Friday’s forecast is for heat, and lots of it. Friday’s heat is to be followed by more heat on Saturday and Sunday. How do you beat the heat? I suppose you could drink cold iced teas and stay in the air conditioned indoors and not catch fish. Or, you could go out and wade through your choice of water without waders.
Did you really think I condone not wearing any pants? Fishing is often a kid and family friendly sport. Mom and Dad won’t be thrilled to pull up to a fishing access, only to have their child’s innocent pair of eyes blinded by a pasty white behind. On second thought, it could be a highly effective way to keep other low holing dirtbags from intruding on your territory. I suppose the choice is yours.
By no pants, I’m really referring to wet wading. Wet wading is one of my favorite ways to stay cool in the hot summer months. Whether it’s a cold stream or river for trout, a lake for bass or walleye, or the coast for stripers and bluefish, I like to wet wade. When it’s hot, the water is the coolest place to be. I’m yet to find water that is warmer than the 95-degree air temps, unless it was recently peed in, upon which case it still might not be 95 degrees.
Why is it one of my favorite things? There are quite a few reasons. Wet wading is cooler. It’s lighter. It’s less gear for me to carry to my truck when all I want to do is fish. It’s one less opportunity for me to trip and rip a hole in my expensive waders, which incidentally would result in a wet wading experience. I’ll save those tumbles and rips for when it’s 32.9 degrees during steelhead season and I have less than zero desire to get wet. I like wet wading because it correlates with late spring and summer. It means bug hatches, hungry fish, early mornings and late evenings. It means fish stories, hot grills, barbeques, baseball games, and cold beer, all after a day on the water of course.
It’s certainly wet wading season. Just watch your step. Check for those pesky ticks and try not to find poison ivy. If you’re like me however, poison ivy will assuredly find you.
I hope everyone has a good weekend and doesn't melt. Good luck on the water.
Brian Lansing