The roots of change always seems to start with a couple of old guys whose ardor for fishing overcomes their good sense. It’s a fishing truism that hungry and willing fish make the trek up or downstream half as long, with each new bend or riffle gleefully exploited given the fish are in the mood to eat, and us fishermen always in the mood to feed them.

While I’m acclimated to the local conditions a bit better than Older Bro, the both of us recognize that the Sweet Bird of Youth has long flown away, leaving us portly and out-of-shape anglers, versus the virile and manly form of our earlier misspent youth.

While we wheeze loudly cursing the scorching sands and unstable cobble, husbanding our water supply as best we can while looking for shade, it doesn’t take more than a single trip-gone-bad before we’re resolving to bring more water, less flies, and lighter gear.

Traditional vests with their multiple layers of fabric and pockets, whose siren song lures anglers into carrying twice as much as needed,  are a hellish addition to an angler’s heat burden. More so when temperatures enter triple digits, something all too common in my summers.

What’s needed is a reduced flavor, something that will accommodate a couple boxes of flies, a couple spools of tippet, nippers and forceps, a pocket or two on the front for split shot. leaders, or indicators, and the rest left at camp with the packrat SIMM’s vest, with its hoard of extra pockets filled with the forgotten debris of dozens of fishing trips, most of which is carried needlessly.

Learning from our “near death” experiences – made doubly so by the proximity to air conditioning and cold beer, and armed with a couple soiled napkins, we roughed a Brownliner Special design, something  that could be worn in blazing hot weather that wouldn’t interfere with a hydration pack, that would provide basic storage.

It’s a shorty vest, which have nearly disappeared off the market with the dominance of the traditional length vests. Less material adds less heat and allows me to use the same model Shad fishing without having to dry my vest and all my fly boxes after each trip. More importantly as it doesn’t get wet, I’ve lowered my invasive species absorption rate – and can trundle around different watersheds without having multiple vests drying in the garage.

… which my brother would as soon change, given his preference for us owning three or four each, just to be safe …

With nothing in the back of the vest save a neck level D-ring, you can wear a hydration pack with comfort.

Work requires me to wear a cell phone on certain weekends, so I had him add a cell pocket on the shoulder (removable) that will accommodate most models of smart phone. High on the shoulder means a better survivability rate for non-waterproof cameras and phones.

Mine has survived three such dunkings without damaging the phone – as most mishaps aren’t full submergence.

Cinched tight with the front snapped together you should be able to do away with your wading belt altogether, given the vest has your belt built into it.

Extra spool pockets lower the chest-area bulk by locating them on the belt versus a front pocket.

Shad fishing often requires two or three sinking shooting heads of different density on different spools, adding additional bulk to the front pockets and increasing water drag on a traditional length vest. The G10 keeps them out of the water and dry.

I was relieved when I got my prototype, now that Older Bro had something to trade for the fistfuls of flies I donate each trip, I assumed I’d be able to return the favor by light-fingering some extra spools pockets. Ma unfortunately rose to his defense, “… he did all that sewing, so you fork over some cash to your Bro …”

Full Disclosure: Despite being kin to the vendor, Ma insisted I pay the fly stealing SOB full retail, blood being thicker than water stops short of entitling me to a discount apparently ..

It pains me to admit that my brother’s handiwork was most appreciated this last summer. The creek might have had low fish populations, and the Shad coincided with heavy releases from the dam, but I was able to cut quite the figure as I pirouetted through the humidity and heat of the brown water.

Handmade in the US of A, and every stitch sewn by a retard Renaissance man …