Hats off to the Frito Bandito

Being born and raised in Texas makes you inclined to wear a hat. From a geographical standpoint most of our days are hot and sunny which makes wearing a hat almost a requirement from birth. The other reason developed from a historical and mystical stigma where Hollywood has conceptualized the male Texan image as someone wearing a dusty cowboy hat and pointy boots with jangling spurs.

While spurs are not needed for fly fishing the waters of Texas, although using them against stingrays while wading at the coast is an interesting idea, a hat sure comes in handy.

I once wore my cowboy hat to a fly fishing trip to Yellowstone. This was way back before the digital camera days so those resulting pictures and negatives are in a box in the garage where they are never seen just like today’s digital images once they are taken. From what I remember it was more of a nuisance than practical. It was a Bangora straw hat in a creamy off-white color that is a pretty universal color in straw hats.

The first problem was trying to put it in the overhead bin on the airplane. During the summer all flights into Jackson Hole, Wyoming are full and extra baggage space is almost non-existent. The trick was to get it in the bin without bending it up too severely. It was a relatively inexpensive hat, but you hate to put it on with a new cease not created by a skilled hat shaper.

I had replaced the feather in the hat band with another feather, but this one had a hook attached to it. It takes some practice, but a fly can be inserted into the hat band and look rather dashing in my view. The brim as a whole was rather flat with a minor curve at the front corners. This was the style at the time and not the “Full Taco” bends of brims we see today.

My good friend Irving O’Neal was with me on that trip and the second problem was that the rental car we rented was a small sedan and it was impossible to drive with my hat on. Doing this back home was not an issue as I had a rather large, MPG consuming, SUV.

Nonetheless we made lemonade out of a lemony situation or rather guacamole out of less-than-fresh avocados with a pinch of hot salsa, as we say in San Antonio.

We fished the Yellowstone River in the Buffalo Ford area, so I got to cast to cutthroat trout wearing my hat. I presume I caught some as my semi-short term memory ailment prevents me from stating that as a fact without consulting my misplaced fishing log.

Thankfully cowboy hats are still made in America and even in Texas. I once got a factory tour at the Resistol plant in the Dallas area. They were making black fur hats at the time and in one of the steaming rooms several women were roughly shaping cones into hats. The fellow giving the tour said, “Look at all of that beaver.” I winked at him as we moved to the next room.

Ball caps on the other hand seem to be made in foreign countries with hard to pronounce names, even without a Texas accent.

Over 20 years ago I would buy a Texace brand golf cap. They made good quality caps in downtown San Antonio at the time. The challenge was to find one with a small enough logo on the front that could be covered up with an Alamo Fly Fishers sew-on patch. I bought caps infrequently as I would spray Scotch-Guard on it. This waterproofing spray treatment would not only repel water, it would repel dirt and oily fingers, making it last quite a long time.

Hat color is also a consideration. When fishing with me, I will warn newcomers not to wear a white hat. If they do arrive with a white or light colored hat I will stay away from them as much as possible. Whether fishing the flats or a slow flowing Hill Country stream in the Texas Hill Country, the key is to not stick out. Both of these very clear water locations will allow your targeted fish to spot you before you spot them. The contrast between a light colored hat and the background is severe enough for a fish to detect your presence.

Hat sizing is not a problem as an adjustable plastic band or a Velcro strip on the back makes one hat fit all. I try to avoid this type of caps because when I take pictures with my camera, I rotate my hat with the bill backwards. With these strap-caps I end up with weird looking indentations on my forehead.

I prefer the caps with fabric all around much like the Major League baseball caps. While the Major Leaguers come in actual different sizes measured in inches, fly fishing caps in this style have stretchable fabric and a label on the inside that says “OSFM.” This stands for “one size fits most.” Who would have thought?

One thing I like on fishing caps is that the under-brim is in a black or dark color. This helps detect fish as the glare is reduced by not reflecting off of the brim. Currently hunting caps in camouflage patterns do not have dark under-brims, so I will spray paint them black and encourage others to do so.

I am very protective of my caps. Replacement time usually came when it got crushed in some manner as I would not wear a wrinkled up, bent hat. I also took good care to avoid tears, but currently raggedly torn hats are in vogue so if I get a tear at least I know it is genuine and not done by near slave labor in a factory far far away.

I cannot paddle my Floating Tiger kayak fast enough to have the wind blow my cap off of my head, but any boat ride will necessitate either turning it around of taking the cap off. Lately I have just pulled up my Buff over my hat to keep it from blowing off.

Buffs can be used in lieu of a hat. Buff is a name brand for a tube shaped piece of fabric that goes around your neck. Its primary purpose is to protect various parts of your head depending on how you wear it.

The instructions depict a dozen ways to wear it, but I mostly pull it up to cover my face from the sun. While this is effective protection, I do not recommend wearing it as such when entering a convenience store when buying some corn chips and a drink. The guy at the counter might mistake your visit as a holdup and it you happen to be wearing a cowboy hat, the Texas media will label you the Frito Bandito.