Safety Concerns for all River Fishermen

[AJ Hauser]

Hey fellas!

I hope you are having a great week. So recently I asked you all about waders, and I received some very helpful info. Thank you. I've been able to get out and explore a nearby river - and it has helped me avoid the "dog days" big time. I have a safety concern I need some input on. This river is worth exploring more, because there are pockets with big smallmouth (maybe 5 feet deep) opposite very shallow water, that can be walked instead of kayaked. 

 

I have found 3 bridges a few miles down river from where I have been wading. It looks like I can get under them, to the water, but it also looks very muddy. I can see spots shallow enough to walk, but the upper portion of the river has been rocky and shallow... this mud makes me nervous. 

 

I'm going to go out tomorrow morning and walk along the shoreline for about a mile and a half, and look for a low area where I can easily walk in, and see if I can visually tell if the 2.25 mile stretch between the bridges is rocky or muddy. If it's muddy as well... I might just leave...

 

1. How concerned would you be about hidden sinkholes or "quicksand" in muddy rivers? Are they common, or does it take specific conditions for them to form? Last thing I want to do is go under...

 

2. Why does it seem like mud and silt seems to pile up around bridges? The other access points by bridges that I have been using have loose silt and mud but it's only for a short way, then it turns to rock and sand. 

 

As far as current in this river, it's slow. 

 

Any input would be very appreciated. I'm honestly much more concerned with being careful and safe than catching fish... but there are probably more big fish... 

 

Thanks guys.

 

[Kev-mo]

1. How concerned would you be about hidden sinkholes or "quicksand" in muddy rivers? Are they common, or does it take specific conditions for them to form? Last thing I want to do is go under...

 

This is just my experience... been wading rivers consistently for about 20 years. I have not personally encountered quicksand, I have however heard from a couple fisher friends about legit quicksand on an area of a river they wade. I do believe it's near a bridge. When I was first wading one of my Darwin choices was to walk through the inside bend on a river. The inside bend is where all the silt, sand leaves etc. pile up. I sunk about 18 inches in that mess, both feet. It took me probably a half hour extricate myself. Probably could've have gotten out earlier but the waterline was about an inch or two below the top of my waders. I was trying to stay dry, the water was nasty from everything decomposing. So stay away from inside bends!

 

I legit have a little ptsd to muck and mire after this experience. Like i get a skosh anxious when i encounter some.

 

Also smaller flows dig deeper so you'd be surprised at the depth of some holes in smaller streams.

 

2. Why does it seem like mud and silt seems to pile up around bridges? The other access points by bridges that I have been using have loose silt and mud but it's only for a short way, then it turns to rock and sand. 

 

I think mud, silt etc. builds up around bridges just simply due the bridge abutments and the effect they have on the current and suspended particles. If you had a big tree in the middle of the river the same thing would happen.

 

Also as you mentioned above some of your access points are a bit muddy and then turn to rock/gravel. That's typical for most streams that I've waded in IL.

 

I volunteer myself to be your river/bird dog as it were. I can deal with a little muck if the payoff is a big smallie....

[TOXIC]

In my wading experience, I was more concerned about getting “swept” because I waded shale rim rock and if you stepped off the ledge wrong you were going for a ride.  Summer is not so bad but when you are breaking ice chunks in the winter, getting swept can be a real danger.  For that reason, I chose 3mm neoprene bootfoot waders that were good for summer and if proper underlayment, winter as well.  The most important part was they were buoyant and kept me afloat.  When paired with lightweight wading boots with felt soles and gravel guards, I was pretty good at floating. More treacherous than quicksand was the possibility of me getting a foot wedged in between rock or roots in fast deeper water.  

[MassBass]

You don't have to be in the water all the time. If it's loose muck, just go rat around on land. Any bridge with pillars is going to disrupt the current and pile silt somewhere where slack is created. 

[Scott F]

It sounds like you need to buy a wading staff. Use the staff to test for sudden drop offs or mud. They are especially useful if the water is stained and you can’t see your feet. Just make sure to tether it to yourself so it doesn’t float away. Current will generally flush any mud or silt away and deposit it into eddies and slack areas. That’s where you have to be careful 

[newapti5]

I don't know which river you're referring to, but the Susquehanna river in Harrisburg area, though shallow, could be quite dangerous for wading due to its rocky bottom.

 

There's one time me and my fishing buddy were wading along the river for walleye fishing. It was getting dark, and we stayed close to the bank, casting towards the currents in the middle. His lure got snagged, and since he's familiar with the area, he decided to move in and retrieve it. One second he was there, the next he's gone. He emerged from the water about 10 seconds later, and told me he was "sucked" into something. Luckily, the bottom at that spot wasn't as rocky as the river bottom normally is, otherwise he might have hit something hard when he fell.  

 

[AJ Hauser]

Gotcha - thanks for the tips everyone. @Kev-mo I think I'm going to hoof it across some corn fields and hopefully I'll be able to find a clearing so I can see the bottom, and enter if it's rocky. If that's the case I'll work back and forth by those bridges and see if the bottom is stable or if I start to sink...

 

@TOXIC we're moving south to Arkansas next year and I plan to explore the White River by Bull Shoals and other nearby creeks and rivers. Would these areas likely be similar to what you are describing? 

 

@MassBass see comment below on lead-poisoning.  Thank you for the feedback!

 

@Scott F a wading staff sounds like a great idea. Plus I could smack any dirty hippies I come across along the way! 

 

@newapti5 that's scary. I'm by myself so I definitely do NOT want to get swept under. I went out to retrieve a lure the other day and I stepped right off a boulder and went from 3 feet to 5 feet of water in an instant, soaking my backpack and getting water up over the top of my chest waders. I wouldn't say it was dangerous because again, it was mostly big gravel and slow current and I walked it back... but it was just enough to rattle me a bit. I started paying much more attention to where my feet were landing after that - and stayed where I could see the rest of the day. 

One more question regarding log jams. Last time I was out I made it to a big bend with some sunk trees jammed up and sticking out of the water. I'm talking big trees, not sticks. Just like the bridges I mentioned, this area was all silty with steep bottom and mostly mud - I turned back. Are these areas to be avoided and should I be walking around them on land? Even though the river is public I'm a bit paranoid of trespassing after being threatened with lead-poisoning (AKA bullets AKA "getcher butt offa my property 'fore I choot ya!") in the recent past...

[Kev-mo]

Log jams... I wouldn't say they need to be avoided. But for sure some extra caution should be used around them. Any large mass (bridge abutment, tree, boulder etc.) is going to affect current flow and therefore where silt etc. is deposited. You'll need to assess each one as you come to it.  Also they can be good cover and structure for fish if they have some depth to them so definitely fish them. 

 

You may not want to read this next sentence for plausible deniability purposes but......

 

Idk what state you're fishing in but if by chance it's Illinois.... most rivers in this state are not public. 

[MassBass]

Ok, if you have to wade as in if you go on land you will get shot, I would consider that unsafe wading.

 

Sometimes I find I must get back on land, just for mental clarity and to reassess the situation.

[Log Catcher]

The laws vary from state to state. Here if you are on the water in a boat or kayak or some floatation device you are legal. If you are wading the water you are trespassing unless you have the land owners permission. 

[AJ Hauser]

On 8/30/2024 at 8:37 AM, Kev-mo said:

Idk what state you're fishing in but if by chance it's Illinois.... most rivers in this state are not public. 

 

I clicked "like" on that post, but what I really mean is... "dislike." Lol. I hate this state. 

 

23 hours ago, MassBass said:

Sometimes I find I must get back on land, just for mental clarity and to reassess the situation.

 

Agreed - great point! 

 

15 hours ago, Log Catcher said:

The laws vary from state to state. Here if you are on the water in a boat or kayak or some floatation device you are legal. If you are wading the water you are trespassing unless you have the land owners permission. 

 

That's the law in Kentucky? I don't suppose you know the rules in Arkansas? I will need to learn those...

[Log Catcher]

The reason I know this is my nephew lives by a creek and one guy kept fishing without permission. One day he was wading the creek and the game wardens were called on him. He argued with them but found out as long as was touching the bottom he was had no right to be there. I believe he was cited and forced to leave.