mouths. You can buy gloves specifically for fishing, and they’re all designed to help you handle fish easier. Note: You still don’t want to grab a fish by its sides with dry gloves or hands, as this will remove the slimecoat — the protective layer of slime that covers a fish. (Wet your gloves and hands first.) And most of these gloves aren’t meant to protect your hands from the teeth of pike or some saltwater species. But they will keep a fish’s sandpaper teeth from filing your hands.
Pick a good hat
Are some fishing hats luckier than others? Well, that’s up for you (and the fish) to decide. But I do strongly recommend that you wear a hat while fishing. Hats will protect you from the sun or the rain (because you’re probably going to see some of one or the other on most trips), and the hat’s bill will help shade your eyes to allow you to better watch the water. Your hat, when worn in conjunction with a good pair of polarized sunglasses, will help your eyes cut through the water’s glare. (For more on sun protection and sunglasses, see Chapter 6.) This will allow you to see what’s happening beneath the water’s surface.
A baseball cap works well, as does any brimmed hat, such as a booney hat, which will keep both your face and your neck cool and shaded. Anglers fishing the Caribbean flats developed a long-billed hat, sometimes called a flats hat, which also features a bill in the back to protect your neck from the sun’s rays. Some hats now come with ultraviolet protection factor (UPF) ratings, which reflect the sun-blocking capabilities of the fabric, and are ventilated to allow cool breezes to keep your brain from overheating while you ponder fishing strategies.
Pull on waders to wander into the fish’s world
If you plan on doing any stream wading or surfcasting, you need waders. Although you can wade in the warmest months wearing little more than shorts and sneakers, to fish in cooler water, waders offer you warmth and dryness. Essentially, waders are waterproof hip boots or overalls meant to cover at least part of your legs and possibly your torso. The first time you wade into a stream wearing waders, you’ll marvel at the experience. Standing in the stream almost chest-deep, with the current gently swirling around you, is a little like becoming a fish yourself.
Waders come in a variety of styles, made from a few different kinds of materials. Waders, like tents and boots, are meant to be waterproof. But like tents and boots, waders suffer tears and punctures. Luckily, many times a hole can be patched.
Waders come in several different styles, and are available almost anywhere tackle is sold:
Boot-foot waders: This one-piece chest-high outfit has rubber boots attached to the legs of the waders, making it the most convenient design for dressing in a hurry. It is also the only design for surfcasting because sand or pebbles cannot find their way into your boots.Often, when you buy boot-foot waders, you have to choose between getting felt or lugs on the soles of the boots. When rocks are covered with algae, wet leaves, dead seaweed, or unidentifiable slime, they are very slippery. Felt soles cling and help to counteract the slipperiness. Lugged soles are okay, too, but you won’t get the traction on slippery rocks that you’ll find with felt soles. If you fish mostly in sand or mud, lugged soles will work fine. Note: On some streams, felt is illegal because of its tendency to transfer invasive species. To counter that, some manufacturers now offer soles made of things like crushed walnut shells. Look for these eco-friendly soles, or use cleats or lugs.
Stocking-foot waders: Stocking-foot waders (which are also chest high) do not come with boots attached, so they require wading shoes. Many anglers prefer this style because they say sturdy wading shoes give them extra support while wading.
Hip waders: Great for fishing streams in the summer. Hip boots reach your upper thigh, and can often be attached to your belt with garter-type straps (insert your own joke here). You can’t go nearly as deep in hip waders as you can with chest-high waders, but if the river never gets that deep, why roast inside of chest waders? You’ll also find it easier to go to the restroom while wearing hip boots.
Some wading shoes, like those made by Korker, feature interchangeable soles. You can also buy strap-on cleats that fit over your existing soles. These let you switch quickly from felt to cleats to match the conditions. Metal cleats are helpful when climbing on slippery jetty rocks.
Waders are often made of the following three materials, and vary in durability and comfort:
Neoprene: The material used in wet suits, neoprene works well if you are fishing in cold waters. Walking around in neoprene waders on a hot day, you’ll feel like a baked potato in a microwave oven. Neoprene punctures, like rubber ones, can be resealed. Neoprene waders keep you warm in water below 60 degrees F.
Rubber and nylon: The least expensive of the bunch, rubber waders are basically rubber boots that “go all the way up.” Most feature reinforced knee patches and factory-sealed seams. They can last a long time if cared for.
Breathables: Made of Gore-Tex and other fancy materials, breathable waders are the most expensive, but they’re ultra-comfortable. The breathable membranes of these waders allow you to stay cooler in warmer months.
DUCT TAPE, THE WADER WONDER
From coauthor Peter:
I have one mounted fish on my wall. He’s a 6¾-pound brook trout. I caught him on a stream in Labrador in early August. When I hooked him, I worked my way over to the side of the stream to continue the fight where I had a chance of winning. This required me to fanny walk across a number of midstream boulders. As luck would have it, one of those boulders had a sharp edge that tore a five-inch gash in my flyweight waders.
When I had calmed down from the excitement of my gorgeous brookie, reality set in. When you’re in the middle of Labrador and the nearest store is more than 100 miles away, you can’t just hop in the truck and get a wader repair kit at the nearest tackle shop. I did have a roll of duct tape in my duffel bag. I ripped off a piece and ran it alongside the gash in my waders. I got another two full seasons out of them, and in the end, it was the seams and not my patch that gave out. Always carry a roll of duct tape.
Vests: Great for wading
Vests are such a common sight on streams that it’s hard to imagine wading and fishing without them. Yet until Lee Wulff had the bright idea of sewing some blue jeans pockets onto a denim vest more than 80 years ago, there were no fishing vests. You can buy vests with a gazillion pockets and you can stuff every one of those pockets. And you can also make sure that you have every possible gizmo hanging off the little snaps and rings that many vests have. I know that some of you will because fishing, like every other pastime, has its share of gear freaks (like me). However, I recommend that you take as little as possible in your vest. When wading, it’s advisable to travel light.
Here
