wading in the surf

[Martin McFly]

I was wondering what is better for surf wading. A wetsuit, breathable or neoprene waders. It gets cold here in SoCal and don't want to freeze while fishing but I've also heard there are some nasty bacteria swimming around and don't wanna catch any of that either. Is there a type or brand of wading boots I should check?
The sad part is that my fishing budget is not what it use to be so I'm looking for affordable. lol
Thanks for the help

[dudley]

Bootfoot waders with a drytop would be a good choice, but I just plan on being wet.
In my experience Goretex doesn't cut it, so I've gone low-tech with a PVC slicker.... clinched up as well as possible
A wading belt over the waders and a second belt (possibly the stripping basket belt) over the slicker

You'll quickly find that bootfoots are the way to go. The surf forces sand into every crevice in wading boots, gators or not.
I use to duct tape my gators down ..... made no difference

[tailingloop]

Martin,

I wear waders year round in the surf of San Diego area beaches.

Any type of waders will work fine but you may want some fleece on under breathables or lightweight vinyl waders. As Dudley mentioned, bootfoot waders are perhaps the ideal solution for the surf.

Any type of wading boots will work, though felt soles pick up a lot of sand.

Instead of boots, I wear either Glacier Glove float tube booties, flats booties, or inexpensive neoprene divers booties. The Galcier Glove booties run around $40. I have found neoprene divers booties for under $25 on sale, usually in the late fall early winter in So Cal. You will need to go up several sizes from your street shoe size to accommodate the neoprene, hypalon, or other thick wader feet material.

I concur with Dudley too on the jacket, either pvc or nylon. The jacket that I use is the now discontinued Glacier Glove packable nylon wading jacket which is similar to the Cabelas Nylon Packable wading jacket. You can find other similar products at many sporting goods stores.

[Martin McFly]

I just don't want to freeze during winter or pick up any nasty bacteria. Now a bit of a dumb question. When we talk about wading and surf, how deep do you guys get into the water? I'm seen people fishing the suds and most are up to the knee into the water.

I thought about the wetsuit but somebody might think I'm a seal that washed up on the beach.

Thanks Dudley and Tailing Loop, you guys have been an awesome help with my surf fishing deal. I'm finally starting to feel a lot better after months of respiratory problems due to the fires and change of weather (from AZ) so will soon hit the beach. San Diego, huh? We're not too far then. How's fishing on your neck of the woods? I hear you guys catch bigger fish than us SoCal fishermen.



Thanks!

[tailingloop]

I don't wade any deeper the knee depth in the surf and often less. An knee depth, some waves may get to rib height. A lot of things will factor into how deep I might go on a beach - wave height, beach gradient, current, etc. On some beaches, such as steep gradient beaches, or in some conditions with a strong current I may not wade at all.

[dudley]

.....the most important thing about wading in the surf..

Never, ever turn your back to the water.

[Martin McFly]

because you can get knocked on your face by a wave???

[tailingloop]

Or backside. If I need to do anything that takes my eyes away from the surf, I get out of the water.

[dudley]

because you can get knocked on your face by a wave???

Oh yeah,
Where I fish, if you're not paying attention, you'll be on your way to England before you can say Bob's-yer-uncle

Waves come in 'sets'. Often 7 breakers to a set here, with the last one larger than the rest.
If you become complacent, you're gonna get suprised.
When you're facing the water, even if you have your mind on something else, you (hopefully) won't get any worse than a slap in the face.

[The Chronicler]

(I'm writing this on Trav's computer)
I developed a bad habit when fishing the salt. I take a little step forward on each cast. If
you happen to be fishing on an incoming tide, those little steps add up to being in deeper water than you intended. I've 'trained' myself to take a big step backward every so often.
Saves having water shipping over the top of your waders.
You might also be aware than as it gets dark, some folks have a problem with balance. The action of the waves and pull of the water creates a disassociation of sorts, especially if it is so dark you can't see the shore well. You don't have to be very far out in the water for this to happen.
Just be aware stuff does happen in the salt which you might not have expected.
LF