Wading

[Jonny15678]

I want to start wading for bass. Can you not wade in some places because the bottom is too soft how can I tell what I can wade in?

[Tennessee Boy]

I did A LOT of wading when I was a teenager.  Mostly in creeks.  I never encountered a bottom that was to muddy for wading.  I’ve waded some ponds when seining for bait that were so muddy that wading was difficult.  
 

A hard bottom is very important in bass fishing so any water with a muddy bottom would not be water that I would want to fish.

[scaleface]

I fish in a silted in bay and irrigation ditch that is impossible to wade   . Its a good largemouth bass fishing spot  never the less . Largemouth bass are very prolific . If a person steps in it one would immediately get stuck and find it difficult to get out , probably losing their shoes in the process . How can one tell before hand ? I dont know . If its lowland , still water , surrounded by farm land , that would be an indication .

[Paul Roberts]

I've done a lot of wading on a lot of diff bottom types. Not afraid to wade. However, one can drown doing it, and in surprisingly shallow water. It happens this way: Getting feet stuck, then falling over, and tiring out. This happened, years ago, to an angler on a not-so-big trout stream I frequented often. There was a clay bank and he got stuck, fell over in the current, and no one found him until too late. Looking at that relatively shallow stretch of stream, you'd wonder how in the world someone could drown there.

 

So... I've been VERY careful ever since. I've never been in this situation above, face down with my feet stuck. But... this is what I do:

 

Test as I go. Even bring a probing stick if you are at all wondering about the depth of the muck. Be aware as you stand in place for any time that you may sink in. Watch for this. Re-set your footing often. If you are sticking, limit your time there, or just get out and find a different spot. I also wear wading shoes/old sneakers as these are easier to get out of than waders, hippers, even some calf-high boots are.

 

Recognizing such areas just by looking? Many areas collect soft sediments like potholes, dips, anything that can create an eddy where stuff can settle out. Wind, waves, current can sweep things down closer to firm substrate. Many areas will have firm substrate just beneath, so you may sink a bit then hit hard stuff. AOK, but make sure you aren't sticking and apt to stumble trying to get unstuck. Some vegetation grows in muck, like cattails. Flooded shrubbery tends to grow in firmer substrate bc it is all terrestrial. Reeds often grow in gritty substrate, but may be overlain by muck, so just be wary there. High spots, hummocks, may offer stepping spots that can get you out away from shore a bit, just be wary of losing balance and stepping into really soft stuff.

 

Again, my life has never been endangered by wading, although... I can easily take that back; I've made some stupid wades in my life. But, I've learned from them, sometimes in retrospect. The guy that drowned in 2fow along that clay bank sure opened my eyes to the potential risks of soft bottoms.

[PhishLI]

2 hours ago, Jonny15678 said:

I want to start wading for bass. Can you not wade in some places because the bottom is too soft how can I tell what I can wade in?

Search "Wading Staff". If you don't want to shell out for one you can improvise. A ski pole will serve the purpose.

[jr231]

3 hours ago, Tennessee Boy said:

I did A LOT of wading when I was a teenager.  Mostly in creeks.  I never encountered a bottom that was to muddy for wading.  I’ve waded some ponds when seining for bait that were so muddy that wading was difficult.  
 

A hard bottom is very important in bass fishing so any water with a muddy bottom would not be water that I would want to fish.

 

So do you not fish farm ponds ? Most of them I've been to have ALOT of muck on the bottom. Not something I'd Wade, but definitely somewhere I'd want to fish. 

[Deleted account]

4 hours ago, PhishLI said:

Search "Wading Staff". If you don't want to shell out for one you can improvise. A ski pole will serve the purpose.

Bamboo staffs work well too. Pier One has them for a couple of bucks. Wading new places is about trial and error. Most places will have a few inches of mud or silt over hard bottom, but others can be quite deep.

[scaleface]

30 minutes ago, BassWhole! said:

Bamboo staffs work well too.

I like pawpaw trees . They are super lightweight and straight .  

 .

[Tennessee Boy]

3 hours ago, Yeajray231 said:

 

So do you not fish farm ponds ? Most of them I've been to have ALOT of muck on the bottom. Not something I'd Wade, but definitely somewhere I'd want to fish. 

I have done almost no pond fishing for bass so I don’t claim to know what I’m talking about but I think ponds are different.  If someone stocks a muddy pond with bass they will adapt so the fishing might be good.  If half the pond has a muddy bottom and half has a hard bottom I would definitely expect the bass to prefer the half with the hard bottom.

[Wizzlebiz]

I use $7 water shoes. If one gets lost not a big deal. It was only $3.50. We lose more expensive lures daily. 

 

I do suggest being careful and as suggested above find a stick and check before you step. 

[Deleted account]

1 hour ago, Wizzlebiz said:

I use $7 water shoes. If one gets lost not a big deal. It was only $3.50.

LOL

[jr231]

2 hours ago, Tennessee Boy said:

I have done almost no pond fishing for bass so I don’t claim to know what I’m talking about but I think ponds are different.  If someone stocks a muddy pond with bass they will adapt so the fishing might be good.  If half the pond has a muddy bottom and half has a hard bottom I would definitely expect the bass to prefer the half with the hard bottom.

It's from all the turnovers all the vegetation/leaves from fall decomposing over the years... Some beasts live in those ponds ! Ohio State record was caught In one. 

[Luke Barnes]

I wear 12 inch boots and wade in creeks some and always end up in the water. But.... like others have said, it can be dangerous. I got stuck in quicksand like mud and it doesnt take long at all to tire out. Within a minute or two I was breathing very hard and I'm in decent shape. I was in up to my knees. Luckily I had a random person that happened to be in this off the beaten path creek too and helped me out. Otherwise I could have been stuck for quite a while. 

 

[TnRiver46]

3 hours ago, scaleface said:

I like pawpaw trees . They are super lightweight and straight .  

 .

I like pawpaws

[Jonny15678]

So I plan on going with a Stockingfoot style waders, do I need to upsize the boots I want to pair with the waders or get my normal shoe size?

[geo g]

In south Florida it can be a risky thing to do.  Too many gators and a healthy population of snakes.  I have seen gators in almost every body of water even in residential areas.  Some days three or four snakes while bank fishing.  Not my cup of tea!

[WRB]

As nearly everyone has advised wading can be dangerous. You plan to use stocking foot waders that are chest high thinking you will stay dry, however don't think you can wade any deeper them mid thigh depth. 

When trout fishing streams the bottom is almost always firm, bass fishing the bottom in slow moving water can be very soft. Avoid attempting to wade around standing reeds/Cattails they grow in muck very soft bottom areas. If you are thigh deep and step into a muck hole you will be chest deep and struck with the possibility of your waders filling with water and nothing can help you if you are alone.

Tom

[Ratherbfishing]

The LAST time I waded, I stunk afterwards like a poorly maintained septic system.

 

Safety issues aside (they're real enough), your success and satisfaction will depend upon how steep the banks are and likewise in the water.  Also, as alluded to in the first paragraph, if there's a lot of sediment (mud) in the bottom, it will make your experience a pure joy.

[Alex from GA]

I do quite a bit of wading while kayak fishing if the bottom allows.  I always feel with the paddle before jumping in.    

[Sam Janssen]

On 9/28/2019 at 6:52 PM, Luke Barnes said:

I wear 12 inch boots and wade in creeks some and always end up in the water. But.... like others have said, it can be dangerous. I got stuck in quicksand like mud and it doesnt take long at all to tire out. Within a minute or two I was breathing very hard and I'm in decent shape. I was in up to my knees. Luckily I had a random person that happened to be in this off the beaten path creek too and helped me out. Otherwise I could have been stuck for quite a while. 

 

That is the worst, I got up to my thighs and it took me 15 minutes to get out. 

[Titan]

Just "feel" your way around with your lead foot.  I've stepped off into deeper water more than once and had to swim back to the shallow end!  I've never bass fished with waders, always shorts and old tennis shoes.  My worry has always been slipping into water that is deeper than the waders, the waders filling with water and sinking me.  I figure if I don't wear waders, I can always swim back.  I did wear them trout fishing the White River in Arkansas once.  I found a great "hole" full of trout.  I climbed up on a large rock, upstream from the hole, thinking that would give me more time to fish once they started releasing water from the Bull Shoals dam.  It did give me more time, but I stayed on the rock a little too long and when I jumped off to wade back to shore, the water came within an inch of the top of my chest waders!  I was a young man then and was able to "fight" my way back to shore against the current.  Very stupid, very dangerous!  Just watch the depth when you wear chest waders!