Heat exhaustion

[gim]

Seems like a good time to post this being that the heat index is approaching 120 degrees in parts of the south this week.  Stay hydrated and limit your outdoor exposure down there.  Heatwaves kill more people in this country than all the other natural disasters combined.

[Mobasser]

Good post. A-Jay has a chart that shows the effects of dehydration wich leads to heat exhaustion. This is important in this hot weather. Drink lots of water prior to your fishing trip, and while your out there.                        And keep in mind, if you ever reach a point where you can't urinate, you've gone way past time to hydrate. At that stage, you could need medical help.

[LrgmouthShad]

Heat index here is 120 today and I cannot avoid being outside. Work is bringing me there. All good, I’ll keep an eye on myself and people I work with

[Jar11591]

If you think you’re drinking enough water, drink more. 

[Catt]

Not just during daylight hours, 8:27 PM last night it was 93°. With little to no breeze you sweat alot, stay hydrated.

[Bird]

Good post.

Yes we all get caught up in the pursuit trying to focus and sometimes forget about the simple things.

I bring plenty of water but get caught up in the moment and go long spells without drinking or eating.

I know better and need to work on that.

Stay safe 

[BrianMDTX]

Drink when you’re not thirsty

 

Take periodic breaks out of direct sun

 

If you stop sweating, seek medical attention immediately 

[Functional]

I think it was mentioned BUT...remember hydration starts BEFORE you go out into the heat. If you are going to be in the elements start drinking the day before. Also important to replace the electrolytes you sweat out, plenty of options here, but dont overdue it either. 

[Tennessee Boy]

When the heat index hits 120 I stay hydrated by sipping large glasses of sweet tea while setting in my recliner.  ?

[Johnbt]

"Take periodic breaks out of direct sun"

 

I have always used a lot of sunscreen, mostly spf 30 and 50. My mother's side of the family were redheads fwiw.

Last year I started wearing dedicated sun clothes - long sleeve shirt with hood, gloves, long pants, etc and only use sunscreen on my face. 

It's not 100 here yet, but even at 85 and 90 it makes the day so much more pleasant. I'm not as hot and sweaty and I don't feel drained dry.

[A-Jay]

  

Know the signs and what to do in advance.

One of my least favorite deals is the massive headache I can get folliwing a long period in the heat and being insufficiently hydrated.

?

A-Jay

 

[Susky River Rat]

120 degrees I’d be inside all day. That’s just insane! Stay safe everyone 

[Bankbeater]

If you're getting heat stroke or heat exhaustion, you may not have all of the symptoms.  Many years ago I was cutting grass in 93 degree heat, and I noticed that I wasn't sweating.  Other than that I felt fine.  When a breeze made me feel cold, I turned the mower off and went inside.

[steve carpenter]

124 heat index now. crazy hot

[txchaser]

11 hours ago, Functional said:

replace the electrolytes

 

This is for real. 50/50 gatorade and water is the ideal mix. Pretty sure that's what G2 is, just diluted gatorade. I use Nuun tablets since they are easy to carry and taste better than liquid IV

 

 

10 hours ago, Johnbt said:

dedicated sun clothes - long sleeve shirt with hood, gloves, long pants, etc and only use sunscreen on my face. 

 

Long sleeves and pants, gloves, and a big boonie hat. Lifesavers. For the shirt, nothing I have tested has come close to the Huk IconX for brutal heat, except the A1A, which is better when there's a lot of breeze. Columbia's boonie that has cooling dots in it, best so far. Very light material. A little floppy though. 

 

Wife got me one of the cooling towels on amazon for like $10. I didn't think it was going to do anything special, but I took it with. Really actually works. Dunk in the water and wrap around your neck. 

 

When you pull that cold water out of the cooler, hold it between your legs for a few minutes. It's not, um, comfortable, but it really does help. 

 

As a bonus for all this, my coffee stays hot all day!

 

psa this heat (114 index here, water hitting 90 and it's only june) is really hard on the bass as the water warms up. Get them back in as quick as you can. 

 

[TriStateBassin106]

I'm a yankee but I understand the importance of staying cool and hydrated, we had multiple days last year in New Jersey where it was near or over 100 degrees and all you wanted to do was just sit inside with the air on, like a maniac though I was doing wiring in some guys garage at work and the heat was really getting to me that day. 

 

When I have to fish in the heat I try to keep it limited to the morning evenings and even night time which is the best IMO, I always keep bottles of gatorade/powerade and a nice cold jug of water. I try to wear UV clothing and long straw hats/boonies and face shields, sunscreen UPF 50 applied every 2 hours. But I do that always when fishing in the sun. 

[islandbass]

Thanks for the reminder but temperature wise we been the opposite here. We’re hovering in the mid 50s at night and on Father’s Day, the day started at 48 degrees, 60% chance of rain but that’s a given here and played golf anyway. By about noon real cat and dog deluge and hail at the turn. Waited it out 40 minutes. Finished by 1:30. Overcast and blustery winds and rain. Went fishing anyway to end the day. Weather the conditions and went from senko to brush hog to baby brush hog to tiny brush hog (I thought I bought babies and didn’t even know there was a tiny version) and a 1/4 oz. bullet weight. Finally got a nice 2lb bass for my troubles. 
 

So please bring the 120 degree heat. The northwest needs it. Lol

[Functional]

8 hours ago, islandbass said:

Thanks for the reminder but temperature wise we been the opposite here. We’re hovering in the mid 50s at night and on Father’s Day, the day started at 48 degrees,

 

Believe it or not when I lived in NY I'd find myself suffering from dehydration more often in the winter and cooler temps than I would in the summer when being outside. The cold air used to dry me out big time and I'd get pretty bad headaches, cotton mouth, etc. Without the heat I didnt have the thirst like I do in the summer so it made it even worse. So while hydration applies to heat, personally I apply it to cold/moderate temps too. 

 

EDIT: Came back to say the comment about thin sun clothing like the SPF ones have changed the game for me. Had a conversation with a lanscaping contractor at work and he filled me in on why they look like they are prepared for the winter. I have been buying up the ones with the hoods and keeping that up with a baseball cap. Throw some suntan lotion on the legs and feet and im much happier. 

[islandbass]

@Functional: You’re absolutely right. In my cycling days, both road and mountain bike, hydration was important in both summer and winter. The coolness of the winter could sometimes fool you into thinking you don’t need to be hydrated. I was just ranting a bit that it’s practically summer and winter is still

holding on here, lol. 

[Johnbt]

 

I'm now using AFTCO's Jason Christie Hooded LS Performance Shirt. It has an oversized hood with a

"... hat visor sleeve" 

 

I wear the hood over a mesh ball cap to keep the air flowing over my head.

 

AFTCO may be better known in saltwater circles. The founder invented the roller guide in the '50s.

[MAN]

Its hot down here in South East Tx right now.  Like...hot hot. 

[Woody B]

On 6/20/2023 at 10:32 PM, txchaser said:

I use Nuun tablets since they are easy to carry and taste better than liquid IV

I use Nunn also.  I've been plagued with muscle cramps most of my life.  Nunn helps.   

 

Pay attention to your body.  Don't get so focused on whatever you're doing that you don't pay attention to how you're feeling.   ~35 years ago the shop I worked at was closed for July 4th week.   I was going to a big race, but had a job that needed to be finished.  It was a transmission I was going to deliver to the race track.   I was working in the back of the un air conditioned shop, with the doors closed.  I didn't want to be bothered by customers, I also didn't want customers to know I was working, but wouldn't work on their cars that week.   I was working like a mad man because when I got finished I was done for the week.   I got finished with the transmission and loaded it in my trailer.  It was only then that I realized I didn't feel "right".  I was dizzy, and starting to have a headache.  I think I was between heat exhaustion and heat stroke.   I was alone, with no one around.  I went in my (air conditioned) motorhome, took a cold shower, then drank a bunch of water.   After the shower I decided to take my temperature.  It was 100.   I suppose I was lucky.  I was also a young fit 20 something year old man that worked and played in the heat all the time.   Had I not been so focused on finishing the transmission job I would have taken breaks and cooled off occasionally.   Like I said, pay attention to your body.  

[ike8120]

I was a first responder on the Jersey shore. Drinking the night before going out in the sun and heat the next day is not a good idea. I have taken more folks to hospital who thought it was a great idea. Stay hydrated also sun and heat breaks. If you start feeling real bad seek medical attention.

[thediscochef]

Even my night fishing requires some serious hydration right now...I get back to the car at 11pm and it's still in the mid 80s. Being in the sun is dangerous. The first time water crosses your mind after your last water break is the right time to drink more. It happens fast this time of year. also wear a hat and long sleeves! Skin cancer is real, too. I like using a 27" cotton bandana under the tilley LTM hat I always wear. It always feels cooler outside with that combo, I only feel hot when I get into A/C but by then it's time for the hat to come off anyway.

[geo g]

In south Florida the heat index has been above 110 for the last two weeks.  Humidity is super high, with temps in the mid 90's.  If your planning a trip make the trips short, early and out by noon or before. 

As a football coach in south Florida for over 40 years, when I started we had limited water breaks with maybe two short breaks during a two hour practice.  That changed 20 years ago to a break every 20 minutes of practice.  Then 10 years ago it went to unlimited water provided during practice by a team of student trainers that were there during every minute of practice.  Water was not only there to drink but also squirted on necks and under helmets.  Oh how things have changed. 

You need to drink on a schedule, and not wait until you become thirsty.  If you do wait, you will already be dehydrated.  Drink often, and stay covered as much as possible.  I will try to drink every fifteen minutes by always having cool liquids available and easy to get too on the deck.  As one gets low, I will take out a fresh one.  During summer I will always take three times more water then needed just in case of a mechanical problem, making hydration a critical concern, if supplies get low.  Always keep working emergency numbers handy in case a problem, remember in the heat, time exposed is your enemy.  Lots of liquids are needed during these pressing times.