Iconic Brand Jockey Goes Bass Fishing: Not Just Underwear Anymore

Originally posted on Men's Journal | By Kurt Mazurek | Last updated 4/4/24

Recently, I spoke with a good friend who is very closely connected with the fishing industry. He mentioned that Jockey was stepping up to be a top-level sponsor of this year’s Bassmaster Classic. Jockey? The underwear company!? And although we are both full grown adult men, we quickly turned into a couple giggling children, speculating whether Bassmaster emcee, Dave Mercer, was going to be running out on stage in sponsored “tighty-whiteys”—granted, probably the nicest underwear available.

Two seconds in the Jockey Outdoors booth at the Classic showed me just how wrong we were. This display had nothing to do with underwear. In fact, it was filled with a wide range of very stylish, rugged looking outerwear—exactly the kind of clothes I wear.

Additionally, the booth’s graphics included images and references to country music superstar, Luke Bryan. As is apparent in the lyrics of many of his songs, Bryan is an avid fisherman. Jockey has partnered with him to create Jockey OutdoorsTM by Luke Bryan, an apparel line designed specifically for anglers and outdoor enthusiasts.

In case you need any more proof of just how legit Luke Bryan is as an angler, check out this post from KVD, himself:

I have personally had the opportunity to wear a couple of the Jockey Outdoors shirts and I was impressed. A long sleeve, hooded sun shirt is a pretty standard piece of my wardrobe at this point, and the Jockey Sun Shirt was really great. Specifically, the fit was perfect. The sleeves were actually long enough that I didn’t have to keep adjusting that little gap that normally forms around my wrists, where the sleeve ends and my sun gloves begin. That annoying little racing stripe of sunburn I used to get, is a thing of the past.

I also spent a day in their long sleeve fishing shirt. While I was not outdoors and fishing that day, I still recognized the great fit and super comfortable material this button-up, collared shirt offered. Per Jockey’s website, the fishing shirt is “engineered with intelligent layers, premium fabrics and performance technology, designed to layer with seams strategically placed to eliminate bulk. The shirt includes special features like vertical ventilation, a hidden microfiber cloth for sunglass cleaning and even a rod holder tab on the chest.” Personally, I thought the little cloth for your sunglasses, which is stitched into the inside of the front, bottom corner, was super clever, and a useful addition.

In the case of both shirts, I definitely noticed the comfort. Mallof told me, “Jockey stands by comfort, first. With a long history of creating high-quality underwear, the pieces closest to your skin, we take that design philosophy from the inside, out. Comfort is first, but followed closely by the features, benefits and performance required for the outdoors.”

So, if like me, you were unaware that Jockey had entered the outdoor clothing space, do yourself a favor and check them out. What I’ve seen has opened my eyes. This line is stylish, thoughtfully designed, and most of all, comfortable. You can see the full line of Jockey Outdoors here: https://www.jockey.com/catalog/men/all/all/outdoors

This article first appeared on Men's Journal and was syndicated with permission.

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