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By mid-morning, the sun was high enough in the sky to light up every striped bass on the flat. The schools looked like a series of long, dark lines when they swam away from the sun, and they’d disappear when they crossed a bed of green eel grass and bladderwort. They left behind enough clues to find them as silver flashes—the kind made by the sun reflecting off their shiny scales—revealed that they were turning to feed. Adult and juvenile sand eels were on today’s menu, and Angela, Morgan and I were ready for some tugs.
I called out casting coordinates from midship.
“Big school, 12 o’clock, 60 feet, swimming towards us, and we’re in a foot and a half of water. They’re now swimming right to left at 11 o’clock and are 50 feet away. Now they’re at 10 o’clock, 40 feet away, go ahead, make a short cast.”
Angela was in the bow, and she dropped her soft plastic ahead and beyond the lead fish. Morgan was in the stern, and she lobbed hers out, too. The soft plastics landed so gently that they barely left a surface ripple, and then they followed up with a twitch, twitch, twitch. The lead fish turned, which turned the pod, and, in a moment, they all rushed forward and hit the soft plastics. There isn’t much better than hot skinny water topwater action, especially because my wife and daughter were both into good fish.
We love to spend lots of time fishing and boating, so not too many summer days pass without us being on the water. A bright sun lights up the flats so perfectly that we can easily spot fish. But there can be too much of a good thing, especially because excessive amounts of the sun’s ultraviolet (UV) rays can cause skin cancers, including non-melanoma skin cancers (NMSCs).1 An estimated 5.4 million cases of NMSCs, such as basal cell carcinoma (BCC) and cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (CSCC), are diagnosed each year.2 While some people may be more familiar with melanoma, NMSCs are far more common.2,3 For example, BCC alone accounts for about 80% of all skin cancer cases.4 We’d rather fight fish than cancer, so we take precautions.
It wasn’t always that way for me. I’ve lived most of my life outdoors and, without question, I’m fishing focused. Angela says that description is shorthand for the fact that I frequently forget to apply sunscreen. For example, on the first warm day of the season last year, I took off my shirt to get some rays. My pale skin got burned, and by the time I got home I had blisters on my neck, shoulders and back. I scheduled an appointment with a dermatologist to get them checked out. I don’t want to take chances at my age so, when my fishing season is over, I visit my doctor for an annual skin check. These appointments can help with early detection, which is important since NMSCs, including CSCC and BCC, are typically easier to treat when caught early.5 However, if left undetected, they can progress to advanced stages and become much more serious and challenging to treat.6,7
My wife, Angela, has fair skin and lots of freckles. She’s had to be careful to avoid sunburns throughout her life. These days, she won’t use sunscreen that isn’t at least SPF 50, and she’ll reapply it throughout the day. It washes off when we drop the hook and get out of the boat to wade fish just as easily if we’re landing fish.
On really bright days, Angela and our daughter, Morgan, wear technical fishing clothing. Dark or brightly colored garments that are made from high-tech fabrics or other densely woven materials such as polyester or nylon keep UV rays from hitting the skin, while allowing moisture to dissipate.8,9 Morgan likes to wear bibs for extra protection. I’m thinking about getting them both some neck gaiters. The last thing I want is for any of us to develop skin cancer but, as parents, we’re especially focused on Morgan being cautious.
Sun protection isn’t anything new. A few thousand years ago, people in ancient civilizations made early forms of sunscreen by applying materials such as olive oil, rice bran and flower petals to keep the sun’s rays at bay.10 Fortunately, we have many more options for sun protection than we used to.11
If you’re a vampire or a night fisherman, then the odds are good you won’t get a sun burn or have issues caused by UV rays. But, if you like to sight fish as much as we do, then take care of your skin while you’re outside. Besides, searching for a flat loaded with striped bass is a lot more fun than sitting in a waiting room, isn’t it?
Visit LetsGetRealAboutSkinCancer.com, an educational website created by Regeneron, to learn more about advanced NMSCs, including CSCC and BCC, and sun protection tips and take the pledge for an annual skin check.
1 Skin Cancer Facts & Statistics. Skin Cancer Foundation. January 2025. Accessed July 2, 2025. https://www.skincancer.org/skin-cancer-information/skin-cancer-facts/
2 Key Statistics for Basal and Squamous Cell Skin Cancers. American Cancer Society. October 31, 2023. Accessed July 2, 2025. https://www.cancer.org/cancer/types/basal-and-squamous-cellskin-cancer/about/key-statistics.html
3 Key Statistics for Melanoma Skin Cancer. American Cancer Society. January 16, 2025. Accessed July 18, 2025. https://www.cancer.org/cancer/types/melanoma-skincancer/about/key-statistics.html
4 Amdad Hossain Roky ,Mohammed Murshedul Islam , Abu Mohammed Fuad Ahasan Md Saqline Mostaq d, Md Zihad Mahmud, Mohammad Nurul Amin, Md Ashiq Mahmud. 2024.Overview of skin cancer types and prevalence rates across continents. August 4, 2024. Accessed July 18. 2025. 2024;3(2):1-12 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpt.2024.08.002
5 Can Basal and Squamous Cell Skin Cancers Be Found Early? American Cancer Society. October 31, 2023. Accessed July 2, 2025. https://www.cancer.org/cancer/types/basal-andsquamous-cell-skin-cancer/detection-diagnosis-staging/detection.html
6 Migden MR, Chang ALS, Dirix L, Stratigos AJ, Lear JT. Emerging trends in the treatment of adadvanced basal cell carcinoma. Cancer Treat Rev. 2018;64:1–10. doi:10.1016/j.ctrv.2017.12.009. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29407368/
7 Advanced Squamous Cell Carcinoma Treatment. Skin Cancer Foundation. January 2025. Accessed July 2, 2025. https://www.skincancer.org/skin-cancer-information/squamous-cellcarcinoma/
8 The best sun-protective clothing. Harvard Health Publishing. June 1, 2023. Accessed July 2, 2025. https://www.health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/the-best-sun-protective-clothing
9 Sun-Protective Clothing. Skin Cancer Foundation. April 2025. Accessed July 2, 2025. https://www.skincancer.org/skin-cancer-prevention/sun-protection/sun-protective-clothing/
10 Drissi M, Carr E, Housewright C. Sunscreen: A Brief Walk Through History. Proc (Bayl Univ Med Cent). 2021;35(1):121-123. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8682817/
11 How to protect yourself and your family from the sun. American Cancer Society. June 2024. Accessed July 2, 2025. https://www.cancer.org/content/dam/cancer-org/cancercontrol/en/booklets-flyers/protect-from-the-sun.pdf
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