Killer Waders

[glirw]

Summer's coming up , people are going to be wearing their waders on the tribs, lakes , rivers, in their float tubes, boats , and wherever else , and since day 1 , I, as have many other people on this board , have been under the impression that waders are dangerous because they will pull you down under water if you fall and they fill with water.

 

This author goes to explore this myth first hand , and separates fact from fiction.

 

Enjoy !

 

http://www.sexyloops.com/articles/killerwader.shtml

[Puckhead]

"Since writing this some four years ago I've had a number of emails on the subject. A few people don't believe me and think I drowned or else made the whole thing up. Apparently in Germany you *do* drown if your waders fill up with water... so don't fish there then."

 

Hahaha ....!

[Terry]

yeah but he is talking about neoprene waders

but for 100 years people bought the rubber ones that were/are loose on the person

and would fill up and current would drag you down stream...IMHO

[ccmtcanada]

yeah but he is talking about neoprene waders

but for 100 years people bought the rubber ones that were/are loose on the person

and would fill up and current would drag you down stream...IMHO

 

True...just read an article...and it said that once the waders were filled, after a brief period of acceleration, you'd just flow along with the current as if you weren't wearing them...matching the speed of the current...no more drag than if you were floating in a lake.

 

Here's the link....from Outdoor Canada

 

http://www.outdoorcanada.ca/special/opin_wading_debate.shtml

[MJL]

I've heard stories of people drowning - Mostly people who waded too deep with their hip-waders which ultimately filled up and dragged them below.

 

For those who wear loose fitting PVC or breathable chest waders, wear a wading belt (or any belt you can wear outside your waders) and cinch it tight. I've read about a few cases where the air trapped in the waders (legs) allowed the person to float their way down the river to a spot where they could grab onto a branch or find a shallow spot to crawl out from. Not sure to the truth of this but I always wear a belt and cinch it after I've expelled the air from the lower section as seen in this article:

 

http://www.sportfishingbc.com/articles/tac...hing_column.htm

Edited April 2, 2007 by MJL

[fishindevil]

Well thats an interesting read,i think it all boils down to common sense anyone who would go out in the middle of a large lake in a float tube is a dumb *ss and you should always wear a life jacket,and you should always be careful around creeks/rivers while wearing waders even if its not too deep,and i have heard of people drowning while they were wearing waders about 15yrs ago at the wilmot creek on opening day around the 4th concesion a elderly man fell in wearing chest waders and they think he had a heart attack,but witnesses say he couldnt get out of the deep pool he fell in because he was wearing his waders so it does happen we were camping just a little ways upsteam from this and we were all shocked about what had happened. so everyone take care and use common sense please....cheers

[huntervasili]

I am gonna wear a belt either way... dont want my waders to fill with water and get carried down the river... thats not my idea of fun... I like catching fish, not swimming with em

[Gary George]

Waders full of water in a current are potentially deadly. The water trapped in them pressed against a logjam or boulder with you inside can be well beyond the ability of the average person to lift or move in order to free yourself from the entrapment.

 

Waders full of water in a stillwater enviroment will not drag you down, water is neutrally bouyant so up, down, sideways doesn't happen. Swimming with loose fitting baggy waders would be very strenuous, with the added hazard of cold water, again you could be in real trouble if your far from shore.

 

Properly fitted waders with quality suspenders and a good snug waist belt will probably be more of a safety asset rather than any danger. Neoprene is bouyant and absorbs much shock and impact. They also keep you quite warm even when filled with water. Other loose fitting waders can be burped(squeeze all the air out before snugging your belt and suspenders) this keeps them tight against you and resists filling with water.

 

Probably more important than all the above is wading technique. Realistically wading moving water above the knee is just plain dumb. Foot entrapment is a real possibilty. If you fall in current after your foot becomes wedged and your driven under the surface and dragged downstream locking your foot into the entrapment your in real trouble if the water is deeper than your arm is long. The force of water on your body can be great enough to keep you from dislodging your stuck foot and in a short time the cold water will rob you of the strength to solve your problem. Wading staffs are a must in cold, deep rushing water. Once you wade beyond thigh deep in current your going to be moving downstrean with every step wether you want to or not. This means careful planning and knowledge of down stream bottom structure.

 

In still water muddy bottoms can be as dangerous as current, imagine the trouble you'd have getting free of the suction of mud if your already up to your chest in the water. Your balance is compromised, you likely haven't got much purchase for your hands to help out, if the water is cold, again it's not long before you've got a serious issue.

 

Deep crossings if you must should be done with more than one person, you can gain a lot of stabilty by locking arms and moving slowly together. Never cross your legs when the current is powerful, always sidestep or shuffle. Buy or make a dependable wading staff, an old ski pole will do.

 

Waders like guns aren't dangerous, it's misuse that leads to problems.

[brandon]

Alot of this comes down to personal bouyancy......some are sinkers and some are floaters. In college we did water training and part of that was swimming with waders on. regardless if you were a sinker or floater, all managed to swim fine......i mean its no walk in the park but its definatly doable. However this was in a pool indoors so Im sure it would be a whole lot diff in an actual panic situation.

[ecxstriper]

Speaking from first hand experience. I filled my rubber waders to the top. While I was in the water everything was fine > I got in to trouble upon exiting at a steep and muddy bank. I had to cut the suspenders too much pressure to take unsnap them.

 

The bottom line is when you are in water still, fast or in between use your head.

[Kerry]

I'm just gonna drill holes in the bottom of mine so the water'll pass right on thru .

Sorry couldn't find a redneck smilie!

Kerry

[OhioFisherman]

LOL Kerry, just cut the feets off! I was wading a pond by a cement company, they had started to level off the field behind it using fly ash from coal power plants. There was a wash out at the back of the pond that had filled with the fly ash runoff and was cover with dust, sand, and probably cement dust. One step and I was up to my waist and it was like quicksand, had to get out of the waders and pull them out from solid ground. Always be careful!

[Kerry]

I remember years ago my buddy took me fishing at the humber by the old mill and he recounted a story of a guy that had walked right into a hole among the rocks lost his balance and was trapped in an eddy and couldn't move as the water had filled his waders and the pressure was too much for him to get out. Fortunately there were several other people around and they got him out.The moral of that story was keep the belt tight and take extreme care moving around in the water.As a rule he would use a 4ft long stick to probe his way around.Seemed like a good idea.

Kerry

[Terry]

I found out that if you have holes in the bottom of the waders the water will drain out and will not drown you..but could be a few draw backs to that............

[ccmtcanada]

I found out that if you have holes in the bottom of the waders the water will drain out and will not drown you..but could be a few draw backs to that............

 

LOL....Maybe I'll try it with my waders and report back on any drawbacks I find....

 

Full report later.

[Kerry]

Not too many though Terry if the temps over 25C.

Kerry