Dressing for the canyon: dry air, sun, and layers
Okay. Nobody drowns from wearing the wrong shirt, so this one's lower stakes than the last few. But I've seen more people cut a good morning short because they were miserable in their clothes than because a fish beat them. So let's fix that.
Utah air up the canyon is dry. That surprises people because the water's right there, cold and loud, and you'd think the air would feel damp too. It doesn't. We're up around 4,500, 5,000 feet depending where you fish, and at that elevation the sun feels stronger than it has any business feeling, even on a cool morning. You can get sunburned and dehydrated on a 60-degree day and not notice until you're home and your face feels like a stovetop.
So here's how I think about it. Layers, sun protection, and feet. In that order of importance, honestly.
Layers
Mornings up there are cold, especially near the water. By midday, if the sun's out, you'll be sweating in the same spot. So:
- Base layer that isn't cotton. Cotton holds water and once it's wet it stays wet and cold. A cheap synthetic long-sleeve from wherever, Costco, your closet, whatever you've got, works fine.
- A layer you can peel off. Flannel, light fleece, an old zip-up. Something you can tie around your waist without thinking about it.
- A shell or windbreaker if you own one. Wind off the water cuts through you even when it's not that cold out. You don't need anything fancy, I've got a $20 windbreaker that's older than my grandkids' patience for my fishing stories.
I feel like people way overdress for the first hour and then regret it by 10am. Start a little cold. You'll warm up walking to the water and moving around. If you're comfortable standing in the driveway, you're overdressed for the river.
Sun
Hat, always. Ballcap is fine, wide brim is better because it covers your ears and neck too. Sunglasses aren't optional either, and not just for comfort, polarized ones actually help you see into the water, which is its own lesson for another day.
Sunscreen on the ears, back of the neck, the part of your hands that isn't covered by your sleeve. People forget the ears constantly. I forget my own ears constantly, which is a little on the nose given what's coming.
The tree story
I want to tell you about the time I lost a fly in a tree, because it's about paying attention to your surroundings, which sun and layers are also about, sort of, stay with me.
I hooked a good fly, one I liked, in a branch hanging over the Provo. Not a big branch, just enough height that I couldn't reach it. I spent twenty minutes doing this ridiculous flicking thing with my rod tip trying to shake it loose, getting more and more worked up about it, sweating through the layer I should've taken off ten minutes earlier. A teenager walked by, watched me for a second, picked up a rock, and got my fly down on the first throw. One throw. I'd been out there twenty minutes.
I gave him a granola bar because it felt like the least I could do and also I happened to have one. But the real lesson, the one I actually want you to take, is that I was so locked into the problem in front of me that I stopped noticing anything else. Didn't notice I was overheating. Didn't notice the sun had moved and I hadn't put on more sunscreen. Dressing right for the canyon means half your job is just staying aware enough to notice when you need to adjust. Take the jacket off. Drink water. Reapply sunscreen. None of that happens automatically once you get absorbed in fishing, and you will get absorbed, that's sort of the whole appeal.
Feet, briefly
We already talked about waders being optional for beginners (my opinion, and I'll stand by it: I'd rather you fish from the bank in old sneakers and stay safe than buy expensive gear and get overconfident wading into water that's colder and faster than it looks). But even on the bank, wear shoes you don't mind getting wet or muddy, with socks that aren't cotton if you can manage it. Wet cotton socks at 50 degrees will ruin your morning faster than any fish will make it worth it.
A quick checklist for your closet at home
Before you head up, lay out: base layer, mid layer, windbreaker, hat, sunglasses, sunscreen, shoes you don't love. That's it. You don't need special "fishing clothes." You need clothes that come off in pieces and don't hold water.
Before next time: dig through your closet and see what you've already got that fits this list. If you're missing sunglasses or a hat, that's the one thing worth actually buying before we meet again.