Waders???

[shootermcbob]

I am a bank fisherman w/ no hope of buying a boat/canoe/kayak for at least another year. My question is, does anyone use waders in a lake. There are a couple areas where I know the water is not real deep, and I can gain access to some rip rap, bridge pilings etc. Would this scare the fish???

[bilgerat]

By all means do it. I own a boat but still wade at times. Some advice:

- Be mindful of where you are walking. Pay attention to the bottom. You don't want to sink in muck, scary stuff.

- Carry a few choice baits in a small Plano type box. Don't bring everything, pack smart. Don't forget pliers. Drill a hole in one of the plier handles and make a lanyard to tie off to your wader suspenders. No lost pliers.

- You WILL dunk your reel whether you mean to or not. Better learn some basic reel cleaning and lubrication.

- You will scare fish initially, you can't avoid it. Try to get yourself into the water way before the spot you want to fish. Walk as softly as possible and keep the noise to a minimum.

Have fun with it.

[RandySBreth]

You could get a float tube for almost nothing, at least under 50 bucks. If you're stuck wading, look up where your Smallmouth rivers are at, you'll do better wading and fishing them versus thrashing around the rip-rap of some huge lake.

[Taylor Fishin 4 life]

if you live in south dont worry about gators they wont mess with you  they are more curious than anything

[Patrick Ferguson]

says your in ohio so i assume the water is cold so id buy some waders but if the waters warm i wouldnt bother with them

[shootermcbob]

Thanks for the input fellas. Here in Ohio the water will be cold most of the year. Anybody have any suggestions on brands/type???

[shootermcbob]

I am a large fella,I think neoprene would be a disaster to get on and off??? Thanks again for your input

[shootermcbob]

Thanks for all your help. I'm gonna take a look at them.

[SirSnookalot]

Wear a belt or tie a rope near the top of waders in case you fall, the waders will not fill up with water.

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

I do a lot of wading and use neoprene with wading shoes.When the weather heats up I pair my wading shoes with a pair of shorts. I would add wearing a PFD to the other good safety advice given already. Give wading a try especially in the smallie creeks!

[Wild Bill [NY]]

I am a suprised that NOBODY has suggested to use a wading staff to probe the bottom consistency [and softness] out in front of you.

I personally never used to use one, but now I would not EVER wade without one.

There have been times when I have BECOME STUCK in mucky bottom that I had to take my waders off and swim out of them, and then retrieve them by swimming .

Not only would you find soft spots, but also drop-offs and trip spots which both could present a serious problem to those wading.

My wading staff actually floats, and I have an elastic cord holding them to my waders.

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

I am a suprised that NOBODY has suggested to use a wading staff to probe the bottom consistency [and softness] out in front of you.

I personally never used to use one, but now I would not EVER wade without one.

There have been times when I have BECOME STUCK in mucky bottom that I had to take my waders off and swim out of them, and then retrieve them by swimming .

Not only would you find soft spots, but also drop-offs and trip spots which both could present a serious problem to those wading.

My wading staff actually floats, and I have an elastic cord holding them to my waders.

Excellent suggestion. You can't be too careful.

[midnighthrasher]

I wade fished for about a month last year due to some unforseen problems with my house. I baught a pair of super cheap waders at canadian tire for 29.99. worked great no problems at all.

[shootermcbob]

Thanks for all the good suggestions.

[Jon in VA]

I've only used my waders to trout fish in. Never even thought of wearing them to bank fish. It'd definitely help ya get out in an open area to cast in and closer to the cover you're fishing. I'll have to give that a try next time the boat goes on the fritz...

[simplejoe]

I use chest waders with the built in boots.

Here's the ones I use, but I have the ones with the built-in boots. Couldn't find those ones on there.

http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/product/standard-item.jsp?_DARGS=/cabelas/en/common/catalog/item-link.jsp_A&_DAV=MainCatcat20166-cat350005&id=0066717831175a&navCount=5&podId=0066717&parentId=cat350005&masterpathid=&navAction=push&catalogCode=IA&rid=&parentType=index&indexId=cat601233&hasJS=true

[donmac]

I use chest waders with the built in boots.

Here's the ones I use, but I have the ones with the built-in boots. Couldn't find those ones on there.

http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/templates/product/standard-item.jsp?_DARGS=/cabelas/en/common/catalog/item-link.jsp_A&_DAV=MainCatcat20166-cat350005&id=0066717831175a&navCount=5&podId=0066717&parentId=cat350005&masterpathid=&navAction=push&catalogCode=IA&rid=&parentType=index&indexId=cat601233&hasJS=true

he could buy a kayak for the price of those  :-/

[simplejoe]

Yeah maybe a cheap @$$ kayak, the one when you hit a rock you'll have a hole. I only buy things that are going to last me a long time, I do alot wading up by my camp so a cheap pair wouldn't get me anywhere. Just a headache.

[shootermcbob]

Hey Simplejoe and others, do you get your waders a size or two bigger so you can layer up underneath them in cold water???

[Eternal Angler]

I would never do it, it's not worth the risk.  If you hit a bunch of muck like bilgerat, you could actually be risking your life.

[Blade-Runner]

Cabela's First Flight Breathable Waders.

[FFF-150]

I wade and tube. When wading or tubing, I wear stocking foot gore-tex waders made by Hodgman with felt sole wading boots. You'll get a better fit with the wading boots rather than the with the bootfoot waders. The wading boots pull out of the muck better too. You can wear fleece and long handles (several pair even) when it's cold. The problem with neoprene is that they are really hot in the Summer and if you're going to hike a ways in them they can make you sweat like a pig. I wear the Gore Tex waders even in the cold.

If you're going to keep fish like crappie or bluegills, buy a mesh zip up bag at Wal Mart that women put hose in to wash in a washing machine, attach a cord to your belt and drag it behind you. Makes a great live well.

[ToledoEF]

I live in Ohio, the only time I wear waders is early spring for the walleye run, 5mil thick with 1000mg thinsulate boots and dress warm. Late spring and summer I wade the maumee river with shoes and a pair of shorts fishing for smallies!

[shootermcbob]

Thats cool. When I was in college, I had a friend who fixed a few of us some deep fried walleye that he caught up around Maumee. Best meal I have ever had.

[Smiths.R]

I wear my waders as long as the water is cold.  I have a bad leg, so my wading stick is ALWAYS with me.  But even if I had two great legs, the stick is the perfect way to find out what you're about to step into.  Getting stuck in the much is NOT what you want to be doing.