s what we need from a fishing shirt. Also, when staying on the beach, we needed the same sun protection, so it was a good option for lounging in the sun. What encouraged us to go for this shirt as a multipurpose option is that it comes in very nice and cool designs. Many of the designs come in blue patterns that blend very nicely with the sea color. We would go for different patterns from this shirt if we have enough budget. This shirt won our hearts and became our favorite with its lightweight polyester material.

HUK Men’s Icon X Long-Sleeve Performance Shirt

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The HUK Men’s Icon X Long-Sleeve Performance Shirt is one of the best shirts we have tried when it comes to sun protection. It’s the shirt we’ll wear when it’s too sunny, but we can’t postpone or cancel the fishing trip. It’s technologically designed to beat the sun and provide UPF 50+ protection. Plus, the breathability is unbeatable as it features Internal Cooling Element feature that keeps the fabric itself cool. After wearing the shirt on the intended day, it was time to wash it. Before attempting to wash it by any means, we checked the washing instructions first. We found that the T-shirt can be washed using a washing machine, so this was another positive point. The last thing we loved about the shirt and want to share is the small pocket on the front side of the shirt. It’s a zippered pocket enough for a mobile phone and cards.

Southern Fin Apparel Long Sleeve Fishing T-Shirt for Men

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Southern Fin Apparel Long Sleeve Fishing T-Shirt for Men is how a fishing shirt should look like. In fact, we picked this shirt for the designs in the first place. Although this isn’t a thing to base your choice on, we couldn’t resist how these designs are really made for fishermen. All of the designs and colors caught our attention, and this was our pick-up line.

Next, the UPF rating of this shirt is 50+. This is the highest rating we have ever found for a fishing shirt which means we could stay all day in the sun without worrying about sun baths. We aren’t the most experienced fishermen, but we know the drill. While we were fishing, we got wet, and this was so much annoying. Yet, with this Fin Apparel shirt, all the water dried in minutes, so from an experience-based point of view, don’t wear anything under this shirt.

Columbia Men’s Blood and Guts Iii Long Sleeve Woven Shirt

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Sometimes, we prefer specialized brands over other products when it comes to searching for products for a special need. For example, Columbia is one of those brands that specializes in outdoor gear. Columbia Men’s Blood and Guts Iii Long Sleeve Woven Shirt is one of those shirts they have designed for fishing. When the shirt is designed especially for fishing, we immediately know that sun protection and stain release are at their best.

The UPF rating here is 50 against UVA and UVB. That’s what we expected from Columbia, but we also wanted to test this ourselves. Thus, we went out on a sunny morning with this shirt on to see if we were going to feel or experience any sunburns, and luckily, we didn’t. Also, the same garment will prevent any moisture by absorbing sweat and offering a quick-dry material, just like gym t-shirts. Go ahead and watch this YouTube video from Altrec Outdoors that talks in detail about the features of this shirt.

Piscifun Men Long Sleeve Fishing Apparel

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Piscifun Men Long Sleeve Fishing Apparel isn’t a very common shirt, but this didn’t hinder us from trying out the shirt to know if it’s a worth-buying option or not. Having received the shirt, the first thing we did was check the material. It’s 100% polyester, similar to most fishing shirts, but we already know that not all polyester materials are good ones. Hence, we had to try it out.

For this shirt, the material was lightweight, breathable, and moisture-wicking. It’s designed for various kinds of sports, not only fishing. So, it kept us cool and dry all the time we were fishing. The only thing we didn’t like in this shirt was that the sizes were slightly off. We had to try more than one size to know the suitable size for us. Generally, you might need to size up to get a suitable one.

Coolibar Men’s Andros Fishing Hoodie

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Best for sun protection. Coolibar Men’s Andros Fishing Hoodie is one of the best men’s lightweight, long sleeve fishing shirts, although it looks like a hoodie. We weren’t so much encouraged to try this shirt as we thought it was a slightly heavy option, but it was the total opposite thing. The shirt is so light and breathable; in addition, the sun protection was amazing!

Besides the UPF 50+ rating, the sleeves are long, covering the hands. The neck also provided the needed coverage as there is an option to cover your face with this turtle neck. Moving on to the material, it’s a blend of polyester and spandex. We loved this material as it offered some stretchability, so the sizing was great. This shirt is a high-quality option; it’s so much recommended for those who want to take their fishing experience seriously.

Mountain Hardwear Men’s Canyon Long Sleeve Shirt

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Mountain Hardwear Men’s Canyon Long Sleeve Shirt is a classical shirt we chose when the mood strikes and we don’t want to look too casual or sportive. This shirt allows us to get the sun protection we need without having to wear polyester outdoor shirts. It also offers great breathability because it has lots of mesh ventilation in several parts of the shirt for this purpose. The shirt is very versatile, with several front pockets for a number of essential things you need during fishing. For example, you can store a small handheld GPS inside one of the pockets if you don’t want to hold it right now in your hands. Further, we found this shirt as one of the most durable shirts, but we were a little bit disappointed by the price. However, for what’s offered, it seems like a good bargain if you have enough money.

Black Diamond Alpenglow Pro Hoody

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Now to some high-end fishing shirts that solve most of the problems amateur or professional fishermen face. Black Diamond Alpenglow Pro Hoody is the solution to most of these problems offering breathability through the mesh panels made in a planned way, so it doesn’t allow for airflow and sunburns at the same time. We couldn’t actually recognize there are mesh panels until we felt the air breeze.

Moving to another feature, sun protection. This shirt is made of UPF 50+ rated material. We didn’t expect more as this is the best sun protection we were aiming for while searching for the best men’s lightweight, long sleeve fishing shirts. The shirt was quite expensive, but we knew before buying it because it’s a high-quality garment. At this price point, you can actually buy a jacket for fishing. However, this detailed review from Northeast Alpine Start has everything you need to know to convince you why this shirt comes at this high price.

Outdoor Research Men’s Echo Hoodie

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One day, it was very sunny and hot; we wanted to grab the lightest shirt we can ever wear to hang outdoors and then go fishing. Outdoor Research Men’s Echo Hoodie was one of those shirts we came across, so we decided to go for this shirt. It didn’t disappoint us in terms of breathability and ventilation, as there are several mesh parts for the breeze to reach your body. Also, it’s designed using AirVent moisture technology to keep our bodies cool.
We kept wearing the shirt for a while to test other features during this sunny day. For odor control, the shirt was perfect with its stink-free feature. We didn’t smell any odors after a long day in the sun. Also, the shirt dried out very quickly, which is another encouraging thing to keep the shirt and wear on those fishing days.

“The shirt is very lightweight and even more, easy to pack. We could actually pack it inside a very small sling bag, so, as travelers, this was a big plus.”

WOW Travel

Columbia Men’s Terminal Tackle

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Best colors. Some fishermen would like to have all their upper bodies covered, including their necks. In this case, crew neck tops won’t be a good option, so here is the solution, Columbia Men’s Terminal Tackle. This 1/4 zippered shirt gives you the option to totally cover your neck or allow some air to flow on this part when it isn’t too sunny. We also would like to show you these hats for fishing as they’ll aid in protection. Back to our shirt, it offers great UPF protection as we’re used to from Columbia. The material was also good; it felt like a workout t-shirt. Yet, we didn’t like the smell of the material after it was exposed to sunlight. We encourage you to go through the available colors, as there are lots of them. Also, the sizes are so many we tried our exact size as the size chart indicates, and it was true to size.

BALEAF Men’s Sun Protection Hoodie Shirt

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Best value for money. BALEAF Men’s Sun Protection Hoodie Shirt should be on your list of the best men’s lightweight, long sleeve fishing shirts if you’re looking for quality options without paying that much. This shirt is one of the cheapest among all the options we have tried. However, this didn’t reflect in the quality as it was beyond amazing. We got UPF 50 sun protection and full coverage with this shirt.
Speaking of the coverage, there is a thumb hole on the sleeves to cover your hands. Also, the hoodie is designed to cover your head, but we didn’t need this much during our fishing trip. One of our reviewers (who wears larger sizes) was annoyed because the sleeves were a bit short that he couldn’t use this thumb hole. Yet, this wasn’t a big deal for the other features we enjoyed.

HUK Men’s Pursuit Long Sleeve Fishing Shirt

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Most professional. Because we know that you need to get ready for fishing, we recommend this HUK Men’s Pursuit Long Sleeve Fishing Shirt for professional fishermen. This shirt is one of the most lightweight long sleeve shirts for fishing. It’s made especially for fishing, so all the needs of fishermen were considered in this shirt.
In our journey to find the best fishing shirt, we came across lots of options, but nothing beats this HUK garment in breathability and stain release. We also loved that there are several color choices, so you and your companion fishermen don’t have to all look the same. We want you to check out this short YouTube video from Big Bass Network of a real trial of the shirt to know how professional and comfortable it is.

Columbia Men’s Bahama Ii L/S Shirt

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Now with the best men’s lightweight, long sleeve fishing shirt ever, it’s Columbia Men’s Bahama Ii L/S Shirt. If you’re looking for a professional shirt in any size (including plus sizes), we have found it. This shirt from Columbia is available in sizes up to 6X with tall options from each size, so it fits all men. Apart from the sizing, we couldn’t resist the comfort and lightweight of this material. Made of 100% nylon, this shirt was one of the best fabrics that touched our bodies.
The shirt includes many other features and specs that are made specially for fishermen. No one is better than the brand itself to talk about the shirt. So, here is a YouTube video from Columbia telling you what to expect in the shirt. As reviewers, this shirt checked all the boxes, including breathability, comfort, stain release, and quick drying. It’s just that we hoped it would have a higher UPF rating, so we could have said nothing is missed.

Our Verdict!

Based on our review, some of the men’s lightweight, long sleeve fishing shirts were better for certain attributes. So, we summed up the four best items we believe you should start with.

• Best value for money: BALEAF Men’s Sun Protection Hoodie Shirt
• Best for sun protection: Coolibar Men’s Andros Fishing Hoodie
• Best colors: Columbia Men’s Terminal Tackle
• Most professional: HUK Men’s Pursuit Long Sleeve Fishing Shirt

How To Choose The Best Men’s Lightweight, Long-Sleeve Fishing Shirts?

It’s time to search for your own shirt, but before you do so, let’s share the features we used when preparing this review to pick the best available options.

Sun protection

This was the main thing we were looking for. The shirts we picked are all protected with a proper UPF rating. Even if you’re going to wear a hat, you still need to protect your body from sunburns and harmful sun rays. So, we went for shirts with a high UPF rating. The best options we found were UPF 50+, whereas the least rating we recommend is a 30 UPF rating.

Breathability

Next, breathability is the second thing to consider as we put in our minds that we will be under the sun most of the time. Thus, we looked for shirts with mesh parts for ventilation. Also, we went for breathable fabrics such as polyester and nylon. These are the same fabrics used in sportswear, and the same thing applies to fishing shirts.

Comfort

The last thing we were looking for was overall comfort. Although this might be subjective for different people, comfort, in general, is measured by the softness and lightweight of the material. Also, one thing people preferred in their fishing shirts was quick-dry. We felt the same as shirts that dry out in minutes were more comfortable for us.

What makes a fishing shirt?

Several features distinguish fishing shirts from others. The sun protection, breathability, material, and pockets. All of these features are essential for a fishing shirt.

Can I wear cotton shirts for fishing?

Although cotton is soft and lightweight, it isn’t the best thing for fishing because it doesn’t dry out quickly. Plus, it isn’t totally sun protective.

Can I wear black and other dark-colored fishing shirts?

It isn’t very recommended because black attracts sunlight. So, always go for bright colors.