Wading Staffs?

[Paul Barci]

I've had an orvis one for about 13 long years and it finally has been retired. I'm thinking about getting another one from orvis but the new pro waders have a belt that will not fit on their staff!!! I had a Folstaff before the orvis one and two different times it jammed so badly I had to return it. I tried waxing them but that failed as well. Thinking about going simms but not 100 percent yet.

Actually.. I have orvis pro waders that are a year old and also their wading staff that does fit on the belt perfectly

 

[Bamboozle]

Update: Went to Orvis to pick up a rod repair and their new staff does fit on the waders unlike the old one I had. I purchased a new one and yes they are expensive but if it lasts as long as my first one it will be worth it.

Do yourself a favor and put some Loctite on that aluminum tip (if that's the one you plan to use), The tips have been known to come loose and they will wear themselves round after awhile although they won't lose their bite on rocks.

Unfortunately for some stupid reason Orvis doesn't sell just the aluminum tip but they gave me one when I asked nicely. Another option is you can try contacting REC (the reelseat & rod tube company) for spare aluminum tips as they make the Orvis wading staff for Orvis.

Another suggestion is take the retractor off of the scabbard which is Neoprene and can tear and make a simple loop of paracord and put that around your wading belt and loop that through the ring on the retractor or contact GearKeeper for just a Velcro or snap clip attachment for the retractor.

Good luck!

 

[djs12354]

It appears that wading staffs are like any other piece of fly-fishing equipment. Plenty of different preferences, some general consensus and some outliers. Go with what works for you.

 

[albatross]

I picked up a Folstaff earlier this year. I'm determined to carry it with me at all times to avoid the "Oh Shittlesticks" moment when I'm in too deep and in trouble. Been carrying it for a few months now and it's great, hardly know it's there...

 

[Bamboozle]

It appears that wading staffs are like any other piece of fly-fishing equipment. Plenty of different preferences, some general consensus and some outliers. Go with what works for you.

I've always said there is no such thing as a consensus among fly anglers especially these days when there are so many choices...

 

[bugs4]

I'm sure some of the high end wading staffs are well made and worth the price but, on a whim, I bought a $12 telescoping hiking pole at Wally world and it works as well as anything I've ever used.

 

[BruceC2C]

Very effective, budget friendly approach...

Easy to find, used ski pole ( or trecking pole) and very good quality retractor attached to your wading belt.

Been using this combo, from the beginning, 15+ yrs,, works 100% for me.
I take it with me, 99.9% of my time wading.

Never saw true need for " collapse" feature of dedicated Folstaff type.

 

[Ed007]

I can not comment on the pricier brands, but I have used a cheap $40 staff off Amazon and I can say without a doubt DO NOT GET ONE. Spend the money for a quality product. I am 6' and weigh about 190lbs. It was about the 4th time I used the staff and I was in the middle of the stream and the staff snapped in half and I almost went down. It would have been pretty bad since it was only 25 degrees and I was over a mile from my car. I am currently shopping for a new one as well and am leaning to Folstaff.

 

[djs12354]

I can not comment on the pricier brands, but I have used a cheap $40 staff off Amazon and I can say without a doubt DO NOT GET ONE. Spend the money for a quality product. I am 6' and weigh about 190lbs. It was about the 4th time I used the staff and I was in the middle of the stream and the staff snapped in half and I almost went down. It would have been pretty bad since it was only 25 degrees and I was over a mile from my car. I am currently shopping for a new one as well and am leaning to Folstaff.

I'm not trying to make light of your experience (and I sure it was frightening) but would like to know the make of the staff that snapped on you. I have used the Hammer brand through Amazon and have leaned on it pretty good with no issues. I am 6' 3" and 260, so that's a pretty good stress load.
I purchased 2 of them some years apart. I keep one on my boot foot waders and the other on my stocking foot pair. This is mostly because of how the holster is made. Petty annoyance on my part, I know.

 

[dc410]

IMO the Colorado Angler wading staff sold by Sportsman Warehouse is a pretty solid staff for a very reasonable price ($30.00 ish). I’ve worn out a higher pricepoint Simms staff. They all break at some point if you use them hard over a number of years. The Colorado Angler staff is compact, light weight and very functional. You won’t even know you have it hanging on your wading belt. The compass on the top of the cork handle is really priceless when trying to find your way back to your truck in the dark!! 😉 (Just kidding, that is a totally stupid feature on this particular staff), but the rest of the staff I think is a decent product.

 

[Ed007]

I'm not trying to make light of your experience (and I sure it was frightening) but would like to know the make of the staff that snapped on you. I have used the Hammer brand through Amazon and have leaned on it pretty good with no issues. I am 6' 3" and 260, so that's a pretty good stress load.
I purchased 2 of them some years apart. I keep one on my boot foot waders and the other on my stocking foot pair. This is mostly because of how the holster is made. Petty annoyance on my part, I know.

It was an Aventik wading staff. It may not be fair of me to say "stay away" from all cheaper staffs. There could be companies that make a quality affordable staff. I just had a bad experience with mine.

 

[djs12354]

It was an Aventik wading staff. It may not be fair of me to say "stay away" from all cheaper staffs. There could be companies that make a quality affordable staff. I just had a bad experience with mine.

Thanks for the response. I wasn't thinking in terms of fairness, but curiosity as to if it were the Hammer brand or another. Always good to have other opinions to weigh against when researching products as important as a staff. Not being facetious, slip and fall in cold water is no joke!

 

[Bamboozle]

I will never understand not spending the appropriate amout of money to buy a quality wading staff or PFD but going out and spending 2X to 4X what either costs on a fishin' pole or reel...

 

[Bruno]

Thinking about getting a couple wading staffs this coming year, one for me & one for the wife. While riverside sticks have done in a pinch last year, I think something a bit more reliable is in order. Any recommendations on what to consider or what to avoid?

Used Ski Poles as someone else said.

 

[nOObmaster]

Riverstick wading staffs are the best wading staffs available, IMO. I have/had Folstafs and Simms staffs as well, and they are both functional but they don’t come close to matching Riversticks features overall.

However, there are a couple things about Riversticks that are worthy of mention. First, they are relatively heavy. Personally, that doesn’t bother me because when I’m using a staff in rough water I don’t want one that I have to worry about bending, breaking or coming apart. That won’t happen with Riverstick’s.

Second, because Riverstick staffs are custom made for you, it’s important that you get the proper length. Order one too long or too short and you won’t be happy.

The hammer holster that Riverstick’s come with works perfectly, and hasn’t been a problem catching line for me, but if it is for you you only need to move it out of the way toward your back on your wading belt. It securely holds the wading staff when not in use, and is very easy to put the staff into or take out.

thanks for the recommendation.

just ordered one.