Arkansas Outdoors column: Guard against sun, dehydration while on the water | Arkansas Democrat Gazette

The Arkansas Outdoors column emphasizes guarding against sun exposure and dehydration while boating and fishing during summer. The author describes earlier episodes: in high school, spending a full day fishing shirtless on Lake Maumelle at Jolly Rogers Marina (now Westrock Marina) led to a severe sunburn. In 2006, while wading on Crooked Creek, an elderly fishing companion, Rusty Pruitt’s colleague Tommy Marks, showed symptoms of heat exhaustion and was taken to the Fred Berry Conservation Education Center to recover. The author later experienced sluggishness and erratic decisions, realizing they had stopped sweating. The column advises long-sleeve fishing shirts with high SPF, wide-brimmed hats, and carefully applied mineral or chemical sunscreen, along with hydration-focused breaks, noting sunscreen’s debated formulations and cooling effect.