When most of us think of heat exhaustion we think of slaving away at work or in the yard under a merciless sun with no breeze. Now think about the best time to fish, how about in the warm summer on a day with little to no breeze. The fact of the matter is heat exhaustion can hit you just as easily out on the water fishing as in the yard taking care of the honey do’s.
A couple of weeks ago my fiancé and I decided to take a lazy Saturday and just fish out of the Jon boat in and around the Folly River for Trout, Redfish, and Flounder. The morning began around 7 am with light and variable winds and temperatures around 80 degrees. By 10 am the temperatures were in the low 90s and I was on my third bottle of water, and by mid to early afternoon temperatures were in the upper nineties with heat indices in the low to middle hundreds with a slight southwest breeze blowing. An aluminum jon boat with no top is no place to be in these conditions. We would fish a spot for 30 minutes and then pick up and run just to cool down. By 2 pm we had all we could stand and returned to land for the comfort of some AC.
Had the fish been biting, the decision to leave would have been tough to make. If you plan to fish during the dog days of summer the following tips will help you prevent heat exhaustion.
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Wear lightweight light colored loose fitting clothing, including a full brimmed hat. In recent years such manufactures as Columbia and Hook and Tackle have come up with lines of clothing specially designed for warm weather fishing. These special lines, provide full coverage from the sun and are vented thus promoting air circulation and evaporation of sweat from the skin.
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Take breaks from the sun when possible. If a top or cabin is available on the boat spend at least a portion of the day in the shelter.
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Take caution not to over exert yourself. Casting, catching bait, poling, fighting fish, and other fishing activities can be just as demanding on the body as some yard work. Take frequent breaks and rest.
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Drin