Sitka Gets Into Fly Fishing — And It Makes Complete Sense

I’ve been wearing Sitka hunting gear for years. The Kelvin Active jacket is what I wear ice fishing and what I wear on early-morning archery elk hunts in Colorado backcountry. So when I heard Sitka was moving into fly fishing, my first thought wasn’t surprise — it was “finally.” I’m a guy who preaches owning less gear and somehow owns more of it every season, so a brand I already trust expanding into a closet I’m already overfilling? Dangerous news, honestly.

Here’s the thing nobody really says out loud: the overlap between technical fly fishing and backcountry hunting is larger than most people acknowledge. Both involve long approaches on difficult terrain, extended time in cold wet conditions, and the need for gear that performs when conditions turn. Sitka has owned the hunting side of that problem. Fly fishing is the logical extension.

What Sitka Built for Hunters That Translates to Fly Fishing

Sitka’s hunting gear became the benchmark in the category because they approached it differently than traditional outdoor brands. They hired engineers with backgrounds in high-altitude mountaineering and military performance gear. They sourced GORE-TEX Pro and GORE-TEX Active membranes when other hunting brands were still using proprietary knockoffs. They built technical fit — articulated elbows, scent-controlling fabrics, silent materials — into products that hunters actually wear hard.

Those same decisions translate directly to fly fishing. A wading jacket needs the same things a hunting jacket needs: GORE-TEX Pro waterproofing, breathable membranes for high-output approach hikes, durable facing fabric that handles brush and canyon rock, articulated fit that allows full casting motion.

The angler hiking into Cheesman Canyon in October and the elk hunter pushing through Colorado oak brush in September are wearing gear in essentially identical conditions. What works for one works for the other.

The Dri-Tour Wading Jacket

Sitka’s entry into fly fishing is built around the Dri-Tour wading jacket — their purpose-built answer to the wading jacket category. GORE-TEX Pro shell. Fully seam-sealed. Cast-forward articulation that allows a full casting stroke without the jacket pulling at the shoulders. Integrated gaiters at the hem to seal against waders.

What’s different from other premium wading jackets in the Simms and Patagonia category: Sitka brings their scent control technology and their approach to articulation from the hunting side. The jacket is built to move with you on an approach, not just to look correct at the water’s edge.

The price is where Sitka lives — premium. I won’t pretend that doesn’t sting a little. But the premium is earned: the Dri-Tour is built with the same materials and construction standards as their top-end hunting jackets, which have proven themselves in conditions worse than anything you’ll encounter on the South Platte. Buy once, cry once — I just wish someone would tell my wallet that’s a one-time thing.

Is the Sitka Dri-Tour worth it for fly fishing?

If you already hike hard into your water and fish in cold, wet conditions, yes. The Dri-Tour uses a GORE-TEX Pro shell, full seam-sealing, and cast-forward articulation — the same materials and construction standards as Sitka’s top-end hunting jackets. The price is premium, but you’re paying for gear built to move with you on the approach, not just stand correctly at the water’s edge.

Why This Matters for Colorado Fly Fishers

Most fly fishing brands design gear for the water. The approach is an afterthought — something you manage before the real activity starts. Sitka designs gear for the whole day. If you’re hiking 1.3 miles over Cheesman Canyon basalt before you ever wet a line, the jacket you wear on that approach is the jacket you fish in for the next eight hours.

A gear company that understands technical mountain movement — because they’ve been building for elk hunters doing the same thing — brings a different perspective to that problem than a brand that grew up making waders for anglers who drive to the water.

I fish the South Platte in conditions that would shut down casual anglers. October mornings at Cheesman in rain and 35°F air. November days on the Dream Stream with wind across the South Park basin. Those conditions demand the same gear my hunting demands. Sitka understands both.

The Brand Credibility Question

When any major brand enters a new category, the question is always whether they’re bringing genuine capability or just slapping a new label on existing product. With Sitka, the evidence is in the construction. They didn’t source a generic wading jacket and add their logo — they applied their engineering approach to a new set of performance requirements.

The fly fishing market has seen this before with mixed results. Some hunting-to-fishing crossovers work. Some don’t. Sitka works because the underlying performance requirements overlap and because their supply chain and manufacturing standards are already at the level the category demands.

The Hunting and Fishing Overlap

I’m not unique in fishing and hunting. A significant portion of serious Colorado fly fishers are also hunters. The guys who hike into Cheesman Canyon at 6 AM in October are often the same guys who’ll be in the backcountry chasing elk in the same terrain three weeks later.

For that group — which includes me — having one gear system that performs across both activities is both practical and economical. (It also makes the “do you really need another jacket?” conversation at home a lot easier to win.) The Sitka Kelvin Active jacket I use ice fishing has been in the field for elk. The wading gear considerations overlap with the hunting gear considerations.

Sitka recognizes this customer. They’ve built for him on the hunting side for years. Now they’re building for him on the water. That’s not a stretch — it’s a natural expansion of what they already do well.

What to Watch

Sitka entering fly fishing is an ongoing story. They launched with the Dri-Tour jacket and have been expanding the line. What matters over the next few seasons is whether they bring the same level of technical development to waders, wading boots, and packs that they brought to the wading jacket.

If they do — and the evidence from the hunting side suggests they will — the premium fly fishing apparel market gets significantly more competitive. Simms and Patagonia have owned this space for decades. A brand with Sitka’s engineering capability and manufacturing standards is a legitimate challenge.

I’ll be fishing in Sitka gear on the South Platte and reporting back. The early results are promising enough that I’d recommend watching this category closely. For a comparison of dedicated wading gear options at the premium tier, the wading boots comparison and Skwala RS waders review cover the footwear and wader side of the complete system.

So no, I didn’t need a reason to like a hunting brand jumping into fly fishing. But Sitka gave me a good one anyway — and my closet, which never gets the memo, is already making room.

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Sitka fly fishing gear is available through their website and select fly fishing retailers.