Dressing for the canyon: dry air, sun, and layers
No one drowns from the wrong shirt, so this lesson carries lower stakes than the last several. Even so, I have seen more people cut a good morning short from being uncomfortable in their clothing than from being outfished. Let us correct for that.
Utah canyon air is dry. That surprises people, because the water is right there, cold and loud, and the air seems as though it should feel damp. It does not. We fish at roughly 4,500 to 5,000 feet depending on location, and at that elevation the sun is stronger than it has any right to be, even on a cool morning. You can sunburn and dehydrate on a 60-degree day and not register it until you are home and your face feels like a stovetop.
Here is the framework I use, in descending order of importance: layers, sun protection, and feet.
Layers
Mornings up the canyon are cold, especially near the water. By midday, with the sun out, you will be sweating in the same location. Accordingly:
- A base layer that is not cotton. Cotton retains water, and once wet it stays wet and cold. An inexpensive synthetic long-sleeve from anywhere, Costco or your own closet, is sufficient.
- A removable layer. Flannel, light fleece, an old zip-up. Something you can tie around your waist without a second thought.
- A shell or windbreaker, if you own one. Wind off the water cuts through you even when the air is not especially cold. Nothing elaborate is required; I use a $20 windbreaker older than my grandchildren's patience for my fishing stories.
People tend to overdress for the first hour and regret it by 10am. Begin slightly cold. You will warm up walking to the water and moving around. If you are comfortable standing in the driveway, you are overdressed for the river.
Sun
A hat, always. A ballcap is acceptable; a wide brim is better, because it also covers the ears and neck. Sunglasses are likewise not optional, and not only for comfort: polarized lenses genuinely improve your ability to see into the water, which is a separate lesson for another day.
Apply sunscreen to the ears, the back of the neck, and the portion of your hands not covered by your sleeve. People consistently neglect the ears. I neglect my own ears consistently, which is somewhat fitting given what is coming.
The tree incident
I want to describe the time I lost a fly in a tree, because it concerns attention to your surroundings, which sun and layers also concern, in a roundabout way.
I hooked a good fly, one I was fond of, in a branch overhanging the Provo. Not a large branch, merely high enough that I could not reach it. I spent twenty minutes performing an absurd flicking motion with the rod tip, trying to shake it free and growing steadily more agitated, sweating through the layer I should have removed ten minutes earlier. A teenager walked by, watched briefly, picked up a rock, and freed my fly on the first throw. One throw. I had been at it for twenty minutes.
I gave him a granola bar, because it seemed the least I could do and I happened to have one. But the real lesson is that I had become so fixated on the problem in front of me that I stopped registering everything else. I did not notice I was overheating. I did not notice the sun had shifted and I had not reapplied sunscreen. Dressing correctly for the canyon means that half the task is simply remaining aware enough to notice when an adjustment is needed. Remove the jacket. Drink water. Reapply sunscreen. None of that happens automatically once you become absorbed in fishing, and you will become absorbed, since that is largely the appeal.
Feet, briefly
We have already established that waders are optional for beginners (my position, and I will defend it: I would rather you fish from the bank in old sneakers and stay safe than buy expensive gear and get overconfident wading into water colder and faster than it appears). But even on the bank, wear shoes you do not mind getting wet or muddy, with non-cotton socks if you can manage it. Wet cotton socks at 50 degrees will ruin your morning faster than any fish can redeem it.
A quick checklist for your closet
Before you head up, lay out: base layer, mid layer, windbreaker, hat, sunglasses, sunscreen, and shoes you do not love. That is the complete list. You do not need dedicated "fishing clothes." You need clothing that comes off in stages and does not retain water.
Before next time: go through your closet and identify what you already own that fits this list. If you lack sunglasses or a hat, that is the single item worth purchasing before we meet again.