I’m a hat kind of guy. If you check in my garage at home you’ll find more than 50 different hats on hooks just waiting to be used. Some are for golf, some are for walking the dog and others are for fly fishing. However, choosing a fly fishing hat isn’t as easy as just grabbing a hat to walk the dog. Devoted anglers fish in just about any kind of weather, so picking the right type of hat can be tricky. Here are some things to consider when buying a new fly fishing hat.
Full Brim Fly Fishing Hats
When fishing you need to keep the sun off your face and neck, which is best accomplished with a full brim hat. Baseball type hats just don’t protect you enough, but if it is really windy they might be your best choice. I prefer a lightweight, vented hat with a chin strap for the wind; particularly when the temperatures are on the warm side. The Sun Booney Hat from Patagonia really fits the bill for keeping your face, ears and neck protected from the sun while the chin strap keeps it firmly in place.
Waterproof Fly Fishing Hats
I like to have a variety of fishing hats for all kinds of weather conditions. Since I always carry a lightweight hooded GORE-TEX jacket in my fly fishing vest, I don’t really need to have a waterproof hat when it starts to rain. But I still bring one along, just in case. The Simms GORE-TEX Sombrero is not only fully waterproof, but it is also breathable for when the sun starts to come out.
Fly Fishing Hats with Sun Protection
The most important function of a fishing hat is to protect your face and neck. A day in the sun can really wreak havoc on your skin, especially when fishing for tarpon in the saltwater flats or rainbows in mountain streams at elevation. To avoid a painful sunburn, reach for the Patagonia Bimini Cap. The Coolmax headband wicks moisture while the drape on the back of this warm weather fishing hat keeps your neck fully protected.
Come into Jans on Park Avenue and ask one of our fly fishing experts to show you our wide variety of hats available. We have all kinds of fishing hats including some you could also use for hiking as well.
