Since it always seems like there's not enoupgh time to trailer our canoe or boat to the lake in the evenings, I've started wading again, on evening fishing trips. I have both hip, and chest waders that I've owned for years. The hip waders are not bad for summer fishing, but my chest waders are way too hot. With our temps getting near 90 here, and high humidity, I just wear an old pair of cutoffs, and cheap canvas tennis shoes. I've rigged a 4" x 6"small Plano flat sided box, which holds everything I need for a 2hr fishing trip, and clips to a beltloop on my cutoffs. I recently picked up a fishing vest which has a mesh back, and should work well for packing tackle also. Wading for bass is great fun. One rod/reel and a few baits is really all you need. It's a laid back, old school approach, but can be very effective also. When you wade out say 20ft from the bank, you get an entirely new perspective as opposed to standing on the bank. You can hit targets with your cast, that you couldn't hit before. I discovered a good spot this way the other evening, along a bank on the opposite side of a cove I've fished from the bank many times. I'm still not sure exactly what's under the water at this spot? The important thing was I was able to easily hit this area with short accurate cast, as opposed to heaving long cast to get my bait in the strike zone. I think wading, for bass fishing anyway, has fallen out of favor with many anglers. I don't see too many guys doing it anymore. I think it was probably more popular years ago, before so many huge impoundments were built. We do have some snakes here in Missouri, but they'll usually always leave you alone if you leave them alone. And, we don't have any gators or other critters which can cause trouble while your wading. For the bank fisherman who feel bummed about not owning a boat, you might try wading for bass. You'll quickly realize that it can work very well. About the time the shadows start to fall over the water, and the big bullfrogs start to croak, I usually tie on my old Storm Chug Bug, and quietly work the weed edges. My grandson likes to call this " the magic time". I think that summs it up very well . Is anyone else wading any small lakes, rivers, or creeks this summer? Tell me about your setup, baits, and if you've noticed an increase in your catch rates since you started wading for bass.
