Anybody ever take a dunking with waders on? - Striper Talk Striped Bass Fishing, Surfcasting, Boating

5/0 · 11-15-2005, 12:10 PM

Once,I was fishing for salmon in Paluski,New York.way up state.I took a real nice digger tumbled and rolled & completly submerged, rod in hand the whole time.The scuba session lasted only a few seconds (I shoulda broght the spear gun instead)& I traveled maybe 30 feet or so,It felt like forever.Some how I landed on my feet.
I was also totaly green to wading in fast water,after that I was a quick study to wading in fast moving water.Somebody (

)was looking out for me that day.
Alot of people are using PFD's now a days.

Some how the rod didn't brake

5/0

Christian · 11-15-2005, 12:40 PM

a couple times this season, in water up to about the top of my stomach fishing a boulder feild.

basically i just tripped. having a wader belt on over my skinz helped alot, would have been bad if i didnt have the belt. basically, i just swam out of it and stood up and continued fishing. no water made it below the belt.

im switching to a wet suit next year because this type of thing scares the crap out of me and i know ive wading way too deep to be safe in waders.

dickmont · 11-15-2005, 12:41 PM

years ago i was swept into a deep pool while trout fishing in georgia. even with a wading belt, waders fill very fast and provide zero flotation. it's possible to swim, but you wouldn't want to do it for long. i now wear a simms dry top. i was completly submerged by a wave last sunday and popped up dry as a bone except my head and hands of course. i still wear a wading belt with the dry top, sort of an insurance device, and on the jettys i also wear a manual inflatable pfd. a dry top is a very good investment in your comfort as well as saftey.

Rappin Mikey · 11-15-2005, 01:00 PM

If you have to bring a cell phone, make sure you wrap it in two zip locks. Shorted mine out a few weeks ago going for an unexpected dip off of WH. Waders will float when you are submerged (the water on the inside weighs the same as the water on the outside) The problem is that as the waders fill up, current or big surf can pull and drag you, making it hard to get back to shore. Always wear a wading belt. Even though I don't use one, PFDs are the safest bet.

Springtides · 11-15-2005, 01:01 PM

Tripped up at Carpenters one night . Wearing waders with belt plus aquaskinz with belt. To my suprise I was horizontal and had a hard time gettin upright and on my feet again because of the air in my waders. Quickly used the rod as a stick to hoist me up.

UserRemoved1 · 11-15-2005, 01:34 PM

I took a dump off a rock in the Westfield about 10 years ago just below the Chesterfield Gorge...it happened in 3' of water...in January. I gained a new respect for why people drown...I got the wind knocked outta me from the shock of the 38 degree water...I could NOT stand up again. My buddy was 10' away on the enbankment and saw the whole thing and had already put his rod down to go in after me when I was finally able to stand up again. THREE feet of friggin water. I literally could not get my feet under me. THAT is the scariest feeling I have ever had in my life. Always bring a change of clothes when it's cold...I had all I could do 10 minutes later at the truck to get my cold wet stuff off.

Nebe · 11-15-2005, 02:12 PM

this spring i went down and my plug bag strap got stuck under a jagged rock. Damn near drowned

dickmont · 11-15-2005, 02:14 PM

i don't know mikey. i figure bootfoot waders, korkers, large plug bag, plus assorted other stuff that i'm wearing none of which has any inherent flotation and together weighs 20 or so lbs...gravity wants to put that stuff on the bottom and me with it. it's possible to swim encumbered like that but not without a lot of effort. if you get the wind knocked out of you you're in even deeper trouble.

vineyardblues · 11-15-2005, 02:25 PM

First off one word a WADER BELT....
And to answer your question, it's an old wisetail , your fine in waders. Might be a harder swim and cold as hell and getting back up to shore with your waders full but you will be fine.
Frank D did a whole report for an insurance company and proved that you will float and swim with waders on. And I am sure the waders now adays are much lighter then the waders Frank used... Frank is old ...lol

ps. as Frank said they never went to court

VB

Brother Brian · 11-15-2005, 02:42 PM

I got knocked over twice by a dead shark in the surf on a dark night. I had 5 mil neoprenes, a Healy top with dry sleeves and a wader belt plus the bag belt. I went to just my ears backward and thanks to the tight neoprenes and belts I got about two cupfuls of water on my neck and that was it.
Like someone has posted, you won't drown or get pulled down or whatever. But that doesn't mean a thing when you have to drag the extra weight around in the wash while getting the crap beaten out of you by waves, or waves and rocks or waves and rocks and current. That's why you don't want any water on the inside.

RIJIMMY · 11-15-2005, 03:30 PM

how did you get knocked over by a dead shark?

Raven · 11-15-2005, 03:38 PM

i try to avoid it at all costs...

Once i got knocked over in a trout stream that was raging....and even though i was in less than 2 feet of water...everytime i tried to do ANYTHING the current just beat the hell out of me....as my waders were full.

a good friend of mine who sadly just died at age 39 of a super rare disease
....gave me a helping hand up and out and if not for him i think i would've drown in just 2 feet of water...he saved my life that day.

but the worst event was when i was duck hunting out on a salt water marsh in December ......to get to my blind you had to cross a river that was frozen over even though it was brackish water (1/2 salt....) i crossed over fine in the morning, but by late afternoon that ice had softened a bit...just not noticable on the surface....and so i went right through carrying two ducks and my shotgun...

all i heard was, Crack! valoooosh and i was looking at ice right up to my nose........
as Luck would have it i just stepped up on a mud bar and broke through the ice almost in hypothermic shock....and tossed my 12 guage up on the snow bank and then crawled out...Since it was several miles to get home frozen and soaken wet....
i quickly retrieved my saftey stick matches covered in wax in a water proof container (Eagle scout trick) and started a fire but i was shivering so bad it wasn't too easy . I had to get completely naked of all wet clothes dump out my waders then i put them back on for warmth...

i stayed there until all my clothes were 3 times rung out and semi dry and hot
before i trudged on home, minus the 2 ducks it took all day to get.

Pete_G · 11-15-2005, 04:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by vineyardblues

First off one word a WADER BELT....
And to answer your question, it's an old wisetail , your fine in waders. Might be a harder swim and cold as hell and getting back up to shore with your waders full but you will be fine.
Frank D did a whole report for an insurance company and proved that you will float and swim with waders on. And I am sure the waders now adays are much lighter then the waders Frank used... Frank is old ...lol

ps. as Frank said they never went to court

VB

You don't sink but you're not going to float, and it is what kills you. You get tired and you go under, thanks to your waders. Being burnt out due to your waders, speaking from experience, is what will scare the hell out of you and kill you. Just because water doesn't "weigh" anything underwater doesn't mean it doesn't have "mass".

vineyardblues · 11-15-2005, 05:02 PM

Pete G.
Not saying your wrong , but head over to Frank D's web page. He just wrote
all kinds of info on waders filling up and I also remember seeing on tv a ad and a guy ran and jump off a dock with waders on.
Trust me I think it's "the mind" telling you your in a bunch of trouble.
I am sure you would get tired as hell of a lot quicker if your way out or stuck in a curent, I would say the cold would get you faster .

VB