Dangerous (stupid) Wading Recollection

[csoult]

I've had my fair share of close calls for sure.

 

[melvinp]

Fishing my local haunt got in a little to deep when trying to back out could feel the gravel washing out from under my feet,Of course all alone and in full gear,Got the old heart pumping for a few.Wont try that again.

 

[mjkraw]

My scariest moment came walking to a hole a friend had told me about behind his property. I followed the creek to a bend, and had some swampy marsh to get through to reach the hole. It looked muddy, but appeared to be stable ground. First step off the solid ground of the bank into the muck, I was instantly waist deep in thick mud. I could feel myself sinking...I was able to reach a tree root on the part of ground I had stepped off of, and managed to pull myself out after about 10 minutes of struggling. Caught my breath and got the hell out of there.

 

[JackM]

I do not believe we have anything equivalent to "quick sand" in PA, but if you ever, as I have, feel yourself sinking by your own weight into muck, lay down on your back or chest or side. As soon as you make this shift of weight, your feet will begin to rise to the surface. It may be slow at first, but it is scientifically required that this will happen, even if the muck is the consistency of a hearty soup. Logic will carry you from there.

 

[Tigereye]

Years ago on the Lackawaxen, I loved to fish a certain 50 yard section of under cut bank. To get there you had to cross about 20 yards of knee deep riffles. The UC bank side was about 3-4 foot deep.

Around noon on a hot spring day my fishing partner came up behind me and offered me a cold beverage. OK a little break and some note sharing sounded great.

I made my way back past the riffles, and as we were sitting on a log on the bank, we can hear what sounded like a rush of wind. But the trees werent moving. We noticed leaves and debris floating down river and the water level rising rapidly.

Where I was once standing in 2 foot of water was now 5 feet of fast (real fast) water.

Had he come 2 minutes later I would have been swimming. Now as an able swimmer I probably would have made shore had I ditched the rod and kicked off my waders. Luckily I didn't have to.

It was the last time I fished the Lacky. June 1994. My buddy died 2 weeks later.

When the sign says "CAUTION RIVER LEVELS CHANGE RAPIDLY" they mean it.

 

[skunked]

first time ever fishing the yough when i was 16, i was doing the tip toe and slipped on some slippy rocks and went under...thank the lord i was wet wading, but definitely learned a lesson early on.

 

[hendeylathe]

Never fish the Yough without a staff, except perhaps the Tailrace section. I always remember reading in Dwight Landis' book " Trout Streams of Pennsylvania" his section on the Lehigh River. " The wading in the Lehigh Gorge is the among most difficult I have encountered in Pennsylvania. Only the Youghiogheny River presents more brutal wading conditions. During low-water periods, the wading is not quite so tough." The Yough is not to be fooled with.

 

[greenghost]

A couple bad incidents on the Yough. Basically got too aggressive and got myself in trouble. ADVICE: Don't f with the Yough--Deceptively strong flow, deep swift runs with drop offs, 4-feet deep pocket water, slippery rocks smooth as bowling balls. Studs, wading staff necessity in many if not most areas. Better off being conservative in wading style.

 

[hendeylathe]

I've got a new pair of Simms Guide Boots (felts w/carbide studs) I'll have to break out this season on the Yough. Knowing what I know now, I'd like to try felts with Simms' Alumibite pucks. I think they might provide better bite than carbide. There's a section of the Yough I fish where the type of rock your wading on, I swear carbide - if your studs aren't sharp - will make you think your Red Skelton auditioning for The Ice Capades. I know the aluminum pucks will wear out much faster, but I'd take the trade-off in safer footing.

 

[springer1]

Bass fishing (many) years ago was a teenager wading in a lake at dusk and bumped into a large rock. Went to step over it and it was wider than I thought so I stepped up on it.

Not a good idea, turns out it was a big snapping turtle that was crawling away (it wasn't wider, just moving). D*mn near flipped me over, never bit me, but was a great education.

 

[PennypackFlyer]

Got my fly stuck about mid river so I waded out to it (just above waist level) and as I reached down my verdigo went off. I stood there for several seconds before it went away and I was able to move.