According to the American Dietetic Association, most people replace only 50%-75% of the water they loose during activity, being dehydrated as little as 2% can cause a drop in endurance of 7% or more. Fishing is an activity! Some anglers are more intense and active than others, but the effects of dehydration can strike anyone!

One of the first things to remember is that caffeine is a diuretic, so if you are drinking coffee, tea, or soda that has caffeine and you think these fluids will help you stay hydrated you are very wrong! This caffeine is actually making your body become more dehydrated!

Another important fact to remember is that alcohol is one of the worst substances to drink if you are feeling thirsty! Alcohol is also a diuretic! I FEEL VERY STRONGLY THAT ALCOHOL AND WATER DON'T MIX! Even if it is legal in your state you should NEVER operate a boat while consuming or after consuming alcohol! If the body is in the state of dehydration it will absorb the alcohol faster, causing the person to become impaired at a faster rate! Some times the person won't realize how impaired they are until it is TOO LATE and an accident has occurred! Please don't misunderstand, I like nothing more after a tuff day of fishing than an Ice-cold beer, but this is after my boat is on the trailer and I am standing on dry land!

Most summer fishing is done in the heat of the sun, this heat makes the body use it's temperature regulating system to cool itself, the first way the body tries to regulate it's temperature is thru perspiration. The maximum amount of sweat a person can produce under extreme conditions is two to three liters per hour! It is the act of evaporation that helps cool the body! When you consider that sweat is 80%-90% water you can see that it is easy to become dehydrated! If you wait until your body tells you that you are thirsty it is too late you are starting to become dehydrated.

The best substance to drink to keep your body hydrated is plain clean pure water! The sport drinks on the market these days are a good way to replace some of the calories, sodium, chloride and potassium lost in sweat during activity, but clean pure water is really the best! There are many tables and guidelines out there to tell you how much water you should drink based on your age, weight, and physical condition. I feel the best gauge is to go by how you feel and how much fluid your body is eliminating.

I know that some of this information sounds basic but most people don't drink enough water! The next time you are looking over the drinks in the cooler at the mini-mart, remember WATER, WATER AND MORE WATER!