I know that Tilley makes great hats, but I’m interested in a mixed bag here. Is it Stetson, Resistol, Filson, Woolrich, Boonie or what. I’ve always fished with a baseball cap, but now I’m thinking I need something with more shade. I’m curious what everyone’s favorite is and why.
:? You want me to choose?? If I do, my straw cowboy hat, I think it is a Resistol. If not that, which every ball cap I happen to grab that day. A lot depends on how windy it happens to be that day.
For those of you who dont know, I know what Byron means. I grew up in Cheyenne and in Wyoming you cant wear a wide brim. Itll end up in Nebraska :lol: I wear an oil cloth hat from New Zeland. Its kinda hot but Im too cheap to buy a Tilley
I’m fairly new to fly fishing, but not to fishing.
Since I was 10, I have always worn some kind of hat. For the past 10 years or so, I’ve worn either a “breezer” hat or a straw hat made from palm leaf.
The breezer comes with a chin strap (stampeed strap), they have a fairly wide brim, the mesh sides keep your head cool and they are inexpensive at between $20 and $40.
Don’t waste your money on most straw hats because they turn to mush when they get wet. Palm leaf straw hats are the only way to go. They are nearly indestructable, are easy to reshape when they get wet, and depending on the style (everything from fedora to full cowboy) provide shade and keep your head cool. I really like these hats. They usually run about $25-40. There’s a guy who sells them on Ebay and I’ve bought a couple from him (I have no connection other than have bought a few hats) http://stores.ebay.com/Cimarron-Sky
I just can’t see wearing a nice Stetson on the water fishing. I have several Stetsons and Beaver Brand as well as a couple custom made beaver felt hats. The thought of seeing a 7X beaver hat floating down the stream is not a pleasant one at all.
Hope this helps.
Jeff
For a wide brimmed hat in summertime conditions, a NZ made Selke
Great hats, and many of my clients have gone on to buy them after inspecting mine. They hold well to the head in windy conditions too,a requirement on our norhtern southland, and mackenzie country waters
I wear a baseball style cap otherwise.
Chris
Something that protects my ears from the sun and <ahem> the occaisonal mis-cast.
Ed
I have over 100 baseball caps. I have bout half dozen favorites…until Iget a new one. I’ve worn them all in the beginning then they go into semi-retirement.
Take your pick.
Later, RW
I am TOTALLY against, (for me that is) wearing a hat that has ANYTHING to do with fishing. I find it a bit hokey, don’t ask me why; I just do. That being said I won’t wear any hat with a logo from a manufacturer, fly shop, outfitter or a picture of a fly, lure, etc. As a matter of fact; I am about 99% logo free in my trout fishing attire. It is a conscious effort on my part.
I prefer a baseball cap because I have stuff on the bill like Hat Eyes, lights and flip down sunglasses. My present trout fishing cap is a adorned with the logo of my favorite baseball team. It is 6 years old and has about another 20 years left of wear. When it croaks; I’ll get another one just like it.
I wear a different hat while warm-water fishing and it too has absolutely NOTHING to do with fishing.
For warm weather: A straw hat with enough brim to keep the sun off and keep me cool.
For cool/cold weather: A beanie, wool or synthetic
For windy weather or fishing small, canopy streams: A cap, by necessity only.
I have no brand loyalty or preference with hats.
I have a Filson Bush hat and a straw hat of about the same shape I wear one of those if I need the shade. Since I am boycotting major league baseball I have a KC T-Bones (northern league) and a KC Monarchs (negro league) baseball hats for those times when less shade is required.
Quite often I wear no hat at all.
To me, inexpensive is a key attribute of any good fishing hat. Therefore, I eschew all the brands you mentioned. I wear a western style brimmed straw hat that I bought at Dan’s Fly Shop in Lake City, Colorado, last fall for $16. They had them marked down from $35-40 or so. It’s stylish, provides excellent protecting from sun and errant flies, it’s cool and comfortable, and it provides a great showcase for my fishing pin collection. I wore narrow-brimmed cotton boonies for decades. I liked being able to dip them in a trout stream and wring them out and put them back on to cool off during the heat of summer. And they required zero care or storage space. That’s still my second choice. My favorite is an olive Bass Pro Shops boonie hat. For cold weather, I wear a knit skull cap from Walgreens I bought 2 for $5. LOL
for fall through spring a boyscout crushable hat (left over from when I did scouting) any crushable wool hat would do, the boyscout one has a chin strap to hold it on in high winds. which has saved me fishing it out of the water three of four times
In the summer a baseball cap altho I’m looking for somthing lighter like the crushable only summer weight.
Eric
In a way, I’m like Bamboozle when it comes to being logo-free. I will not pay for a fishing hat that has anyone’s name on it, unless they are a non-profit group like Family Tyes, Casting for Recovery, etc. It’s just goes against my good judgement to PAY for a hat that will advertise for a manufacturer. There’s something wrong with that whole scenario, and anyone who does that is (in my humble opinion) a half-bubble off.
That being said, one of my favorite ball caps is emblazoned with St Croix all over it. BUT, it was sent to me by St Croix as a thank-you gift. No cost involved, free & delivered to my door, and I already own a St Croix fly rod which is one of my favorite rods.
Is that confusing enough? :shock:
Joe
It’s cool more often than hot here, so I use a Digger, the girlfriend uses a Koolah. They’r cracked wax hats. A bit warm in hot weather, but ya’ sure can’t beat their rain protection.
(actually, the Koolah was mine until Ren?e “appropriated” it).
I like wide brimmed hats to protect me from wayward flies :o
My neighbor across the street (90 years old but acts 50) just gave me a cap he bought at the dollar store for $.40 cents (I think he bought at least a dz of um). Its a nice baseball hat, zipper adjustable with a braid across the top of the bill and terry cloth sweat band. A nice turquouis color…I’m gonna wear it.
I never really wear a hat but when I lived in AK the suns never out its always overcast so I didnt bother with a hat, but now I live in the south and the sun here sucks I got a nice columbia “Trout runner” brim hat and It works great works great a keeping the sun away and the mesh keeps a breeze flowing, and at 20 bucks you cant beat it.
My favorite fishin cap is a baseball cap. Gold with a “buckin bronc” logo of my Alma Mater, UW. I, like Bamboozle, will NOT wear or much less BUY a hat with a commercial logo but maybe with certain exceptions such as those he mentioned. No t-shirts with advertising either. From whence comes my deepest respect for bass fishing tournaments.
Mark
I wore a ball cap for years, until they began to remove cancerous growths on friends ears and the back of their neck. I wear a Tilley, and it has a strap for windy days.
- Just to clarify, my Ball Caps are what are called trucker caps now, and they are not some specific logo for some company. Most are local company hats given to me.
In the colder weather, I wear a Kromer, wool hat except for dress, then the black felt cowboy hat comes out. Mess caps for summer, solid for cooler weather
Oh yea, if it isn’t too cold yet, a gray felt is used.
A hat’s a hat. Big deal.