wading staff

[troutmd]

I was looking into buying a wading staff,

is a folstaf worth it or can you buy a cheaper one with the same assistance

any info would be great

 

[beeber]

If you can find an old ski pole, they do the job quite nicely. Who says garbage picking doesn't pay???

Bill

 

[JeffK]

I use an old ski pole - friends use a handmade wooden staff. Both work fine. I didn't use a wading staff until recently, but it sure helps in rough places like the Neversink Gorge.

 

[Scott]

You can get an Outback folding staff for about $60-70. It works great. Nice to be able to fold it up and put it away instead of having it drag around behind me for my line to get caught in.

 

[Pete]

I got a Folstaf when they first came out and they were a lot less expensive.

It's a good staff and very handy.

After over 25 years, the shock cord is starting to fray. When It finally goes, I don't think I'm going to be willing to pay what they're charging for it these days. I'll either go back to my ancient telescoping staff, or look at one of the less expensive Folstaf clones.

 

[fcch]

Staffs are handy for wading as well as walking into the pools along trails.

If you don't need to travel with it (airlines) and you'll use it almost all the time, just make one out of a nice stick.

I have a spare in the truck for friends and clients that I made out of a Maple stem, some rome and a bungy cord. Lomger than an alpine ski pole, it was the right price

 

[The_Sib]

Spring for the Folstaff.
Don't get the thin one unless you're little.
Someday, you'll be glad you did.

Like American Express, " Don't leave home without it"

 

[czech]

I Find great comfort and safety with an old ski pole, I took some old fly line and attached it to an old wading belt and then the other end to the cloth wrist strap of the ski pole. I gave my self enough fly line, so when Im walking I can hang the pole over my back,it does not get in the way, and its not dragging. also on the basket of the ski pole,(the round thing on the bottom) there is an indent, which doubles as a tool to get the many flys that i get cught in many trees. I must say that the ski pole is one of my most important peices of equpiment i have when im wading. and we all know how dangerous that can be,.

Just the other day I was fishing with a friend and he fell right in front of me,on dry land, he banged up his elbow pretty bad, But the 1st thing i thought was " dont move, make sure u didnt break ur neck" scared the BEGEESUS out of me!! Ill leave him nameless!!!

jeff

 

[Bill Sell]

wadingstaff

I have a wooden staff made buy a friend of mine.
i verry rarely use a staff they get in the way for me.
:bigfish:

 

[AKSkim]

Wading Staff

I have to agree with you lads, I never go into a stream without one now a days.

I have yet to ever slip and fall and I don't wish to start now. Having a wading stick keep me up right when the knees forget to bend.

As always, up right in the river.

AKS

 

[czech]

Did you read my response! I tried to e mail you but it keeps coming back

 

[Bill Sell]

czech

pm me when you get chance

 

[Karel]

I have a folstaff but it's kinda havy (but stury) and get's in the way. sometime I am pondering just to use a ski pole, but haven't tried it yet. very usefule when rocks are slippery and in strong currents. also nice to use when you have to hike in to a good stretch. Karel

 

[Scott]

My Outback staff always seemed a little heavy too. Mostly tip-heavy, and especially after I'd been using it a bit - it fills up with water. Then I happened to lose the tip, and it felt light as a feather (well, almost).

I machined a new tip from titanium (had some laying around the shop - 1/3 the wieght of steel) and put a drain hole in. If water's going to get in anyway, I just figured I'd give it an easy way out. Problem solved.

However, last year I bought another as a spare, and just putting in a single 1/4" drain hole just above the tip helps a lot.

 

[rduffy753]

I find that when wading in fast water, I like a solid wood type wading staff (mine is hickory 1 1/2 inch thick 5 ft tall)that will hold some weight. I attached with a piece of bungie and a carabiner to my wading belt. It used to be my hiking staff, but I got more use out of it wading.

I also have a nice telescoping wading staff with a rubber tip that is adjustable in length. When not used I collapse it and tuck behind me in my wading belt.

The only time I took a slip in the water was when I didn't have a staff and the water level was low due to drought. The rocks in the KLG can sometimes get slick with algae.

 

[onemorecast]

Wooden stick (Russian olive we were clearing from the food plot we're putting in), 1 1/2" thick, loop through center of stick hooked to a "press and pull" type separateable keychain. Other half of keychain is hooked to my vest. I use it for walking to and in the stream, after that it gets in my way. Lately, due to the lack of fishing time, it mostly just been riding around in the bed of my truck. :bawling:

It's only a stop gap until I am willing to fork over 100 big ones for a Folstaff.

- Jess

 

[Ron]

I looked at the Falstaff and some other fiber staffs and the first thought that popped into my mind when I picked them up was "WoW, is this thing heavy!" I wound up buying the no-name bungi-corded aluminum Cabela's -- Collapsible/Wading Staff from Cabela's for $36. It is much lighter than the others but still strong enough to support all the extra weight I'm currently carrying around. It hangs on my wader belt and I don't even notice it's there. It is very easily and quickly deployed with one hand and breaks down and stows back in the pouch very easily.

Ron

PS I have no connection with Cabela's other than that they wind up with a lot of my money.

 

[JeffR]

I ordered a cheaper one (around $25) from Hook & Hackle when ordering some other supplies. I do not know how the quality compares to the more expensive staffs, but is ok so far for my limited use. It has got me out of trouble a few times when I got half way accross a flooded stream and realized I bit off more than I could chew. (My head thinks my body is still 28 years old)

 

[Eagle Claw]

suggestion, if you get a metal staff of any kind and it does not have a rubber tip on it, get some cane tips and epoxy it on, its a lot quieter in the water, metal makes a LOT of noise banging on the rocks.

 

[buzzzard]

After reading this thread since it started i built my own wading staff out of a limb that I pulled out of a beaver hut in nothernWisconsin two summers ago. I'd been procrastinating but was inspired. I added an eye hook to the top and attach it with a rabener to the back of my vest. I've used it a half a dozen times this fall and really appreciate it. Now I just need to make one for the wife.

Any suggestions on what to use a preservative on it since the beavers stripped all the bark off of it? (You can see their teeth marks which is kind of cool)