If you spend any time wading rivers in search of the fish that swim there, you can never use enough tips on wading safely. As we all know, taking that wet and wild ride down a river on our butt's is never a fun thing to do. Nothing ruins a fishing trip like slipping and falling while wading. With any luck, one of these tips may help prevent you from taking the wet and wild ride that I'm referring to.

1) Keep Contact With The Bottom - Your body, meaning of course your feet, need to be in contact with the bottom at all times. In one sense wading is like rock climbing. Have a good "hold", before continuing to the next "hold". In wading, have your foot planted well before continuing with your next step.

2) Work With The Water - Rather than trying to fight the current, use the current to your advantage. You may get pushed twenty five yards downstream while crossing the river, but who cares? The goal is to make it to the other side of the river while staying dry. A big part of working with the water is creating as little resistance as possible as well. For example, standing sideways creates less resistance than standing with both feet planted in the current looking upstream.

3) If The Water Is High, Use A Stick - In high water having a wading stick can make wading much easier and much more safe. Simply find a sick along the bank that?s about chest high and has some stiffness to it. Use is for leverage as you cross the river. Having a wading stick can be a tremendous help while wading in high water.

4) Plant Your Upstream Foot - Always plant your upstream foot first. That's the foot that receives the most resistance from the water. If you're going to be standing in heavy current to fish, make sure the upstream foot is planted well and you're good to go.

5) Keep Your Waders All The Way Up - If you even think you might experience high water, keep your chest waders up all the way. I like to keep them only waste high, and once got caught in waist deep water as the water became deeper. It was no fun trying to slither my way into my suspenders while standing in waist deep rushing water. In order to keep you from having to do such a thing, just keep your waders up all the way, especially in the spring time, when you're not always sure how deep the water might get.

6) If You Have A Leak, Fix It - If you have even a small leak in your waders fix it. Nothing can ruin a perfectly good fishing trip like leaky waders. Believe me, it's easier to fix the leak or buy new waders, than go through the mental torture that a drip running down your leg can cause. Just fix the leak and then get to fishing.

These tips should help you from taking that wet and wild ride, and remember: if you do fall in, keep a death grip on your rod and reel. There's nothing worse than standing in the middle of a river soaking wet, and then realizing that not only are you soaked to the bone, but you lost your rod and reel as well. I know from experience that this scenario is no fun at all. Just follow these tips and you'll never have to worry about such things.

Return to Index

 

Copyright 2007 SunshineStateFishing.Com All Rights Reserved