Usually I just wear my black zip up sweat jacket underneath my waders. On rough or rainy days, I find water gathering in my waders. Sometimes I get wetter than when I go barefoot in swimtrunks.

So I'm looking at these wading jackets. I understand they are dry which is great. Water can't get in but can it get out when I prespire? How hot do they get in there? I'm wondering about ventilation.

How about the size? I'm about 6'0 and can weigh anywhere between 165 to 185lbs.

Any personal experiences/things to watch for/kudos/negative comments are more than welcomed.

Also, concerning the Ditch...

After seeing the fish pulled out of there, I want to go so badly.

Here are my impressions. I saw guys on bikes so I assume it must be dirt, concrete or some tightly packed sand. What is the ground made out of?

What are the fishing conditions like? High wind? Any wave action? Is it wadable?

Also, being the newcomer, when I fish it, I'm going to bring too much gear of course and find out what works and what doesn't. Would a Radio flyer All terrain wagon work here? You have to see this thing to believe it. This thing has huge airfilled tires for pulling it on soft stuff. It also has these high wooden sides to keep the kids on. Here is the best part though. They have a 6 can cooler bag that snaps onto the rear wooden slats!

Here's what I'm thinking. Put rod holders on the side pieces uphigh so the butts of the rods don't hit the ground. The thing is about 45 inches long so it could hold 5 rods to a side no problem. Have the cooler deal in the back for my slimy eel friends. On the inside, you could put a couple of milkcrates in there. I found out that if you go to the tennis courts, slobs leave their tennis ball cans all over. Hey, their lazyness is my gain. I think 16 cans will fit perfectly into each milk crate. Each can will hold 4 slender plugs(needlefish), two medium plugs(Finnish minnows) or one huge plug(Dani plugs). I don't have many plugs so I think I could fill up 2 milk crates. Then whatever room is left, I can put a towel incase an eel gets me, extra line incase one of those giants spools me, leader material, teasers, a soda and a sandwich since I never know when to quit and eat and all those extras that we wish we could carry but don't have room for in our pockets. Why have people been wasting these wagons on kids? They were obviously made for fishermen!

How is safety at the Ditch? Ever have car break ins or stuff like that? Muggings or murders? Seems from the picture people walked around safely with no hassles.

It will probably be me and my dad fishing. He's not much on fishing but when I tell him that there are monsters at every corner, he will want to come up there with me. That's right, WITH me, not the other way around. With my new found wealth, it seems that used SUVs/Trucks aren't that expensive after all. I'm sure I can pick up something in the 94-96 years maybe even later in not too bad of shape.

That brings me to my next and final subject. What's a good SUV in the years of 94-98? A pickup would be okay too but I'd rather have my investments inside with me. You hear a lot about SUVs flipping. And you hear about some companies that aren't good. I won't be doing too much beach driving down here becausee you can't but I think I'll wind up taking a few weekend trips up and down the coast to places that you can. But when you do offroad,, do you upgrade your gear? For example shocks and struts or you find one tire will do better aired down then another? Just getting a gameplan ready.

Wow, I really wrote a book of questions. Sorry guys. Just trying to keep the number of posts to a minimum if that means keeping the content high.

thanks a lot for all your help.

The Ditch is about 8 miles long give or take with paved path down each side. About 10 feet down from the path the bank of the canal starts, it is lined with stones to prevent erosion most of them aren't too big. Many people park and walk to particular spots but bikes allow you to cover mucho distance in a short time. There are several places to wade, but many large fish are caught without ever getting your feet wet. You don't need much equipment, jigs, plug bag, and a little cooler of eels if you want them. Sometimes it is windy, but waves aren't a problem till a barge goes by. I can't comment on crime, but I see people (fishermen) there almost every time I am there. I don't haul a ton of junk with me because it is a short walk to the car if I REALLY need something different.

As for a vehicle, I would recommend a car. Most of the time you'll just be driving is the expense of fuel, insurance and maintenance worth it for the two tiems a year you might go on the beach?

Grunden makes a good foul weather jacket, neo cuffs and all. It's just a heavy. Hellie Hansen (whatever the spelling) used to make a great one-piece light pull over. But they seem to have stopped (if anyone knows of a comperable make light one-piece top please let me know!). The thing is you don't want to be hot under the jacket. You'll sweat and even in the summer that can chill you, not to mention be uncomfortable.

As for a vehicle, I agree with Fishpart. Unless you really expect to spend days riding the open beach a 4x4 for just driving to fishing spots is overkill. Not sure how much open beach driving access you have in CT.

Now I'm going to say something you probably don't want to hear: Even if you have real expectations of driving the beach regularly, I still would advise against an SUV as your first car. While 4x4's and pickups are more car-like today than the models of 20-30 years ago, it's still a different class of automobile. Spend a few years getting experience driving a passenger car. Then look into a 4x4. Along the way see if you can take a "test" ride with someone who has a 4x4 or maybe rent one for the weekend. You have to crawl before you can run. :)

Patrick, re the SUV thing. All of the above is correct. The handling dynamics of any SUV/4x4 is greatly different from mom's Volvo or Honda ( :P ) and when you experience it at the last moment, it's probably too late. Not too mention the costs involved in maintaing a vehicle suitable for the beach mainly tires and frequesnt suspension/driveline/brake issues that crop up on these vehicles...

Get a reliable car (hatchbacks are good ;D )... I fished the surf out a Fiero for a few years and while it wasn't always pleasant, it got me by for a while...

Patrick the Ditch will hold bass day in and day out till around Nov. Going light on foot or bikes are the best ways to fish it. For first-timers it can be tough but there are many on this board that could help you out. Right now has been the best fishing there since my old commercial fishing days from the early 90's and the fish are running larger! Even during hot summer days fish can be caught fishing with bait or jigging but heavy tackle is a must.

I would advise against the bronco jacket. While I've never seen one firsthand, I know they're made of neoprene which is unbearably hot in all but the coldest months of the year. You're better off with a lightweight pullover of some sort or a gore-tex wading style jacket with neoprene or lycra cuffs. These are much more comfortable for May-November fishing and can be layered underneath for cold days.
I dont fish the canal, but I can say that a wagon loaded down with 5 rods is overkill for any surfcasting location. Even when I drive oversand and have several rods in the rack, I usually only use two at the most. A good rule of thumb, all of your gear should be carried on you, with your rod in one hand and the other free. If you cant take it that way, you dont need it.

Guys,

Points well taken.

I'll definitely take it all under consideration.

I got a Bronco Jacket over the winter and intend to wear it for the last month of the season. I got it cause I figure it will keep me warm in late october through November.

I own a bronco works great in the chill of winter but you will sweat profusely any other time of the year . I have it for Oct thru March stripers and Ice fishing . Its also good for those walks during a blizzard .