Sun, sun, sun - here we come!

How Not To Cook

Some of you may remember from past Tackle Tip pages that one of my hobby-horses is being safe when you are fishing. Now, don't get me wrong, i am not one of those "risk averse, wrap-it-in-cotton wool or better still stay at home types". Were that he case, I'd probably never go near water, fresh or otherwise. But there are sensible precautions we can all take to make sure we continue to enjoy our fishing safely.

The recent spell of sunny weather has highlighted (no pun intended) a number of things we can all do .Firstly, and most obviously, wearing a hat while fishing.This has a number of benefits :-

• it keeps the sun out of your eyes, helping you to see any fishy activity,
• it keeps the sun off the top of your head - very easily sun burnt, especially if you are losing a little on top.
• it protects your head, face and eyes from the occasional rogue cast - you don't really want to wear a Goldhead Daddy Longlegs as a nose ornament, do you?

Moving on from hats, and serving a similar purpose, - sunglasses. A good pair of polarising sunglasses will also keep the sun out of your eyes, help you to see any fish movements and protect your eyes from flying Diawl Bachs. The best sort are wrap arounds, or those with side screens - these offer more complete protection wit the added bonus of stopping you getting dazzled if you turn your head side on to bright sun.

Finally - Sun block. It's very easy to lose track of time when fishing, and three or four hours in bright sun, with light reflecting off the water surface can lead to some really sore necks and faces. If, like me, you wear a short-sleeved shirt, or rolled sleeves, you'll also find your arms getting burned. Believe me, I've been there, and now make a point of carrying a bottle of Factor 20 Sun block in my kit. It's not wimpy, it's not soft - it's sensible. After all, you do use midge repellant? - Don't you??!?