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Danger while wading

cingras53

Trout,striper and grouse hunter
What is the most dangerous situation you have encountered on the stream? I'll go first: I was fishing the main stem and there was a very strong flow. I was standing in water up to my hips when another angler several yards upstream yelled to me that there was a log coming down. I could not see what he was referring to and then he yelled again and said it was submerged. I moved toward shore just as a log came by bouncing off the bottom. It was about 20 feet long and 20 inches in diameter. Without his warning I think I would have been a gonner.
 
About 50 ago, I stepped into a hole filled with muck/silt/quicksand in a backwash on the Ramapo. I ended up immobilized, up to my hips in mud (or whatever it was).

Fortunately, I always buy my waders a couple sizes "too big" to allow for extra layers in the winter, and fortunately they were "boot foot".

I unbuttoned the suspenders, and stepped out of the waders, back onto firmer stream bottom.... With something firm to stand on, I was able to pull the empty waders out of the muck.

No Rusty, these were NOT my Redball Waders, they were Hodgemans that have since been demoted to being spares.
 
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Fishing the Beaverkill at 800cfs with a new camera. I had waders on and I was in over my head. I could feel the water pushing my feet over the slippery rocks. I had my new camera held up high so when I fell in, I'd be able to try to save it. Needless to say, I made it across and ran to the car to get the toilet paper. :)
 
One time Beetle slipped, fell, somehow managed to become completely submerged with his head under water.....

....all of this occurred in about 9 inches of water and his cell phone didn't survive the water damage :rofl:
 
I was fishing the sulfur on the upper west with Beetle when he slipped, fell, and became completely submerged with his head underwater...

.... all of this occurred at low flows of about 450 cfs in about 9 inches of water and his cell phone didn't survive the water damage :rofl::rofl:
 
My first time out west. We floated the green river stripping buggers with our terribly undergunbed orvis far and fine fly rods. We pulled over to an island with a nice side channel and had lunch. Soon after we started fishing the channel walking and casting buggers while the guide moved the boat down behind us. I went back to the boat to get a different bigger. Picture the boat facing upstream on the left side of the channel in about hip deep water moving at a good clip. I decided to get into the boat to tie the fly on. I was facing upstream between the boat and the bank. I decided it was a great idea to put my right leg in the boat first. I went down pretty fast and sank. I was briefly panicked as I was staring straight up and the drift boat closed in over me. I was thrashing to turn over so I could try to stand. I was half way there when my brother and the guide yanked me to my feet. Ah fun times
 
My buddy and I were nymphing the fast water below cemetery pool on the Esopus. He made the mistake of wading downstream to a big strainer (a mostly submerged tree) in hip deep water. I think he was planning to wade out 30 feet or so into higher water to get around it. He got halfway out, where the water was chest high, almost at the top of his waders, at which point he realized he couldn't keep going. You can probably see where this is heading...

The current pinned him against the tree and poured a few of gallons of water into his waders above his belt. He couldn't move at all and was using a lot of strength to avoid being sucked under the branches, where he would have gotten hung up and drowned. Me and a random dude who was also fishing the run jogged into the woods and found a big tree limb, which we dragged back out and extended to him to wrap his arms around. We yanked him out sideways across the current with his waders swamped, minus his rod and net, which we never recovered.

The moral of the story is pretty obvious. Stay the f___ away from submerged trees in fast water, whether you're in a boat or wading. They literally are killers.
 
My buddy and I were nymphing the fast water below cemetery pool on the Esopus. He made the mistake of wading downstream to a big strainer (a mostly submerged tree) in hip deep water. I think he was planning to wade out 30 feet or so into higher water to get around it. He got halfway out, where the water was chest high, almost at the top of his waders, at which point he realized he couldn't keep going. You can probably see where this is heading...

The current pinned him against the tree and poured a few of gallons of water into his waders above his belt. He couldn't move at all and was using a lot of strength to avoid being sucked under the branches, where he would have gotten hung up and drowned. Me and a random dude who was also fishing the run jogged into the woods and found a big tree limb, which we dragged back out and extended to him to wrap his arms around. We yanked him out sideways across the current with his waders swamped, minus his rod and net, which we never recovered.

The moral of the story is pretty obvious. Stay the f___ away from submerged trees in fast water, whether you're in a boat or wading. They literally are killers.

I know the exact strainer you're talking about and a teenage girl died there two years ago. They've since removed it or jes kinda pulled it up on the bank.
 
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