Found all this good information for a first timer such as my self. I am
glad to read this before I made a mistake. I WILL wear my wading belt.
Thanks to all for the great information.
Doug
Found all this good information for a first timer such as my self. I am
glad to read this before I made a mistake. I WILL wear my wading belt.
Thanks to all for the great information.
Doug
I have first hand knowledge of what happens when you go in with waders on. Two weeks ago I was fishing the Little Juniata in Pa. I was floating from spot to spot in a kayak. This was my first time (and last) ever in a kayak. I got caught in some current while going under a RR bridge and was pushed sideways into a big log and it rolled me over. I when in and completly under water. I did have a wader belt on and always wear it snugged faily tight to help with back support. I got very little water in my waders and my feet hardly were wet when I got out. I was very lucky to make it..........
"And Archimedes once again rolls over in his grave."
Screw him.
i fell in a river two years ago it is no problem will you`r in the water it is trying to get out , the water was 35 dg and a very long ride home cold as h-ll
Touch 'em all, Colston.Originally Posted by Colston Newton
Hi Folks,
I have fallen into cold water a couple of times in the past while out FF. Luckily I was never swept along by a current. I prefer to wear clothing made of a miricle fabric under my waders. WOOL ! I generally wear a pair of old wool dress slacks, if the water is really cold a pair of polypropelene long johns works well under the wool pants.
The Salvation Army outlets usually have some wool pants on the rack, and their prices are great. I recently read an article by a fishing guide about wading in fast moving water and the suggestion that stands out in my mind is his recommendation to wear two wading belts as well as a PFD. I prefer an inflatable PFD under my Fly Vest.
I've fallen in a lot. I wear a wading belt to keep my cloths as dry as possible in that event but also for hanging my wading staff from. I always have that clipped to the belt, in use or not. The wading belt won't save your life...as it's not the wader that will drown you. I still see misguided reports in the papers stating "Angler drowns from waders". FALSE FALSE FALSE. Anglers drown from stupidity or on occasion, health reasons. Stupid is, taking risks and wandering into dangerous water. (Deep and or fast current). The most common one is heading for a tough to reach spot in fast current...fishing for a while fighting the current and being to tired to get back. The other is heading out into a tail water without knowing the release schedule or having a way to be aware when the water is rising, or ignoring the horn if one is in earshot of the dam. The same thing can happen when there is rain...either at the spot your fishing or upriver where you may not be aware of it. Rising water is something you need to be very aware of at all times.
I don't wade where I don't feel 100% comfortable. It's that simple.
Getting wet is going to happen from time to time. DON'T PANIC! Have an emergency change of clothes in the car for that event. If it's cool outside...don't continue to fish. Get out ASAP and get dry. Hypothermia is not fun and makes one make more stupid choices. If its a hot day... enjoy the dip.
***Added as an after thought...
If you don't want to get wet...don't rush and NEVER STEP BACKWARDS. That's the one I keep forgetting. av-63.gif
Last edited by Mato Kuwapi; 05-12-2010 at 05:00 PM. Reason: after thought
"There's more B.S. in fly fishing than there is in a Kansas feedlot." Lefty Kreh
"Catch and Release,...like Corrections Canada" ~ Rick Mercer
Frequently it's not even overt stupidity. It's the sum of several small mistakes all adding up to make a very big mistake.
I've gone in a couple times but never in water over my head. As you mentioned, in cool weather (honestly anything under about 80 degrees) I carry a spare change of clothing in my wader bag.
If I start to feel shaky because I was fishing through lunch, I stop and get a bite to eat (always carry a bag of mixed nuts in my vest for that very reason).
The way I look at it, there are plenty of fish in the water and usually, that spot way over across the stream that just looks like a big one is hiding out isn't that much different than where I'm standing once I actually get there. If I don't feel safe getting there, the fish will go uncaught another day.
However, I also know I've made stupid mistakes and got lucky. A couple years ago, I broke my own "if I can't see the bottom, don't step in" rule. I was at a local creek, worked my way down a very steep and muddy bank and when I got to the bottom, I was about 50' away from where I wanted to get in. The stream was high and murky that day. I was too lazy / stupid to pull out my staff to check the water depth. After about 10 seconds of weighing my options, I went for it. Fortunately for me, the water was about 2" shallower than the top of my chest high waders and I didn't go under but about 10' more upstream, the shelf dropped off into about 15' of water with strong current. I got lucky that day.
I guess this is the reminder for us all to be careful out there.
Jeff
Here are some tips:
Always use a wading staff.
You can use it to probe water you can't see through. Besides telling you how deep, you can tell what the bottom structure is.
Use the staff on the UPSTREAM side especially with the collapsible staffs. If you are leaning on the staff on the downstream side and the staff collapses or kicks out, you will likely fall. If the staff kicks out when leaning upstream, the current will help hold push you back upright.
Never cross in front of deep water like a pool. If you fall, you will go into the pool. Always try to cross below deep water.
Remember that the fast water takes you at a downstream angle as you cross the river. Account for this downs stream drift when you wade and don't let it take you into fast deeper water.
The widest part of a river is often the safest place to cross because the water is more dispersed. Narrow water usually means deeper and faster flow.
If you don't have a staff and you slip, use your rod to help hold you up. Slap the rod parallel onto the water surface. The resistance of the rod against the water surface can be used to push you back upright.
Regards,
Silver
"Discovery consists of seeing what everybody has seen and thinking what nobody has thought"..........Szent-Gyorgy
Good Info, Thanks for posting it. I just picked up one of those inflatable suspender PFD's at Cabella's for when I'm in a boat in rough water.,,,, I have waded in some pretty fast & deep water so I'll start wearing it there also
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