I fall under the guise of "old dogs vs new tricks".

For my serious outings, where I'll be going up or down river, waders or the canoe, I prefer the vest. There's a different pocket for all kinds of bric-a-brac plus doohickey loops to hang stuff from.
Should I come up on some creek or small stream, or a suitable river bank, for a short try, I'll don the hip boots and The Fishpond fanny pack.