Wading Safety by Dick Galland
Excerpted from Fly Fisherman Magazine
Submitted by Dougald Scott
Reading the Water
Just as you learn to recognize the places where trout hold and feed, use those same skills to identify hazards and choose a safe wading route. Consider the following common water types in terms of wading: riffles, runs, pools, flats, pocketwater, and rapids. Also consider the current speed, bottom type, and changes in depth.
Riffles and smooth, shallow runs can be good places to cross a stream. Pools are usually deep and sometimes silty. The tailouts are often broad and shallow, easier to cross. Pocketwater can be good for wading and crossing because of the many eddies of slack water behind the boulders, but you should be careful in your foot placement because the boulders can entrap your foot, and the widely varying currents between the pockets can make wading difficult. Don't wade in rapids that have high current velocities.
The bottom type can have a profound effect on wading. You can get bogged down in mud and silt. Sand can wash out from beneath your feet as you stand in a fast current. Gravel is a good surface on which to wade. Cobbles offer a good stable wading surface. Boulders offer current relief, but they also pose the danger of foot entrapment. More than one angler has had to unlace his boot to get his foot out from between two rocks. A boot can slide in between rocks easily and then become unremovable with the foot in it. Use your wading staff as a lever to move the rocks to free your foot.
Wading Strategies
Choosing a route is the key to successful wading. Learn to read the water as a wader and you will be able to move around with relative ease. Make a plan before you enter the water. Anticipate problems. Look downstream for the obstacles and hazards you must deal with if you lose your footing. If you see hazardous water below where you intend to wade, don't try to cross swift water or wade deeply.
Consider wading elsewhere. A simple acronym for approaching the water intelligently is to remember WADE: 1. Wear your wader belt; 2. Assess the difficulty and anticipate the problems; 3. Develop a plan; 4. Execute the plan.
When you enter the water, place your staff on your upstream side so you can lean into the current. If you begin to lose your balance, the current will tend to push you upright rather than push you downstream.
Always have at least two points of contact: both feet or a foot and the staff. Plant your staff; move your feet; stop. Plant the staff again and move your feet again. Keep your body sideways to the current. Your profile surface area is greatly reduced by standing sideways, giving the current less purchase on you. Facing directly upstream or downstream exposes you to the full force of the water and can make it difficult to maintain your balance.
The midstream shuffle is the gait of choice: Move your feet along the bottom as though you are blind. Use the staff to probe ahead to check the depth or define obstacles. Feel along with each foot and find a secure spot before you commit your weight to it.
Keep a wide stance, with your knees flexed to keep you balanced and upright. If you need to turn around in fast water, tuck your rod into your waders or vest, plant your staff at an angle directly upstream and grab it with both hands. Lean on the staff and rotate with small steps to reverse your direction.
Don't cross your legs as you turn; with crossed legs, you become unstable and may have difficulty moving back to a safe stance.
Your knees are critical when you're wading. In fast water, when you get in over your knees, balance becomes more difficult, and if you have limited wading skills, you should take care until you've gained some confidence.
If you want to cross the river, do so on a slight downstream angle wherever possible so you don't have to fight the current as well as the irregularity of the bottom. When fishing upstream, walk the bank or wade in the slow currents along the side and use the eddies created by rocks in the current to ease your passage and conserve your energy.
In a bouldery river, keep your feet on the level as you wade. Go around boulders, rather than up and over them. (The water on one side of a boulder can be significantly deeper than the other.) Move from eddy to eddy. The little pockets of stillwater below rocks can provide a rest area. The less climbing the better. Conserving your energy will make you a more competent wader.
Editor's note: In future columns, we will cover other aspects of wading safety covered in Dick's article.