Wading Staff - Cheap!

[afishinado]

Heads up on a wading staff I bought cheap for my wife - $18.95 on sale, and $23.95 regular price! I received it this weekend and, for the price, it’s an unbelievable bargain. It has six heavy aluminum sections shock corded together, with a cork handle and a compass mounted on top of the handle. Included is a leather holster for attaching it to your belt. It appears to be very well made. I, of course, haven’t tried it out yet, but for the price – 1/5 the price of a Folstaff or Simms, you can’t seem to go wrong. Also I got a free subscription to “Field & Stream” magazine with the purchase – not that it matters that much.

BTW, I’m teaching my wife to fish and thus far, she is batting close to 1,000 on falling into the water while wading. She used a wading staff this summer when we went smallmouth fishing in Maine and didn’t fall in, so I bought her a wading staff for Christmas.

You may not believe this, and I hesitate to write this for fear of jinxing myself, but I have never fallen in the water while wading – ever. I’ve been wade-fishing since I was a kid (forty years +/-), I fish a lot, and while I do wade carefully, I wade aggressively in all kind of rivers and streams. I have never used wading staff before, but I fear as soon as I do, the inevitable will happen.

If your thinking about a wading staff, take a look at this one. Link attached:


Wading Staff link

 

[PennsCreek]

Another idea is using is to use a an old broom handle, just drill a hole through one end to tie a rope through.

 

[sandfly]

try fishing for stripers in the delaware up to your wader tops in white water, bet you'll go in..been there done that above trenton in the tidal water.... :-D :-D even with a staff its hard, got to get those 30 lbers. :-o

 

[PaulG]

After using my trusty broom handle for many years, I broke down and got a store bought one, I payed around $50.00 for it, used it twice, it made a lot of noise on the rocks and bottom of the stream. So it was back to the broom handle for me!

PaulG

 

[Maurice]

PaulG wrote:
After using my trusty broom handle for many years, I broke down and got a store bought one, I payed around $50.00 for it, used it twice, it made a lot of noise on the rocks and bottom of the stream. So it was back to the broom handle for me!

PaulG

Ya know that broom handle could use another coat of paint, Paul...

Pauls has a spiraled rope hand grip and a rubber crutch foot. Two features you just don't get when you are harvesting the shaft. Thems extrees. :lol:

I don't use a staff anymore. I cross where I can, face upstream, sidestep in fast water and if I get a little nervous, I go back and try another place. I havn't had to go back since the about 7 yrs ago crossing the channel at the warm waters after a 12 hr shift. Legs were shakin' pretty scary. Had I used a staff, I may have made the trip across only to get stranded over there.

My point is not to let a wading staff give you more confidence than your wading ability can handle.

Every now and then while wading I hit the occasional slanted rock, long hump, or hole and lose balance. What I do is just sit down on my legs, "fall in the column" get my balance and stand up again. If you are falling over sideways, head long or backwards, you are allowing your weight to get out of the column and that is dangerous.

 

[sandfly]

on the big D i have gone in and just fished my way down the white water, but then im nutz....went through scudders falls one time chasin shad..lucky it was in may...