Wednesday, 25 April 2018

Re: {Tidal Potomac Fly Rodders} Shorts vs Pants for flats wading

As always it depends.

Most of the flats fishing I've done has been from the deck of a flats boat. You can see so much better from up there it makes a world of difference.

If that's what you'll be doing, then 100% pants. Even if you don't burn easily, the sun out there is so strong you need to be careful. Last time I went (near Cancun), our guide must have had less than 1 square inch of skin showing, and he was very dark skinned.

If you're going to be wading, might be able to get away with shorts, but I'd worry about the space between the surface of the water and the bottom of your shorts (or even higher, depending on the angle of the sun. Yikes). The water can be as shallow as 18 inches, which could leave a fair bit of your legs exposed both to direct sun and reflection off the water.

I have lightweight pants from LLBean with legs that can zip off and on around mid thigh. Something like that might do the trick. They're light weight enough that I was pretty comfortable on a full day flats trip in 90 degree weather.

As for chafing, I don't know about you, but my problem is generally well north of the point where the pant/short distinction no longer matters. Never really been bad, but salt water isn't kind.


Full disclosure: I'm paler than most of the fish you've ever seen, so I'm a bit paranoid about covering up. Last time I managed to get burnt between the end of my long sleeves and the beginning of my sun gloves. 


On Wednesday, April 25, 2018 at 4:36:27 PM UTC-4, Yambag Nelson wrote:
Either work just fine.  I would wear shorts if I was exclusively wading.  I prefer pants if I am on a boat.  Personal opinion, but I wouldn't focus on trying to cover ground.  

On Wednesday, April 25, 2018 at 3:49:15 PM UTC-4, Jeff Silvan wrote:
Completely personal preference. I wear pants, but the only times I've ever waded have been for part of the day and the rest was on the bow of the boat. I don't burn much either, but pants mean I don't have to worry about sunscreen at all. Plus, if I get hot, I can dip my legs in and even though they're quick dry, they stay damp longer than bare skin, so it keeps me cool longer. I wore regular boxers every time I waded the flats. The only time I went deeper than just above the knee was to get out of the boat at high tide. A good pair of flats boots will be critical though if you're expecting lots of coral.

On Wed, Apr 25, 2018 at 3:25 PM, Tim Donaldson <timdon...@gmail.com> wrote:
Been dialing in my gear and clothes for a trip to the Bahamas in 3 weeks.  Question for anyone who was done any tropical flats wading:

Shorts or pants?  I plan on being covered up completely up top, but I don't easily burn and would much rather wear shorts.  Also, underneath should I wear my compression type smartwool boxer briefs?  Something different?

I've done tons of surfcasting in surf shorts, but I'm concerned about chafing while covering ground on the flats.  Any advice or insight would be appreciated.      

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