It seems like every fisherman on YouTube and in commercials are wearing face-masks or buffs these days. The buffs come in all colors and patterns and have been subject of a hot debate between anglers. Why do fishermen wear buffs and do they have actual benefits?
Fishermen wear neck gaiters to protect their faces and necks from harsh winds, insects, and dangerous UV rays. Because anglers spend long hours on the water, the elements beat on them constantly.
Let’s take a closer look as to why fishermen everywhere are gravitating to the neck gaiter.
What are fishing face masks called?
Let’s settle this once and for all for the sake of consistency.
A neck gaiter is a long fabric tube made from moisture-wicking microfiber. Neck gaiters are commonly called sun masks, head tubes, buffs, fishing face masks, or just simply, masks.
The reason why some people refer to a neck gaiter as a buff is because the name that popularized the neck gaiter is called Buff.
Does it protect the fisherman’s face from wind?
The neck gaiter is effective at protecting the face from direct wind. Long days on the boat in the ocean or on the lake can be met with some nasty winds. Normally, wind won’t damage your skin or lips unless it is a cold wind.
Sometimes, an angler can get windburn (healthline.com). The side effects of windburn mimic those of sunburn so much so that the experts aren’t even sure if it’s just sunburn. Windburn occurs during long exposure to cold, dry, windy air.
Even though the neck gaiter can be warn around the face in a way to protect the face from wind, it is not the most effective form of protection against winter winds, because cold winds blow right through it.
Does it protect the angler from insects?
Nobody likes being berated by insects but that happens a lot when fishing. On warm summer evenings, the gnats love to swarm around the face of a busy angler. A neck gator worn around the face can prevent bugs from flying into the holes on your face and allow you to focus solely on the strike.
Does it protect the fisherman’s face from UV rays?
The main reason an angler would want to sport a neck gaiter is to protect their face from the harmful rays of the sun. The mask also protects the back of the neck of the fisherman, which is easily forgotten about until the sunburn is felt later that night.
Even on cloudy days, UV rays will still do damage to your skin.
Unfortunately, not all neck gaiters protect against harmful UV rays. Since the popularization of the mask, online stores have been popping up like crazy offering their own unique styles for dirt cheap.
Cheap gear is not good gear, and as you can imagine these neck gaiters do not offer any protection from the sun. Cheap head-tubes are just fun to wear long enough to take some sick Instagram photos with your friends.
If you’re serious about buying a neck gaiter, look towards reputable companies that display a UPF rating of 50.
UPF rating, what is it and is it important?
According to skincancer.org, UPF stands for Ultraviolet Protection Factor and it is used to determine how much UV radiation passes through a fabric to your skin.
A UPF rating of 50 means that the fabric blocks 98% of UV rays.
Neck Gaiter vs Sunscreen
When you spend a lot of time on the water, you tend to go through a lot of sunscreen. Professional anglers and fishing guides tend toward the neck gaiter because it is more of a long-term solution to sun damage.
Across all outdoor hobbies, skin cancer is prevalent among those who do not take care of themselves. Applying sunscreen to the face every day can become a chore but it is also introducing chemicals to your face every day and can smell unpleasant.
Professionals and tour guides are more vulnerable than the average angler because of the amount of time they spend on the water.
Tom over at saltwaterexperience.com shared his personal story of sun exposure and why he chose to wear a buff. He said that when he started guiding he would wear shorts, a short-sleeve shirt, and a hat. Tom would apply sunscreen every day but still got a sunburn. He noticed another guide wearing a mask one day and bought one for himself.
After properly covering himself with long pants, a long shirt, and a neck gaiter, he felt noticeably better at the end of the day after work and could work for longer without needing days off.
Keeping cool in the heat
A good way to keep cool during the heat of the day is to wet your neck gaiter with water before wearing it. The mask will stay wet longer bunched up around your neck than it will spread thinly across your face.
The gaiter will also pick up sweat as it forms on your face which will keep you cooler as the sweat evaporates. The moisture-wicking fabric will keep your face dry.
Do neck gaiters help catch more fish?
Some fishermen seem to buy into the idea that the neck gaiter helps you catch more fish, but do they really?
The masks have no magical properties, but they do help with sight fishing. When the buff is pulled up on the face, (where the top of the mask sits right below the eyes) it cuts down on some of the glare from the surface of the water. Coupled with a nice pair of polarized glasses, like Costa’s, and sight fishing is made a little bit easier.
Some anglers say that they just reel in more fish with a neck gaiter covering their face. I think that idea is just confirmation bias.
Some people just like to look cool
Let’s be honest, there are some guys out there that have cool designs on their neck gaiters and just like to wear them. There’s nothing wrong with wearing something you like, who cares what others think?
