Wading Staffs

[kglissmeyer]

I didn't want to hijack flybugpa's thread on wading boots, but the subject of wading staffs came up, so I thought I'd ask. How many of you use a wading staff? For what reasons? Pros/cons? I had two major surgeries on my hip and ankle last year and would already have taken some bad spills since then if it hadn't been for my wading staff.
I use a collapsible hiking staff that I tether with a four-foot leash to my wader belt for when I'm walking. I also have a caribiner attached to the handle loop for attaching the staff to my chest pack when I'm fishing so that it is easilly accessible when I need it. With the way I attach the staff I never fear that I'll loose it and it is always out of the way while I'm fishing.
Anyway, just wondering what others use and how they work for them. This isn't to debate the pros and cons. I guess using them is a personal preference, but mine is now a vital part of my equipment and I couldn't go fish the rivers without one anymore.

Here are some pics to show how mine works:

Here is mine in use while walking the shore of Idaho's Big Lost River - obviously that's me in the background:


Here it is tethered to my chest pack while I'm fishing:


What works for you?

Kelly.

[JohnScott]

... How many of you use a wading staff? For what reasons? Pros/cons?...
Kelly.

Kelly -

I don't use one.

The two main reasons are that I like to keep it simple and I like to travel light.

As long as I continue to be healthy and fit and my vision and balance are good, I will do without. I can see the advantages for some situations, and at some point I may decide to use one for those situations and / or I may get to the point that I think it makes sense for me to use one on a regular basis. In the meantime, I'll continue to play it close to the vest, especially when wading new water.

I don't have anything against wading staffs, and I encourage anyone who has concerns about his / her safety and well being around the water to use one.

John

[MontanaMoose]

My wading staff is a modified aluminum ski pole with a tether rope Kelly and i've been using it for around 15 or more years now and feel naked without it if i'm near moving water. I even take it to the lakes at times if i do a lot of hiking and it has come in handy a couple of times to fend off critters that came at me with talons or teeth showing. Saved me from taking any number of swims too and it sure is nice to have a 'water gauge' with me at all times. Many other reasons to be carrying a wading staff too and i'm sure others will chime in. Maybe even JS....heh, heh...

Cheers,

MontanaMoose

[HCR]

Orvis--the excessively expensive one--had a gift certificate I needed to redeem. This will be my first season using a staff, but I have needed one EVERY season one or two super-puckering times .

[kglissmeyer]

Ah, the 'super pucker'. With the ankle rehab I've had a few of these in recent months - more than I care to think about. If not for my staff they would have been disastrous 'super puckers' and then some, so I'm glad I had my staff to lean on.

John, I hear you. There were most years that I never needed the staff, although, in hindsight, and in light of some of the spills I've taken over the years when I could wade without aide, a staff would have saved me some tough and painful trips and slips as well as some embarrassment and well aimed sniggers from other fly fishers. Nowadays I couldn't and wouldn't be caught dead without it, because, frankly, where I fish, without it I probably would be found dead...
As for weight, these things are super lightweight and the collapsible ones hardly take up any space at all.

Kelly.

[51BC]

I keep waiting for one of the kids to buy me one of those nice collapsable ones that fit in a neat little pouch on your belt, they can't ntake a hint! Until they do, I use an old milatary surplus ski pole, which, while niether stylish nor , at times , convienient, does keep me from falling. Use it more often than not.

[kglissmeyer]

I keep waiting for one of the kids to buy me one of those nice collapsable ones that fit in a neat little pouch on your belt, they can't ntake a hint! Until they do, I use an old milatary surplus ski pole, which, while niether stylish nor , at times , convienient, does keep me from falling. Use it more often than not.

51BC, I couldn't wait any longer so I watched at my local thrift store and found mine, brand new, with the tags still attached, for $3 bucks.

Kelly.

[kimshew]

I had two major surgeries on my hip and ankle last year and would already have taken some bad spills since then if it hadn't been for my wading staff.

What works for you?

Kelly.

I, too, have bad ankles and knees and must use a staff, in some situations. I use a telescoping model and clip, at shortest setting possible, it to my vest high on my left shoulder area. It is virtually 100% out of my way, rigged like this. ( I don't have a picture of how I rig, but could take one, I guess ) I only need it in bad areas (ankle roll stuff ) or for big steps ( my knee won't bend very far ). When I need it I un-clip it, telescope it, unroll a tether cord and clip it to my wading belt so it drags along behind like a classic staff. I've tried several different telescoping staffs and that, in itself, reveals their main drawback ..... they don't last too well, the locking mechanisms fail over time. I've tried folding staffs ( gave one away to a stranger last year, hated it ) and sometimes still use a simple solid one on occassions where, either I know I'll use it all the time, or I know I ONLY need it for the big steps into and out of the river, in which case I leave it on the shore stuck into the bank

[oldfrat]

I really need my wading staff these days. I won't wade without it.

A fishing buddy and I have had a running debate on which is best--FolStaf or Simms. I was very partial to Folstaf at the start cuz I loved how you could grab it out of its holster with one hand and have it deploy automatically. My friend was partial to Simms cuz the sections lock in place. We finally just agreed to disagree. It became easier to agree once I reached the point where i needed to have the staff ready to grab in an instant. I now use a two-piece net magnet for this purpose. I have the staff already extended. The net magnet keeps the handle at my waist very close to hand, not floating downstream someplace. It is ready for a very fast grab if needed.

[herefishy]

I use the magnetic net holder for my staff, too, it's a folstaff knockoff and I just leave it extended. When I need it, I don't want to fumble around at all.
Another thing that has helped me is that the therapist when I was treating a back injury told me to stand on one leg and then the other to improve my balance. A big help to do this is to look at something only a foot or so away at first, then extend the distance as your balance improves.