About Gillz

The Development of GILLZ Gear (and our humble Breathe Like A Fish Beginnings) from GILLZ founder, Kent Hickman

As hardcore anglers with a perfectionist streak, we were bummed by the quality and performance of gear we could get our hands-on back in 2009. So, we decided to make performance fishing gear that could keep up with us. Gear that would keep us at the top of our game, dawn to dusk under a scorching Florida sun or a rainy, windy squall. Gear as home on the water as we were.

So, we tested, tinkered and tested some more, eventually developing the first Cross Breeze Ventilation System. Mesh vents down the sides of the shirt draw air in and around the body for amazing cool comfort. These fishing shirts became an instant hit with captains and mates. Yes, it was our innovation and we were the first to offer long sleeve vented fishing shirts.

We then turned our attention to fishing masks. What could we do to improve them? How about side vents, almost like gills, that channel air in through the mask and into the neck area? Or mesh mouth openings effectively eliminating the fogging that occurs on sunglasses with regular masks, not to mention, easier to talk with? Both our innovations.

Because we’re perfectionists, we took a closer look at cooling again. Most cooling fabrics rely on chemicals to provide cooling and those chemicals eventually wash out. We’re not in love with the idea of wearing chemicals all day (who is?), so we actually reinvented the fabric structure to cool more – and we did it without chemicals. We call it GillzTec Fabric. It’s engineered to quickly distribute moisture 360o across the garment for better cooling. Since the moisture spreads throughout the garment, it dries and evaporates much faster, keeping you cool, comfortable and essentially eliminates any sweat spots that would normally appear. Naturally GillzTec Fabric provides sun protection as well, with SPF 50+ and blocking 98% of UVA/UVB rays.

Comfort and protection from sunup to sundown – essential for any serious angler. Gillz will continue to lead the market and develop new, innovative fishing shirts, shorts, hats, fishing masks, hoodies, pants – for men and women.