When I was a kid, my Dad told me that “You can’t catch a fish if you don’t wear a hat!” I’m pretty sure this was his way of saying “I don’t want your mother yelling at me because I missed a spot of sunscreen.” I often repeat the line to my children, mostly with the same motive. Over the years, I’ve gone through a few different fishing hats for my kids, and figured I’d write up a quick article with some thoughts on what worked and why.
Why Your Kid Needs a Fishing Hat
I’d argue that right after lifejackets, your kid’s fishing hat is the most important piece of equipment they’ll wear. The right hat will shield them from the sun (and errant hooks), allow them to see better while fishing, and, well, look cool.
Sun (and Hook) Protection
The main reason you’ll want your kids in a fishing hat is to protect them from the sun. There’s few places to hide from the sun while fishing, especially if you’re on a boat. Most of the dedicated kids fishing hats are going to come rated for UPF protection, usually 50+. While you still want to use sunscreen, this can help if your kid squirms and you miss a spot, or they rub some off.
A lesser considered protection is that against hooks. While we all do our best to stay safe, casting does involve swinging hooks back and forth. Knots fail, fish spit lures, and all sorts of other things can happen where a hook can go where you don’t want it to. A fishing hat provides at least some measure of protection to your children from being struck by one.
Ability to See Better
A good kids fishing hat will cut down on the sun’s glare a bit. While it’s not going to reduce the glare on the water itself like a good pair of polarized fishing glasses, it will keep your kids from squinting and help them see things better out there. It’s hard to fish while you’re squinting and dealing with glare, so this is a big plus. If you match a good kids fishing hat up with some polarized glasses, they can be just like dad (or mom).
Looking Cool
A kid’s fishing hat is only any good if the child will wear it. Luckily, most brands of kids sun hats come in a wide variety of colors and even themes (Yes, even unicorns). This should help you get your child to wear it and enjoy all of the benefits above. If your child thinks they look cool wearing the hat, they’ll put it on their head without a fuss. This could easily be worth spending an extra dollar or two to get your kid a fishing hat that just screams “them.”
The Best Kids Fishing Hats
The best kids fishing hat is one your child will actually wear. When they are little, they tend to forget what’s going on in the world, so you just need to plunk one on them and then distract them. They’ll forget it’s on there and wear it until play or wind knocks it off. When they get a little older, they’re going to have more of a sense of self and might not wear just anything. It’s therefore important to match the hat to your child’s taste.
Dedicated Toddler Sun Hat
What my kids started out wearing on the boat was a dedicated toddler sun hat like this one on Amazon. It provides a good deal more shade than a baseball cap as it has 360° protection. Further, they often come with SPF ratings of 50+ which is perfect for kids. They’re also great in that they have a neck strap which helps keep the fishing hat on your kids’ head. If you can convince your children to wear them, these are great.
Baseball Caps
If you’re reading this in America, the most common hat around is a simple baseball cap. It’s what I tend to fish in as it’s stylish, easy, and I have several. It keeps the sun out of my eyes and just makes me look like a fisherman, if you ask me. This is what Tristan is wearing these days too as he isn’t crazy about the larger hats of his youth. The only downside is that aside from the face, they don’t provide much sun protection. I find myself having to wear a neck gaiter of some sort. Not the end of the world, but a consideration.
The Ultimate Kids Fishing Hat
While I will admit I haven’t used these, if I had to do it all over again (or if I could convince my son to wear one) I’d definitely go for one of these safari hats I found on Amazon while researching this article. It has all the benefits of the sun hat with an added plus of a long neck flap. This is definitely a style of fishing hat that would keep your kids from burning up out on the lake.
Other Kids Fishing Hats
Truth be told, I didn’t even know what to call some of these, but I found this ultimate hat guide online, and want to give some credit where it’s due. There’s a few hats on there, like the lifeguard hat that I don’t have personal experience with but figure it would work very well. Go take a look at the website and see if there’s a style that you think would work well for your children.
Thanks for reading,
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