1st trip to cutty - waders or wetsuit? - Striper Talk Striped Bass Fishing, Surfcasting, Boating

Surf Caster · 08-16-2010, 10:10 AM

Iam taking my first trip to cutty in sept and I have been debating whether its worth buying a wetsuit for the trip. I fish mostly the southshore of long island and montauk.

My biggest complaint when fishing Mtk is walking the rocks with bootfoot waders on, there is just no ankle support. I'm thinking that getting a setup that will accomodate wading boots with ankle support for cutty is a good idea. I'm on the fence as to whether I should buy a set of stocking foot waders and korkers cross current boots or go with a full wetsuit set up. Clearly the wetsuit has its advtanges but my feeling is that it would be much less comfrtable than my traditional waders and dry top set up.

Any insight would be greatly appreciated. Especially any wetsuit brand recommendations.

Thanks guys

bassballer · 08-16-2010, 10:13 AM

Definitley a wetsuit for Cutty. The boulder fields there are made for it. And for boots I would recommend a boot type rather than a sneaker type like a torrent. You will want the ankle support. Alot of bowling ball type rocks.

Surf Caster · 08-16-2010, 10:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bassballer

Definitley a wetsuit for Cutty. The boulder fields there are made for it. And for boots I would recommend a boot type rather than a sneaker type like a torrent. You will want the ankle support. Alot of bowling ball type rocks.

Thanks bassballer. Any suggestion wetsuits that you have found to work well and their thickness?
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

Swimmer · 08-16-2010, 10:32 AM

OCEAN STATE JOB lOT HAS HAD WETSUITS THIS SUMMER IN EAST BRIDGEWATER. DIDN'T CHECK THE PRICE BUT THEY CANT BE TOO HIGH IF THEY ARE FOR SALE THERE. THAT IS OF COURSE IF YOU WANT TO KEEP EXPENSES DOWN.

bassballer · 08-16-2010, 10:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Surf Caster

Thanks bassballer. Any suggestion wetsuits that you have found to work well and their thickness?
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

Like swimmer said. All depends on how much you want to spend. If your just looking for one to use once for this trip then a cheap one from OSJL should be fine. Id recommend a 5mm for september.

Surf Caster · 08-16-2010, 10:59 AM

If I buy it, I'll use it more often then just this trip.
I'd prefer to get something good that will last than something cheap.
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

DaveS · 08-16-2010, 11:25 AM

Check out the Xcel brand of wetsuits

JohnR · 08-16-2010, 11:37 AM

Good thread: http://www.striped-bass.com/Stripert...-wetsuitn.html

Wetsuit at your own risk

Clogston29 · 08-16-2010, 11:44 AM

i'll go against the conventional recommendation on here and recommend going with the sneaker type shoes over boots. ankle support is overrated IMO and can actually lead to more issues. Restraining ankle (which is meant to be mobile) movement puts alot of strain on your knees (which are meant to be stable) and can lead to major problems. I'd rather a sprained ankle than blown out acl. alot of research is starting to connect the increase in sports related injuries with all the preventative stuff (special shoes, tape, etc.).

rockhopin2 · 08-16-2010, 09:51 PM

Deppending on your experence level with the wetsuite you might want waders but if your confident in swiming go for it, I agree with Clogston about the shoe boots are tough to swim in cause you feet can extend out I have the torrent shoe and love it but sneakers with machine screws will work.

bassballer · 08-17-2010, 07:18 AM

I agree with the sneaker types being better to swim, but after a day on those rocks me ankles were killing me. To each his own.

Pete F. · 08-18-2010, 03:17 PM

IMHO waders are fine if you want to wade waistdeep. once you get over that you have a chance of falling down and filling your waders, if you try a farmer john wetsuit you probably won't want to be bothered with waders again. In either case boots with studs will make walking much better than korkers

redlite · 08-18-2010, 04:20 PM

My advice is go to cutty and just visit and skip the fishing. Bring a case and a bottle and enjoy the solitude. Ain't no fish. Past 2 trips have been blanks. And I'm swimmin EVERYwhere over there. Boats ain't doin squat either. And this is historically prime time with it getting less and less by the end of the month. Sept and October are usually pretty dead as the resident fish have moved on. If there are none now, outlook for fall is bleak.
My Island is a wasteland.
If fishin waders, fish high water. Going is tough, tough, and its a loooooong way to crawl for help if you roll an ankle.
I personally would never, ever go to cutty in waders. So much easier to pee in a wetsuit.

Zeno · 08-18-2010, 05:39 PM

I'd go with wetsuit but I wouldn't buy it just for one trip..if you are looking for wetsuit check out Bare..we just picked few up at leisurepro in nyc
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

PaulS · 08-19-2010, 06:42 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Surf Caster

If I buy it, I'll use it more often then just this trip.
I'd prefer to get something good that will last than something cheap.
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

Check out the bst forum. There is a good body glove 5MM suit for sale.

Surf Caster · 08-19-2010, 06:50 AM

Thanks for all the replies guys. I'm thinking I'm going to stick with waders for the trip. I'm borrowing a friends stocking foots and I picked up some korkers cross currents.

This will give me some more time to decide on a wetsuit and then time to try it out without having to be stuck on an island for 4 days with a bad case of wetsuit rash!

Thanks again guys!
Posted from my iPhone/Mobile device

Saltheart · 08-20-2010, 02:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Clogston29

i'll go against the conventional recommendation on here and recommend going with the sneaker type shoes over boots. ankle support is overrated IMO and can actually lead to more issues. Restraining ankle (which is meant to be mobile) movement puts alot of strain on your knees (which are meant to be stable) and can lead to major problems. I'd rather a sprained ankle than blown out acl. alot of research is starting to connect the increase in sports related injuries with all the preventative stuff (special shoes, tape, etc.).

I definitely have the bad knee issue where if I use stiff ankle support boots my knees start screaming in no time. The big issue is that at the moment you need the ankle support feature , its nice to have it but if you suffer hours and days and weaks just for the time you may need the support its a tough decision. I use sneakers where I can. I use boot foot waders as they have some traction improvements and also have some ankle freedom. I use a set of knee high boots too for the canal low tide spots. They have a very nubby sole and do support the ankle some but comfortably.