Hoodies are a lightweight and comfortable solution to avoiding sunburn and the potential for skin cancer when spending long hours on the water. (SITKA)

I grew up in the era when you wanted to get as much sun as possible on your bare hide to show that you were a fishy, outdoorsy, beachy kind of guy or gal.

But with age comes wisdom. In some things, at least.

Sun protective clothing that not only keeps you from getting cancer but is also actually comfortable is now available thanks to some amazing micro-fiber fabrics that are ultra-thin and light, stretchy and sometimes even cooler than you’ll feel with your shirt off.

SITKA is a well-respected brand in hunting clothing, now entering the fishing outerwear market, and they have a new hoody that’s worth a look.

The Sitka Radiant Hoody is a flyweight garment with a UPF 50+ sun protection rating per the company. This means you can pretty much stay out all day long without concern for burns.

The Sitka Hoody also has odor control technology from PolyGene, which is reportedly a silica treatment that attracts molecules of nitrogen and sulfur in your sweat and breaks them down to eliminate odors. You still have to wash the shirt after a day on the water, but you don’t smell like week-old mullet before the end of the day. (The company also makes the Mesa Series fishing shorts and pants of the same material.)

The sleeves have thumb loops, a big plus in preventing sleeves from sliding down in power casting or up when using a pushpole. MSRP is $75.

The company also has a very readable website loaded with interesting hunting blogs—check it out at www.sitkagear.com.   

As an aside, don’t overlook your face, obviously—but also the backs of your hands. Most of my friends who have stayed in flats guiding have had one form or another of skin cancer caused by sun exposure. A high SPF lotion will provide protection so long as you apply it religiously.

Fishing gloves like these from Fish Monkey give the backs of your hands sun protection, and the gloves also protect against nicks and cuts..

An alternative solution for hands is fishing gloves like the many good ones from Fish Monkey and AFTCO. I like the gloves because they reduce the nicks and cuts of handling fish as well as providing sun protection. The fingerless models cause no issues with casting while still providing protection.

More on the Ugly Stik

The Ugly Stik GX2 Travel Spinning Kit combines the legendary toughness of a multi-piece Ugly Stik spinning rod with a matching reel that you can carry with you anywhere you travel.

We made a faux pas last week on the venerable Ugly Stik GX2 Travel Spinning Kit, which is a very affordable solution to the issue of carrying tackle along on vacations as well as having a kit you can stick under the seat of the truck so that you’re always ready to throw a line when you pass a likely lake or river.  

It comes in 5’, 6’, 6.5’ and 7’ models. The 5-footer is a 3-piece model with a 25 size reel, the others are 4-pieces with a 30 size—all pretty much in the sweet spot for bass, walleye, and most inshore fish including sea trout, reds and slot snook.

The Ugly Stik came from the labs at Shakespeare, now a part of Pure Fishing, and is noted for being practically indestructible—original TV ads showed the tip being run over by a truck and chewed on by a Rottweiler to prove their toughness—it’s the one rod that might stand an encounter with a ceiling fan . . . maybe.