Getting Started in Flyfishing
Wade Safely: Introduction
By GORP Expert Angler Mark D. Williams
Wading may seem simple,
but it's easy to get into trouble
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Sounds simple enough, doesn't it? Wading. Walking in the stream, walking in the shallows of a lake, walking in the surf. How difficult can it be? Tips for wading? You bet.
I have fished with beginners and veteran anglers alike and have seen all kinds of risky, even stupid, behavior watching them wade. I have seen a close friend cross a stream that is, at best, only 15 feet wide—not enough to be dangerous, right? He got caught up in a wicked current and swept 20 yards downstream. He was okay, wet and embarrassed, but it could have turned ugly, especially if he had hit his head on a rock. He paid for it later with our chatter around the campfire to be sure, but a little foresight and strategy and my friend would have crossed the stream without incident.
You'd be surprised how many anglers develop strategies for casting and catching but never consider how wading can both make their excursions safer AND help them catch more fish. My first rule for wading rivers and streams? Don't wade if you don't have to. So many anglers feel some sort of urge to get in the water—they need to get their waders wet or they've seen
too many flyfishing advertisements with the angler shadowcasting in the middle of the Firehole River. All too often, anglers wade into the very areas they should be fishing, walking right through productive lies.
Every year, in both big and small rivers, in one-acre lakes and lakes best measured in square miles, anglers drown. Wading is inherently dangerous. Even if you are a world-class swimmer, currents and impediments can work against you, so all anglers need to learn how to wade more safely.
Even my best fishing buddy, my own brother-in-law Kenny, is an aggressive wader, always wanting to toss one cast in that toughest-to-reach spot and catch that elusive big fish. He gets himself drenched and in tight spots all the time. But he is built like a Mack truck, has no ankles, and is as strong as a water buffalo. Nevertheless, he uses caution.
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