Fly Fishing Insider Podcast
Keep a compact chamois in your boat bag. After pulling the boat out, rinse off in the river and dry with the chamois, which absorbs far more water than a cotton towel. Change into a spare set of comfortable clothes kept in the vehicle, and the drive home is a different experience.
Also on Apple Podcasts · Spotify · YouTube
Why carry a chamois instead of a regular towel?
A chamois holds far more water than a cotton towel of the same size, which is what makes a small one practical. The compact version lives permanently in the boat bag and takes up almost no room. A cotton towel that size would be soaked through after drying one person, while a chamois can be wrung out and used again on the same trip.
When does a post-fishing rinse matter most?
The rinse pays off most after a full day in a boat, after several days in a row on the water, and before any long drive to the next destination. Anglers traveling on the road hit that situation constantly: a long day fishing followed immediately by hours behind the wheel in the clothes they fished in. A day spent in waders builds up sweat that a change of clothes alone does not solve.
What does the routine look like at the takeout?
The sequence is simple. Pull the boat out of the water, get out of the fishing clothes, get into the river and wash off, then dry with the chamois. The whole process takes a few minutes at the ramp and needs nothing beyond the chamois already in the boat bag. Cold river water does a second job here, cooling you down after a hot day on the oars or the casting deck.
What should you keep in the vehicle for the drive?
A spare set of comfortable clothes waiting in the vehicle is the other half of the tip. Soft cotton pants and a dry shirt kept separate from the fishing gear mean you change into something clean rather than back into whatever was under the waders. Clothes kept in the vehicle also stay dry regardless of what happens in the boat.
What does the rinse actually remove?
A day of fishing leaves sunscreen, fish slime, river grit and dried sweat on skin that has been sealed inside waders for hours. Rinsing in the river takes all of that off before it transfers to a car seat and rides home with you. Anglers sharing a vehicle notice the difference immediately, which is the part most fishing partners react to first when they see the routine.
Key takeaways
- Keep a compact chamois in the boat bag permanently; a chamois absorbs far more water than a cotton towel of the same size.
- Rinse off in the river right after pulling the boat out, before the drive begins.
- Store a spare set of comfortable clothes in the vehicle, separate from the fishing gear, so they stay dry.
- Cold river water cools you down after a hot day, on top of getting you clean.
- The rinse removes sunscreen, fish slime and sweat built up under waders, which matters most when several anglers share a ride.
