Papa Nui's Real Fishing Caps
A new look for an old classic of fishing history
This past January I received a somewhat cryptic message from John Tesoriero of Papa Nui. I read the message and thought what in the world!!! I had been following John since 2012 on Instagram and needless to say I was incredibly stoked. All that time up to now, I had envied John’s efforts and always dreamed of owning his iconic caps, which drew inspiration from historical references like; The US Army OSS, Red Cross Wool Beanies, A3 Flight Caps and so on… “The Papa brings you a crafted selection of Caps and Hats designed for service on every front, on all shores. Establish your own Beach Head and remember the Papa has you covered.”
I opened the message and it was simply three images of a hat I had seen before, it was a sturdy cap with absolutely classic lines and a long bill. It was a legendary hat you would see in a Field & Stream magazine from the 50’s, or in a grainy black and white photo of Ernest Hemingway next to a massive swordfish. It was the one true cap, The Pilar…
I immediately shot him back a message saying that this hat would be the perfect companion for fishing the stunning aquamarine waters of Southern Alaska. And almost like that, a plan was quickly set in motion. John understood the ethos of Western Trout Water Blog and had seen photos of me on this very blog sporting a similar style of hat but of modern origin, it was both beat to hell & sun-faded, ready to give up the good fight. Papa seized the opportunity and hit me with the resupply right in the nick of time!
Just before the parcel arrived, I couldn’t resist the urge and felt compelled to pick up another one of John’s offerings, The Uncle Ho’s Fly Club Cap. Each of these caps are crafted by a skilled artisans’ hands just for Papa Nui. The famous, Troy O’Shea makes each one on a 1929 Singer sewing machine and sources the fabrics from old stocks of U.S. Army Half Shelter Canvas.
The Uncle Ho’s Fly Club Cap bill is long and flexible yet still sturdy thanks to the army canvas, it’s absolutely perfect for shading out the glare of a looming sun overhead on canyon streams or on a wide glacial fed river. When both my hats arrived and I promptly soaked them down in cold water before dawning each of them on my noggin to dry out completely and mould them to my head. They both fit like a glove and I had no worries about losing it when jumping from rock to rock, bending over to release a big salmon or bushwhacking my way through the stream side willows.
I took both hats with me on a two week extended camping and fishing trip across Utah and Colorado with intent to put serious miles on each them before heading up to Alaska. My girlfriend and I started our trip in in the transitional area between The Great Basin and Mojave Desert chasing native Bonneville Cutthroat. I found the extra long bill is actually perfect for blasting through bushes to reach that perfect sweet spot on the stream.
We camped near a couple of beautiful streams across Utah we’ve become very familiar with, I like to keep revisiting these special places year after year. Each day we would set off for the snow melt fed mountain streams below our campsite in search of seeing some old friends.
From there we decided to start ascending in search of the crystal clear waters that the Colorado River Cutthroat call home, I opted for my Pilar Cap when at altitude. It was an incredibly brisk and bright summer day above 9,500’ feet. I paired my cap with a Japanese fiberglass Yomogi 3 weight fly rod and an Iwana click N’ pawl fly reel. Days on the water don’t get any better than this.
Two weeks of camping is a long time.. lounging around and days spent off the water were also A plenty. When I wasn’t fishing, I was off using my 1960’s era Rolleiflex 2.8F camera or in a camp chair reading John Steinbeck’s Log from the Sea of Cortez. It’s one of my favorite reads of all time.
Eventually we wrapped up our trip in Utah/Colorado and zoomed south to Tucson in time to pack and catch my flight up north for a field season in Alaska. I packed up all my finest gear for the months that laid ahead on some of the best salmon and trout waters I know personally I will ever see. Alongside my trusted 6 and 8 weight Winston Fly Rods I also made sure I had enough room to fit the Pilar in my Sea Run Fishing Case.
I don’t think there’s ever been a better hat for fishing like The Pilar, after all Hemingway knew this when he was off shore Florida, Cuba, and even when duck hunting in Idaho. The Pilar, simply keeps the sun off my head and more importantly out of my eyes so I can focus on big Dolly Varden & Coastal Rainbows. The canvas stays cool when I periodically dunk it in pristine clear waters, and the leather brim is strong enough to beat back a Coastal Grizz. This classic and nearly indestructible style is clearly a winner in my book.
Hemmingway really made this hat popular after Life Magazine featured him on a cover wearing his signature Cap. & For some sick reason we outdoors folk forgot about these hats until now. Well not any longer, now that I have mine I know it will be a constant companion with me when hitting big water or a favorite stream, and if I’m lucky; One day far off the coast of Florida with a screaming reel and sailfish on the end of my fly line.
Papa Nui’s dedication to bringing back the rebirth of real fishing hats is a testament to his dedication both to history and to fishing as a whole. His efforts are definitely worthy a rallying applause and we should all consider picking up one of these timeless classics to wear on our long days on the water at PapaNuiCapCo.com