trying to stay cool?

What do you do to "beat the heat" this time of year while on the water all day?

I wear a big hat and have one of those kool towels that I can dip into an ice chest and that really helps

Drink lots of water..take breaks to run the boat a few minutes and get some moving air on you. And if all else fails, head in and drink a beer.

Jump in the lake every once in a while...

Lots of liquids and like to dip my face buff and hat in the lake or ice chest to keep cool. Also, we typically fish all day and pack sandwich on the boat but when it gets this hot we started beaching or trailering the boat at around noonish, take a break or go grab lunch in the AC then go back out. It's a game changer.

Not to hijack this thread, but do those face shields like the SA fishing ones help? I know it sounds counter-intuitive, but I wear my sleeves down on my fishing shirts and keeping the sun off the skin helps to "feel" cooler. Just wondering if the face shields help as well because the sun isn't bearing down on you and burning you all day.

Be sure and get well hydrated BEFORE going out...start drinking water the night before, and drink plenty on the way to the lake. Forget the energy drinks, pop, or alcohol...they only make a bad situation worse.

I wear a big straw hat and keep wet towels around my neck...change them out as they warm. Take a break at lunch and get out of the heat. eat light, and hydrate well.

Been known to skinny dip in the past with a GF.... or 2

We normally wear the face shields (not crazy about sunscreen on the face) with a wet cool towel and a cap as well as one of the breathable fishing shirts. We do keep a 1 gallon bucket tied to a rope that we dip in the water, then pour the water over our heads, feels really good and even better when there's a breeze. LoL

Avoid alcohol the night before. It does nothing for hydration the next day. Long sleeve shirts such as Columbia, Magellan, Under Armour, etc to keep the sun off your arms. A good buff that keeps the direct sun off the face makes a difference, too. A buff takes some getting used to simply because it's cloth touching your face. I can't stand it over my mouth and nose so I coat that part of face with sunscreen.

As someone said above, when you start to get hot, move to another spot and get the air moving. We freeze water bottles the night before and I have one on the deck with me just about all the time. Hydration is definitely most important thing.

Dip Boone hat in water

Yes the face buffs aid greatly in keeping the heat of the sun off of you. I use a cheap "tubedana" and it works wonders

I take 24 bottles of water in the boat during the super hot days. 12 to drink and 12 to pour on me and or my hat or clothes. Does the trick better than anything else I have tried.

I notice the guys who cut grass all day never have a short sleeve shirt on.

I wear Simms guide long sleeve shirts 50spf. Make sure your drink plenty of water the nights before. I start drinking water early. By around 10:30 I start drinking some of a 32oz Powerade/Gatorade. Make sure you drink 4-5bottles of water to each Gatorade. I'll try to drink 3 in a day. So 15bottles of water for myself. I carry extra water in my boat and extra ice in my spair cooler. Make sure you are pissing!!

Jumping into a lake when the water temp is cooler than you are can be dangerous. Be careful. I try to ease into the water and I keep a line attached to me.

Don't wait till your thirsty to drink. Your late! Start drinking within the first hour. Nutritionist say water, water and more water is the best. Like said earlier start the day before and not alcohol. Use a face shield starting in the morning. Drank 15 bottles of water Saturday, ate breakfast and jerky for lunch and was great all day. Did take a 15 minute break for a boat ride. Hydration is the key. I like my ears the way they are so the face shield. BE CAREFUL and don't wait till your thirsty.

I just ordered a chair umbrella to see how that works. Have used a patio umbrella in the past but it's a pain adjusting everytime you move. Can't deal with the heat like I used to so I'll try anything. Ditto on all the other suggestions.

You'd be amazed what cool feet can do for your day. Wearing long sleeves and buffs help for the body but when it comes to feet I wear flip flops or crocs so they can breath, carpet can get hot so I don't typically go barefoot. Also it helps to stick the legs of the edge in the water while you drink a water or eat a sandwich. Trust me for all the avid shoe wearers. On a hot day, take the shoes and socks off and tell me you don't feel better.

Long sleeve Columbia shirts, buffs, Boone hat, and start fishing at night.

Definitely long sleeve dry fit type clothing. Plenty of water and if I know I'm going to be out there a long tournament day, I start out with pedialite in the morning. Excessive sweating while drinking only water will deplete your electrolytes

My only issue with a face shield is covering my mouth holding hot air in. Wearing long sleeves is cooler. It provides shade to the body

I am going to add a bimini top to my boat. Had one on the last one and just getting out of the sun for a few minutes is a game changer. One over the console area providing shade when you drive will feel about 10 degrees cooler

This is the best I have found.

http://texasfishingforum.com/forums/ubbthreads.php/topics/11678805/Elete_Water_Additive#Post11678805

I saw a guy last year on PK with leggings, shorts, performance type long sleeve shirt, face shield and hat. I can see why now. I'm just a little leery about the leggings. I know it was probably more for sunburn than coolshade but I don't mind putting some sunblock on my legs and moving on. Anyone else wear long (breathable) pants or leggings with shorts? Yes it did look strange which is why I don't know if I will do it, wondering who else does though.....

I bought one of these portable misting fans to use at my son's games/tournaments during the hot months. It more than paid for itself the first time we used it. It sits on a 5 gal bucket, and runs off the ryobi 1 battery. It does put out quite a bit of moisture but would work well in a boat.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Arctic-Cove-18-Volt-Two-Speed-Misting-Bucket-Top-Fan-MBF0181/205744083

I wear long Magellan pants. Year round. I feel much cooler if I can have no place on my body where the sun is hitting me. Totally covered head to toe.

Man, if that thing had a solar device on it that would be great. I did not read how much water it holds so I would like one that sucks the water out of the 5 gal. bucket. This would give you hours on end of cool air. I see it also plugs into electricity.

Good info so far. Number 1 is hydration BEFOREHAND! I keep my ChillyPad (Frog Toggs) moist in the refrigerator. I drop it in the ice chest on the way to the lake, when it starts to get bad, drape it on my neck. Can always recharge with melting ice as needed. Especially at the end of the day to cool me down before the loading and prepping of the boat for transit.

It does sit on top of a 5 gal bucket filled with water. The fan has a pump that draws water from the bucket. Each battery last about 2 hrs. I bought 2 extra ryobi 1 batteries and make sure all are charged.

This whole "no alcohol" the night before thing..sounds like good advice but I won't be trying that one lol. Cold bottle of beer and tying up my rods for the next day is Zen like for me lol

I hear ya. But after my tourney last Saturday I'm thinking I may stop one beer earlier when Monte Coon says have one more.

Remember the old Boy Scout saying if it does get to you:

Face Red Raise the Head, Face Pail Raise the Tail. I was a corpsman in the Navy attached to a Marine combat unit. I can tell you from experience to not take heat related symptoms lightly. Heat exhaustion can turn to stroke very quickly, and heat stroke is not something to play around with.

^^^This is why I got a new face cover from Cabelas:

http://www.cabelas.com/product/cabela-s-guidwear-174-men-s-balaclava-with-coolcore-174-/2220780.uts?destination=%2Fcatalog%2Fbrowse%2F%3FN%3D1100894%26No%3D18%26Ns%3DCATEGORY_SEQ_103920480%26WTz_st%3D%26WTz_stype%3DSP%26recordsPerPage%3D18

It has a mesh patch over your mouth that actually allows you to breathe while still keeping your face protected. Reduces fogging of glasses as well. I also like to take a break from bass fishing and crappie fish under shade of a bridge at midday to cool off nd get a bite to eat.

on water at 5 am , off by 10 am

There are some good tips regarding clothing and being properly hydrated but I think the best thing you can do is to get acclimated to the heat by early June. The guys that work outside are already acclimated to the heat by now. I am not saying you will not get hot but it is tolerable and fishing is still enjoyable. What works for me is to string together 4 or more full days on the water and I am good for the rest of the summer.

Fish at night. Can be very good

Thanks--lots of good tips for the summer. Be safe

Frogg Togg Chillypad around the neck and long sleeve fishing shirt. (I do the Magellan ones cuz they are cheaper than Columbia) If you're not up on these yet, the polyester shirts absorb the sweat off your skin to cool you since the humidity doesn't exactly evaporate it to do it naturally. Then you have the benefit of being in the shade and in the Texas sun its cooler than the sun beating right on your skin.