Wading

[Bob Parker]

What do you think about wading when you're a geez?  Knees a little creaky and balance not so steady as years ago.  Waist or hip type?  Is tubing better? 

Bob

[Steve Totten]

Good question Bob,  My get-a-round is so bad I gave up wading in streams because I can't stay upright with the push on my legs.  I'll still wade on the flats, given the chance, but always use a staff of some kind.   My preference is to stay in the boat.

[DAVID L EITUTIS]

HEY BOB great discussion here for the wet geezers.......... I used to wade for trout when I fished for em long time ago and used to fall over the bolders then. Now ten years later wouldn't even think about wading because of back problems. If I fell I probably couldn't get up !!!!!!!! I have all I can do on shore sitting in a lawn chair . When I do decide to get outta the lawn chair it is very carefully !!!!!!!! Like to sit on coolers too !!!

[Lee]

I still enjoy wading when conditions permit down here in Florida we have some toothy critters that you have to keep an eye out for. There's some nice inshore areas that lend themselfs to wading and flyfishing also but my favorite wade fishing areas are on the Suwannee and Santa Fe rivers there's some shallow shoals that are very wadeable and the flyfishing can be fun in the pools just below and above them.

 Most the time on the other lakes and rivers I fish you pretty much have to stay in the boat, but I fish out of a kayak and find that almost as good as wading.

[Ray Ditzenberger]

I still wade the small creeks locally for warmwater fish though my balance is not what it once was. I have recently bought a fishing yak and I am looking forward to getting to some flat water areas that have not been accessable. I don't know who coined the term 'golden years' but he was full of crap.

[DAVID L EITUTIS]

HHHHHHHHHHHHA HHHHHHHHHHA RAY!!!!! YUP had a buddy , who passed a few years back who used to say " GOLDEN YEARS MY BUTT, of course he never said butt........ Yup early in the day when you first get up Ray is a ritual of getting outta bed, getting the shoulders, knees , and hips all working in order to be able to move?!!!!!!! Been that way myself for a couple years now and the doc says welcome to old age !! Well I'll submit that no matter how long it takes to get moving everyday is just what it is. EVERYDAY ABOVE THE DIRT IS A GOOD DAY BUDDY, beats the alternative all to heck...........

[Bob Parker]

A couple guys have mentioned yaks, but no one has reported on float tubes for geezers.  I built a 12-foot skiff a few years ago, which is nice, but the bottom is not flat and it rolls when I get in and out, so I need a buddy to steady it.  Wouldn't a kayak also roll?  With a float tube, can't you just walk out of the water?

Bob

[Ray Ditzenberger]

Yes and no and yes and no....does that answer your question?......Just walking out - if you use a float tube you really need to use the foot flippers to be able to move. Trying to walk in those flippers is no picnic. Easier to walk backwards in them until you can get to where you can remove them. The range of the float tubes is also very limited.. You are not going to go very far which is fine in some situations.

 

Do kayaks roll? Some are much better than others. Several of the fishing yaks are stable enough that one can stand and fly fish from them. ( that is pretty stable ) The problem is the more stable a yak is the slower it is. (sort of ) It is all a compromise. A yak is more difficult to transport and a lot heavier and more expensive but you can cover a lot wider area. The other thing is the yak will be pushed around more by the wind so you may need an anchor. I have been researching yaks for well over a year as well as gheenoes.

[David, aka, "McScruff"]

The nice thing about water is its cushioning effect, i.e., it doesn't hurt as much when you fall down. I think wading is great!

As far as waders go, I'd opt for chest waders as the more versatile for fishing. Make sure you use the waist strap religiously, just in case you DO get upset. If you dont really care about getting in the water, hip waters are good for mucking around the shore line.

Kayaks are a great compromise, and I like a jon boat, too. The cost of either is not so dear that you cant have one of each.

Bellyboating is nice, too. The truth is, there is a right place for all these things and they dont cost an arm and a leg to own. I say get all of them.

[Ray Ditzenberger]

chest waders even in the shallow creeks I fish. There are a few places that are waist deep. I wade wet a lot in the summer. It is too hot for waders. I almost got heat stroke one summer day. I wasn't sure I was going to get back to the truck. That A/C sure felt great.

 

Falling in the water is not good. There is always rocks to strain muscles and break bones. Falling is not good. A wading staff would be a help and I think I am going to get one shortly. Much cheaper than getting hurt.

[Mark Stine]

I think the last time I waded was when I forgot to put the plug in the boat last February. Thought the minnow bucket tipped over but after about five minutes I realized the water was getting deeper! Guess that qualifies as an old geezer thing. My phone has never been the same, guess I'm glad it still works. (no the boat didn't sink, it's a Scout).

[DAVID L EITUTIS]

Ya know fella's I remember well the last time I waded for fish and it was in Wisconsin on the West Fork of the Kickapoo river for brown and rainbows. It was a while back to say the least. A buddy and I had gone up on  a trout adventure and were crossing downstream of a ripple . As we started getting ready to head up stream my left leg got stuck in the mud and I went down hard . Thought I had broken my favorite 3 weight Powell fly rod I had made. Nope just soaked to the gills so to speak . Went fishing many times since then and no more wading for clumsy ole Me..........

[Greg McWilliams]

I still wade but prefer the FLOAT TUBE!!!!! I like ARM CHAIR FISHING!!!!!! Wader Chest type till summer and then wet wading or tubing!!!!!!100 degrees I can fallout of my tube and SOAK THE BOD!!!!!!!