Shorefishermen & Waders Inquiring Minds Want to Know...

[Fishaholic]

Been working on an article of some concern to shorefishermen and fishermen who fish out of chest-high waders and/or hip waders...take the poll and help me out if you will.

There's always a variety of concerns that fishermen should be aware of when fishing alone.

[Lipripper]

Fish it's been a long time since I've fished remote areas but I don't think it's a good idea for a couple of reasons. First being if you got hurt bad and need help it would be better if someone was there to help you make it back out. and second if your fishing in chest-high waders and slip down and them things fill up with water and the water is moving at any rate of speed you just about signed your death warrent if you are by yourself. Just my way of looking at it.

[Fishaholic]

Lip, part of me agrees with you and part of me doesn't...if I waited around to go fishing with someone just to be safe, man I'd never get to go to the better fishing areas at all...nope, learn to not take foolish risks when alone, but don't not go just cuz you don't have a pard.

[OHbassaholic]

My "fun" fishing is while wading in the local river chain.  I can't really say that any of my haunts are remote by any stretch since there are houses pretty much all along the way.
A safety tip about waders; when I first bought waders, I went down to a shallow section of the river with a friend along and laid down in 2' of water.  I practiced until I was sure of how to go about hitting the quick clips and getting out of my waders.  My buddy thought I was nuts but a little safety training is always a plus.

[Creel Limit Zero]

Just had a large post yesterday that I wrote up and it didn't post. 

Anyways, I think OHbassaholic has a good idea here    I think I may have to try this soon. 

As for fishing remote areas alone, I do that all the time, especially when fly fishing.  I have taken a couple of spills when wading, but haven't been dragged any distance.  I guess the scariest thing I've done was in the winter, slipping on the ice just off the bank and into the drink.  That was a long walk back to my car in the freezing cold.  I've also found this nice ditch that I've fished alone, wish it wasn't so far away.  Found it while camping a couple of months ago.  When I've fished this, it was alone and to get to some of the parts, it required some manuevering yourself over fallen trees over marsh land.  Guess there's not too much threat in this situation except rolling an ankle over or something like this.  Could be a long walk or crawl back if this happens.  It's funny, but when I have someone to fish with I generally go somewhere convenient and safe.  When I go alone, I like to go where other fisher people are not interested in joining me, and it ends up a difficult place to go.  Sometimes, those are the best fishing times, usually the most relaxing.   

[Fishaholic]

I hear ya Creel...when I go with someone else I usually am thinking of their safety and don't make em follow where I would normally go...and when I go alone, I sometimes get into bad circumstances...I remember one time walking to the furthest reach of a backwater area to fish an area that no boater or shorefisherman had ever fished. I was having a great day, the kind you dream about...must of caught 30 bass over 2 pounds that day. Anyway, the sun started to set and I had a 3 mile hike to get back to the car through laydowns and mud and mosquitoes...just around the first bend, I caught my foot in a laydown and dislocated my knee!  Man that hurt! Undaunted, I lay down in the mud and figured out how to get it back in socket...that was almost more painful than it going out...but by the time I got it back in, it was pretty dark, so I found a safe place to stash my gear and found a tree that I could climb up in to sleep for the night.

Just imagine the panic my parents were in when I didn't return home by 9 p.m. They called a friend of mine and asked if I was there, he replied "no" and then asked them if they knew where I went...when they replied "some swampy place along the Kankakee" he had a pretty good idea where...He drove on down to the river (hour's drive) and found my car pretty quick, when he found my footprints leading into the swampy area he knew it was too dangerous to try and track me in the dark...at first light, I carefully climbed down from my perch and hobbled the 3 miles back to my car...to find my fishing partner waiting for me with a nice hot cup of coffee.

Sometimes you get lucky, but there's always the outside chance that you won't.

[Creel Limit Zero]

That must have been frightening.  My eyes though, it must have been worth it to catch all those bass.  Hope your parents weren't too mad .

[Fishaholic]

they told me that if I was living there, I couldn't pull a stunt like that again! ...so I moved out.

[Creel Limit Zero]

Guess you told them.    At least now you can fish the Marsh without permission.   

[Fishaholic]

Creel at that time in my life from the 3rd week of April until the 3rd week of November I pretty much went fishing every day of the week...I had a very flexible job back then as a groundskeeper for a cemetery and as long as I got everything done on my list I got a full days pay and could leave for the rest of the day.

[Creel Limit Zero]

Certainly would love to have that kind of situation.  I feel lucky if I just get to stop by the river on the way home from work and wet a line, even if it's just for 30 minutes.

[Fishaholic]

30 minutes right after work still does the soul good!

[Lipripper]

Creel I go when I can and it's been several years since me and Diana have been anywhere together on a vacation  she stays home on her vacation time and plays with and does stuff with the grandkids  and jsut about all of my vacation tiem me go fishing    Sometimes two weeks at a time  twice a year 

[Creel Limit Zero]

  That's great work there Lip.  I'm the same way, I go camping and fishing all the time without Allie.  She's not so interested in going, but she does on occasion.  She usually will read a book or something while I fish.   

[Lipripper]

Creel it sure is great to have a mate who understands our nee dto go fishing like we do  She knew when we moved back up here from GA. so she could be close to her family that I didn't want to come to Chicago and the Big City but I did it because I knew hpw much it ment for her to be close to her family so we moved back up here almost 20 yr.s ago and all the kids and grandkids know that if anything happens to Diana I'm out of here faster than the smell of a skunk on a strong south wind   

[Creel Limit Zero]

   

I do appreciate how she lets me get out  all the time.  Sometimes I think she's glad I'm out fishing all the time though.   

[Fishaholic]

approx. 1/4 of the time Lura comes along to see the wildlife and just sits and reads her bible while I fish