Are you soaking up more than rays?

According to the Skin Cancer Foundation more people have had skin cancer than all other cancers combined. In addition, one in five Americans—potentially you or a fishing buddy—will develop skin cancer over the course of a lifetime. Of course the best defense in battling the sun is prevention. The intensity of the sun is also enhanced being in or near the water. Sun protection on the river is imperative!

 

One option is sunscreen. There are a ton of sunscreens on the market. The thing to be careful of here is that some sunscreen can be potentially harmful to your line and flies. Plus, I can’t imagine it entices the fish at all to have a gob of sunscreen on your favorite fly. If you do go this route Id suggest an SPF 30 or higher sunscreen that is sweat proof and waterproof.  Use the back of your hands to apply the sunscreen to your face, arms and legs, that will keep you from inadvertently getting it on your line and flies.

 

The other option here is SPF clothing. This is my preferred method of keeping the sun off of my skin. There are many companies that manufacture SPF clothing. You can find pants, shirts, hats, facemasks, and even gloves that offer protection. These items are also lightweight and quick drying. While the thought of wearing long sleeves, gloves and pants in warm weather may turn you off, keep in mind that these will first and foremost protect you from the sun. Its a trade off that will benefit you in the future. Don’t let an overcast day fool you either. That filtered sun can still cause negative effects on your skin and actually produce a sunburn as well.  

 

We all want to be on the water doing what we love most and taking some precautions like stated above will help insure we can continue to fish for many more days ahead. Stop in to Angler’s Covey and check out all of our SPF offerings.