Homemade Fishing Hats

fishing image by Janet Wall from Fotolia.com

A proper fishing hat has a number of different uses, including protecting your face and head from sunburn, reducing glare, and keeping sweat out of your eyes. The problem is that some fishing hats are fairly expensive and since you may only use these hats a few times a year, making your own is a better option. Homemade fishing hats also give you the chance to customize your hat and make it completely original.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

Hat
Fishing hooks
Decorations
Fishing line
Needle

Step 1

Decide on the style of fishing hat. Common fishing hats include the baseball cap style, a wide brim hat or a hunting style hat, also known as a "booney" or "boonie hat." Since fishing hats look exactly like regular hats, you simply need to pick the type of hat you want to use as a fishing hat.

Step 2

Use a lighter color as it reflects the sun better and resists fading. Brighter colors such as red and green look good for a few fishing trips, but as the rays of the sun beat down on them, they slowly fade. A lighter-colored hat such as tan or white is a better choice.

Step 3

Find a hat with a cotton lining. Fishing hats have a cotton lining that absorbs moisture and keeps sweat from trickling down onto your face. If the hat you choose lacks a cotton lining, it's easy to add one by sewing a thin piece of cotton into the hat.

Step 4

Choose a hat with a wide brim, which offers more sun protection. Traditional fishing hats and bucket hats were made with a wide brim, as were baseball hats. You want to find a hat for use on the water that has a wide brim to protect your face from the sun and reduce the chances of sunburn.

Step 5

Customize your hat by adding fishing hooks or other types of decoration, including fishing ties. Attach the decorations to the hat using a needle and thread. Another popular option is to run fishing line through the hat with a larger needle, attach the hook or decoration and then tie it off and snip the ends.

Tips & Warnings

If you use old fishing hooks on your hat, especially those with rust, sterilize the hooks first. It's dangerous to accidentally stab or poke yourself with a rusty hook. This should also be done with hooks on older hats (though of course you need to remove the hooks first).

Article Written By Jennifer Eblin

Jennifer Eblin has been a full-time freelance writer since 2006. Her work has appeared on several websites, including Tool Box Tales and Zonder. Eblin received a master's degree in historic preservation from the Savannah College of Art and Design.

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