5 Pro Tips To Stay Cool & Safe In The Summer Heat
- By: Pat Ogletree
- on August 3, 2023
Here are some tips to stay cool in the summer heat!!
It has been absolutely BRUTAL out there across the country this summer.
Some of these tips seem basic and obvious but they are important to keep you cool and safe as summer winds down.
Check it out!!
Tips To Stay Cool In The Summer Heat [VIDEO]
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1. Fishing At Night
If you are able to, try to hit the nighttime bite if at all possible.
You’ll be able to avoid the heat and fish during the coolest parts of the day.
Not only that, but the bite is also typically better at night during the summer.
The fish will be more active and aggressively feeding at night.
You can cover lots of ground and speed up your retrieves a tough to trigger strikes.
Then the sun comes up and the bite dies down.
2. Drink Plenty of Fluids
I’m referring to water specifically here.
Drink plenty of water and try to stay away from energy drinks and liquids loaded with caffeine.
Cut down on sugary drinks and especially alcohol.
This applies to the night before as well.
If you drink heavily the night before fishing, you’re already dehydrated to start the day.
The recommendation is to drink 4 ounces of water every 15 minutes or 16 ounces every hour.
It is better to drink smaller amounts more frequently than larger amounts at one time.
Also, if you have a tendency to sweat a bit more like I do, it is a good idea to drink something with electrolytes in it.
Sports drinks or coconut water will help replenish your lost electrolytes.
3. Wear A Hat
You want to do everything that you can to keep the sun off of your skin.
It might seem counterintuitive to wear long-sleeve shirts but the less sun on your skin the better.
I recommend hats that have some ventilation that breathe a bit.
I typically wear a baseball-style cap but a wide-brim hat also works well out on the water.
This is why I love the Salt Strong Trucker Hats because they let the heat out and allow for the breeze to flow through.
If you think about fishing in the wintertime, you’ll wear something to hold that heat in that is closed off.
The opposite holds true in the summertime.
4. Wearing Performance Clothing
The new dry material that a lot of sport performance shirts are made of these days is the best choice for summertime fishing.
Not only are you protected from the sun, but it also ventilates your body and reduces sweat build-up.
You stay much more comfortable this way.
Another thing I do is wear fishing pants during the day even in the summertime.
Especially when I’m out on my kayak or a boat to keep the sun off of my skin.
5. Take Breaks
Make sure to take breaks here and there.
Take little breaks wherever you can to avoid overexertion and exhaustion.
Moreover, oftentimes in the summer, we won’t get a breeze at all out on the water.
One of those breaks might look like stopping off near a spoil island and wading around or going for a quick swim.
Just make sure you’re putting in a few breaks here and there to get out of the heat and stay comfortable.
If you have any more tips on ways to stay cool during the summer heat, please share them down below!!
We would love to hear from you and get the conversation going.
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Frog Tog type cooling towels help me a lot too.
Great tips..thanks for the reminders!
Glad you liked it!!
Totally agree on all the above, Pat! I only went kayak fishing ONCE here in Florida in the summer with shorts, T-shirt and little water. Lesson learned! Additionally, I also use fingertip-less fishing gloves in the lightweight material now to keep the sun off my hands.
Same here buddy! I did that just after I bought my first kayak. I wore shorts and got so sun burnt it pretty much ruined a week long Keys trip. That was the last time I ever wore shorts on a kayak.
Thanks for the tips Pat!
You’re welcome Johan!! Thanks for watching!
Very good advise. Also most of the time you are hydrating the day before for the next day. The sun will definitely take it out of you. Some people don’t like to wear sun protective shirts. As a person that has had skin cancer two times, I wear both sunscreen and sun shirts and hats. Also if it is really hot it is much better to cut you sports drinks down 50% with water as they can cause you to cramp up. Great advise.
Thanks Mike! Yes, staying hydrated all the time is important but definitely do not wait until the morning of to start drinker water, it could be too late by then.
I also use a cooling towel. I stick it in the ice water in my cooler to recharge it. I like to tuck it under my hat and drape it over my neck. Cools my head and at the same time cools my neck and protects it from the sun.
That’s a great tip too! I have used them in the past when I worked outside. They do make a difference.
Recently started addressing the electrolytes issue previous to that I drank water and ice tea. Boat fished all day and I was wiped out after cleaning the boat and recovered the next day. I purchased powered electrolyte which was mixed with 16oz of water, could believe the difference it made to my energy level. Also drink Gatorade strongly encourage others to try replacing the electrolytes. Worn long sleeves for years as well as straw hats, also use the sun block Joe like diamonds recommends. The sun is not to be played with I used to work at a cancer treatment facility. Seeing people who have lost their nose or an ear gets your attention. Thanks Pat great video.
Thanks for the tip on the powdered electrolytes! I’ll have to give that a shot!
Great tips and video – definitely adhere to all your tips.One question having a kayak always a concerned with the heat impacting the hardware(kayak, rod and reels, etc.) Any suggestions? Thanks
Thanks Pablo!
On the kayak use 303 Aerospace protector for the plastic and the fishing rods. For the reels, just wash them down and they should be fine. But the more you can keep your gear out of the sun the better.
I love the Salt Strong long sleeve performance shirts. Wicks the sweat away fast. I wear a camo bucket hat to protect the ears. It seems the ears get roasted first.
Those shirts are great! I forgot to mention in the video about the buff. I’ll pull one up and over my head to keep the sun off my ears and neck.
Well pat while I agree to some of these mentioned not all especially the long sleeve shirts while alot of you anglers are fair completed im not I get very dark and tan and while I do have and use those kind of shirts I only use them in the cooler time of the year mainly dead winter because I have a very hot core body temp the shirts in the hotter months I cannot tolerate so I go shirtless and use a good sunscreen with tanning agents have been to the doctor 9n a regular basis and have never been told I have skin cancer and as far as the night fishing goes I pretty much only night fish in the hot months and only stay out past 10am the next morning if the bite is good otherwise I’m heading to the ramp yea im not like alot of anglers that wear all kinda of different cloths to protect them from the sun this yankee is lucky because I’m naturally somewhat dark completed anyways I don’t envy any of you guys and gals that are pale and burn and have to wear alot to keep safe anyways thanks for the tips and all you do😉👍
Thanks Steven! Be careful with that sun, it can get you!