Andrew
Brings You Ten Tips for a Fun & Successful
Wade Fishing Adventure.
By Andrew Ragas
Article Posted: August 22, 2006
12:15am CST.
If
there is one form of fishing that I would
consider to be my favorite, it would be
wading a river. I have been a serious river
angler for the past 5-years and feel that
the best way to fish a shallow, navigable,
and walkable river is by wading. Living here
in the very populated Northern Illinois/
Chicago region, my wading suit has become
the most important piece of fishing gear I
own. The reasons for this is that the
majority of the lakes in my area are
overfished, and certain areas are
overpopulated. In addition, the rivers in my
area seem to receive less angling pressure.
Due to the fact that we have quite a few
rivers in my area, wading seems to be the
best bet for catching some fish.
One of the
rivers I fish in Northern Illinois - This is
my river located in the "backyard".
With this
article, my main intention is to help out
fellow river waders. When wading, safety is
the most important thing, and following
safety, the result should always be fun
times. If wading does not turn out to be
fun, then you must be doing something
terribly wrong.
Here are
important facts and ten simple tips on how
to make your wade fishing experience
memorable, fun, challenging, and well worth
the effort.
Before I embark
on my wade fishing adventures, there are
many things I must take into consideration.
These include knowledge of accessible
fishing areas, on-the-water safety, using
the proper fishing equipment, and the
ability to read the current and water.
To prevent
myself from rambling on and on about nothing
too serious, here is my list of ten tips
(in no particular order) to help out
with your wade fishing adventures.
______________________________
1) Finding Public Access
First, I must
find public access so I can get into the
water for some fishing. However, beforehand,
and especially if you must drive to your
fishing destination, find a place where you
can safely park your car without getting a
ticket. There are many fishermen these days
who violate parking spaces and who think it
is alright to park a car on private
property.
And that is not
cool.
Find any public
parks, or areas to park your car next to a
river by the use of a gazetteer
(Rand
McNally for example).
These areas will offer you the best access
to fish a river. However, prior to doing any
of this, simply getting into your car for a
scout mission and driving to random areas
will assist you considerably in order to
find fishing areas.
You must beware
that certain areas and land along our rivers
are private property. However, if you stay
in the water, you are walking on state-owned
land, which is safe - just a precaution.
2) Be Courteous to Other Anglers & People
There are many
slobs who fish our rivers. Besides leaving a
mess after fishing, their biggest problem is
the lack of manners. If you wade a river and
happen to walk by other anglers, or see
others fishing or simply enjoying the
outdoors, be courteous by saying hi, being
polite, and avoid walking through their
fishing areas.
Nothing more
should be mentioned for this subject,
because it's just that simple.
3) Knowledge of Fish and
Forage
Understanding
which species of fish are present in the
river will help you tremendously with your
fishing. However, knowing which forage
species will help you more. When fishing a
river, the best way of fishing is to match
the hatch. Matching the hatch is a
fly-fishing term, but can be applied to
fishing anywhere.
If the dominant
food source for Smallmouth Bass is a shiner,
or creek chub, then use jerkbaits,
jig/twister or any minnowbait.
If the food
source is crayfish, use a tube, or any craw
imitators.
Matching the
hatch is a very easy thing to do when you
understand what the fish are feeding on, and
if you know which species of fish are
present in the areas you wade.
4) Reading the Current,
and Water in-general
For the
beginner wader, the most complicated part to
wading is paying attention to the current,
and understanding which areas may, or may
not have fish present.
If you're a
beginner wader and have trouble reading the
water, the best way for you to wade is by
staying close to shore. However, if you're
more of an expert, then by all means, do
what you want and roam the river.
When wading, be
aware of certain areas. Such areas include
the following:
- Dams / Stay away from fishing
immediately in-front of the face of the dam.
Due to the pressure of water flowing over
the dam as well as the water churning, you
will be sucked under the dam and like most
idiots, you will drown. However, by fishing
below dams, but away from the face of the
dam, you will find many great angling
opportunities.
-
Deeper Holes
/ These areas are sometimes naked to the
human eye. The best way to avoid such areas
is to wade with a staff. By walking the
water and poking the stick towards the
bottom, you will then be able to find out
which areas are safe and shallow enough to
walk through.
- Chutes / If you are unable to hold
your ground when wading through current,
then you better stay away from these areas
and avoid them at all cost. Cutes are narrow
areas of the river where the water flows
with a very quick current. Nearly all fish
avoid swimming through such areas. You
should avoid them too.
-
High Water / Usually occurs after
rainfall. This is a common-sense issue. If
the water is higher than the levels you are
accustomed to wading to, then stay out.
-
Eddys / Eddys are slack-water areas
formed by the reverse flow of water. These
areas are formed by objects that obstruct
the flow of current such as rocks, boulders,
timber, wing dams, and the formation/shape
of river-bank. Areas such as this will be
home to numbers of fish and these are the
areas one must concentrate on for finding
fish.
-
Warm-water Discharges / Such areas
are popular during the colder winter months.
Many rivers have discharges from nearby
waste-water treatment plants, as well as
pipes and other draining systems that lead
to the river. Most of the time, the water
draining into the river will be anywhere
from 10-20degrees warmer than the river
water itself. When it's cold out and if the
water temperatures are near freezing, you
will find fish close nearby.
5) River Structure
Look for these
areas:
Logs, bridges,
boulders, rocks, rip-rap, gravel bars, sand
bars, eddies, weed beds, shaded areas,
holes, deeper pools, and etc.
The author,
wading below a fairly large bridge on his
local river. This was during a float-trip in
July, 2006.
This is the
result from fishing in the area (ABOVE
PHOTO). This was the first of a pod of 10
Crappies
that were
located under that bridge by matching the
hatch. Crappies were present along with
minnows.
A 1/16-ounce
jig & 3" smoke twister did the damage.
Finding such
areas are fairly simple. Once you locate
these areas, apply point number-3 (matching
the hatch) and go to work.
6) Proper River Fishing
Gear
The type of
equipment you use for your wade fishing
adventures is solely your decision. However,
here are the factors that help me decide
which rods, reels, and baits I should bring
with for the wade.
Small River or
Creek
If I am fishing
a smaller river that is generally 100ft wide
or less, I like to use rods that are no
longer than 6 and 1/2 feet. when fishing
tight areas, it's best to have gear that
will allow you to make casts in such small
areas and pockets. A rod with a light to
med. light action with strong backbone works
great. I enjoy using the rods made by St.
Croix (Premier, Avid, Triumph Series) for my
river wading adventures. They're great
performers.
As for reels,
spinning reels that fit well with the rod
are probably the best option. A few spinning
reels I love for this kind of fishing are
the Quantum Catalyst 20's and Quantum Pulse
20's. Both reels hold the perfect amount of
6lb line (140yds). However, if you enjoy
using the baitcaster, then give it a try. I
have had success with both types of rod &
reel set-ups, but always opt for the classic
spinning set-up.
As far as lines
go, 4 and 6lb lines seem to work best.
However, it wouldn't hurt to have an extra
spool of 8lb line either. Due to the great
diversity of fish species found in flowing
water, you never know what you can pull out.
Larger
River
This is
self-explanatory and you should know what to
do. Bulk everything up, especially the rods.
7) Tackle Packs & Things
That Hold Gear
While wading,
it is very important to wear something that
can hold pieces of fishing gear. Such things
are wading vests, chest packs, fanny packs,
back-packs, or even the waist pocket found
in your set of waders.
Over the years,
I've found the simple wading vest to be the
best thing anyone can wear for wading. A
wading vest has many pockets which can hold
small Plano boxes that hold your baits.
However, a vest may not be the best thing
after all, especially if you have large
amounts of wade gear stuffed in your vest,
which makes you feel bulky.
Wearing the
wading vest while fishing my river in 2005.
Later on, I
eventually found a better option to wear.
However,
believe me on the wade vest. They work great
for whatever you carry with you, whether you
carry a lot or even a little with you, they
will help considerably.
Another option
for wading is to wear a back-pack. You can
hold lots of gear in a back-pack when
wading, but it may be overkill and carrying
all that gear would not be necessary. Plus
would would not have easy access to all of
your baits either. if you have a back-pack
for wading and if you like using it, then
use it. Moving on.......
Chest Packs are
by far the coolest things to have and use
for wading. A chest pack is hands-free,
easily accessible, and allows greater
mobility than a wading vest. In my opinion,
they seem to be less bulky than the wade
vest when you carry a lot of baits with you.
Wearing the
TALS tackle systems chest pack while on a
float trip in July, 2006.
There are a few
chest packs I can recommend and approve of
for wearing on your wading adventures. These
chest packs are the
TALS tackle systems chest pack,
White River Fly Shop 4-in-1 pack, and
the
Fishpond San Juan Chest Pack.
Finally, if you
want to be plain, simple and basic, then
stick to the pocket found in your set of
waders. The pocket can hold a small clear
Plan box. By being simple, you won't have
anything to worry about and you can stick to
using the few confidence lures you brought
with.
8) The Waders and
Dressing Appropriately
As a wade/
river fisherman, I have three pairs of
waders. Maybe four. I think I've lost
count....
Anyways, if you
wade, it might be best to own just two pairs
of waders. One pair should be for the colder
winter months (neoprene), and the other pair
should be for the warmer summer months
(breathable). There are many types of waders
today which are made from great companies.
Such companies include Hodgman, Stearns,
Pro-Line, Simms, Remington, and White River.
Neoprene waders
are designed to keep you warm when wading
through cold water. Neoprene is an insulated
waterproof fabric that varies in thickness
anywhere from 1-5 millimeters. The standard
thickness of neoprene waders one must have
for winter fishing should be anywhere from
2-4mm. This way, you will be able to keep
warm and you will have better mobility while
in the water.
Neoprene waders
should be used when water temperatures are
anywhere from 30-50 degrees.
Wearing a
pair of breathable waders in 2006.
Meanwhile,
breathable waders are to be used during the
warmer months. Breathable waders are made
from light fabrics such as regular nylon,
denier nylon, rubber, and canvas. Breathable
waders are not insulated which makes it
refreshing to wade through water during the
warmer months. In addition, breathable
waders offer excellent mobility.
Wet-wading
the Fox River on a 100-degree day in June,
2005.
Finally, if you
are stubborn, and decide not to wear waders,
it's alright. I sometimes wet-wade with just
a pair of shorts and junky shoes and find it
refreshing. However, it is not advised to
wet-wade through polluted waters, nor is it
advised for you to wet-wade when the water
temperatures are near-freezing.
Besides wearing
proper waders, wearing clothing that is
appropriate for the season is the biggest
thing you must take into consideration.
9) Go the Extra Mile and
Explore
For some
reason, once I begin to explore a new area
I've never fished before, it becomes very
hard to stop and return to where I started.
This is
somewhat like an unexplainable phenomenon.
You keep on walking the river, searching for
new fish holding areas, you find pools, and
you're always interested in seeing what is
behind that next bend. It's great as well.
Just you and mother nature hanging out
together on the river. Such a beautiful
thing!
This happens on
every new stretch of water I fish on the
Wisconsin River in northern Wisconsin, and
the DuPage, and Fox Rivers and their
tributaries here in Northern Illinois.
I keep walking
and am always interested in finding new
areas to fish.
Most of the
time, exploring and walking for miles at a
time is productive. However, this will lead
to having tired legs.
Exploring new
areas will lead to a few things: More and
new fishing spots; Possibly not seeing
another angler anywhere out fishing; and who
knows, maybe a new discovery in the fishing
opportunities.
Just one of the many few and random fishing
discoveries one angler could make while
exploring new waters.
A washed up mannequin.
The two friends I guided on that day, and I
will remember this discovery and outing for
a lifetime.
10) Smile and say
Cheese!
The final point
for a successful wade is this: DO NOT FORGET
TO BRING THE CAMERA!!!!!
I always bring
my digital camera for my wades, mainly
because you never know what you can catch
and that I like to take photos of fish.
If you catch
something worthwhile, there are three ways
to take a good photo.
1 - If
you wade with a friend, have him take the
photo.
2 - If
you wade by yourself, take an arms-length
photo.
3 - If
you wade by yourself and if you catch
something near a boulder, rock, stump, or
elevated shore, take a photo with your
camera's self-timer. The self-timer will
give you 10-seconds to position yourself for
a pretty good photo when there is no one
around to assist you with a photo.
The
arms-length photo of yourself and a fish - a
14" Smallmouth Bass from the DuPage River in
2006.
No one can
tell this was a self-timer photo. A 34"
Northern Pike from my "backyard" river in
2005.
Well, there you
go. These ten tips are the things I take
into consideration when I go to wade my
rivers. Hopefully, you will find these ten
points to be beneficial, informative, and a
valuable tool that will allow you to have a
fun, safe, and productive wade fishing
adventure.
