Freshwater Fishing

Wade fishing takes more anglers lives each and every year than any other form of fishing. Wade fishing is very dangerous and should only be attempted by a strong, healthy angler that is aware of all of its dangers. To many anglers underestimate the true power of moving water, get caught up in a moment or have no understanding of the dangers of wading before they wade out and it ends up being their last fishing trip.

The dangers of wade fishing multiply when fishing with waders on in swift current. Waders, although there to make wade fishing more comfortable can kill! All it takes is a slip and before you know it your waders are filled with water and your being drug down into a deep hole or sucked under a log or cut.

There are a few rules you should always follow when wade fishing and they are as follows.

• Never go wade fishing without a fishing buddy!
• Always wear some sort of personal floatation device!
• Never wade into water without knowing how deep it is!
• Never wade into water without first knowing how fast and dangerous the current is
• Always know what the bottom structure of the water your going to be fishing consists of! (rock, gravel, mud….)
• Use a staff to probe the bottom before moving forward

River systems usually have very uneven beds, they have channels and cuts that can go from knee deep water right into 30 foot water. This is especially dangerous in low water conditions. Yes LOW WATER CONDITIONS! When river levels go way down many anglers assume the river has become somewhat safe when in fact it is not. It never fails when we have a drought situation and river levels drop, it seems like you hear about an angler drowning at least once a week. This doesnt happen in high water situations because the danger is more apparent and most anglers become more cautious and aware.

Always no matter what know what your walking into and always remain very aware of your surroundings while wading. This gets tough to do when your preoccupied with catching fish, but it will save your life!

If you follow the rules above, your wade fishing trips should go as planned, fun and exciting, ignore any of the rules above and your asking for trouble!