I was crossing a river years ago and had on the old rubber waders and no felt soles.. Got to deep to make it across and down I went. I tried to swim to shore but couldn't, with the wading belt around me it made it almost impossible to get my feet down to the bottom.
Now, what I did I feel it saved me from drowning, I used my rod as a push pole, put the butt end into the gravel, and pushed myself right on the next gravel bar. It worked for me...fp

Phish: Do remember how you the difference in wading when you went from rubber boots or old sneakers to felts? Now try crossing stream with felts with carbide studs in the sole. Night and day difference again.

Also I use a wading staff when crossing, it will help you judge depth and drop offs so you can avoid making a serious mistake,as well as making you a human tripod for once. I have found that using the staff on the upstream side works well.

A good belt whether on neoprenes or breathables is essential, and if your wife, girlfriend or whomever, wanto know what to get you for a birthday gift, a company near Seattle makes auto inflate life preservers that are real small and look like suspenders. That way you will have all your bases covered and live to fish some more.

I skimmed thru this thread so I might have missed it. ... One of the most important things you should do if you plan on wading much during higher colder flows of fall/winter/spring is to wear a fishing life vest. There is the foam versions and there is the more comfy CO2 cartridge inflatable types. They both have plenty of pockets for bankfishing gear.

dan s. i would never cross a river more than knee deep, but ask bill about crossing the yakoun river. we both watched one of his buddies swim 150 ft downstream cause he waded to deep. i guess my point is ( more fish for us)

I haven't seen this mentioned but I learned from a veteran on the Kasilof....when you're crossing a river, face the current. You have better balance and better recovery characteristics if you are facing upstream.

Hey, isn't wearing hip waders more dangerous than wearing neoprenes? Because hip waders can fill up with water real quick and drag you to the river bottom if you accidentally slip?

This thread has some very good stuff in it.

The only thing I can add is to cross rivers only when wearing neopreme waders that has a belt around the waist. That way, when I fall in, I just fart and the enclosed area make a bubble and I float to the top.

good one, bugle.

still ain't got my question answered though?

When failing to find an adequate branch for a wading staff, I have on occasion, used my rod as a "balancing stick" when I've waded across a wide tailout or a slot that is above my knees. By placing about a quarter or third of your rod tip in the current below you or at a 45-degree angle. The water tension on the rod gives you a 3-point contact, which feels more secure, it won't stop you from going over, but it is surprising how much better your balance is. Caution and common sense, not haste and carelessness is is the key to safe wading.

Alot of good and helpful posts... Everything has pretty much been covered. A couple things to keep in mind is to make sure one foot is planted before the other foot goes any farther. Alot of rookies have the jet sled mentality: Keep legs moving fast enough to keep the body "on plane."

Always face upstream, or slightly across. Pick a reference marker(rock,stick), and try to keep a straight line to that point, if you cant keep that line and there are rapids or log jam below...go back

when i got my first pontoon boat last winter i read a few white water books on survival-----the posts were all good but they didnt mention one thing----with neapreams you creat a bubble and guess were that bubble ends up ! your feet---well they cant breathe so there is some controversy over the belt----used to work in a fish hatchery in idaho and the standard was the old rubber waders and well bein state funded the one size fits all was there ----found myself in a pond dragen a sein net to get the yr before rainbows out of the molts and i hit a hole----thank god or budda that those waders were 2 sizes to big---had to unstrap to get to the surface--read up on the white water books -they have alot of info that includes fishin addventures------water scares the hell outa me so i respect it--damn near lost my dog under a root wad duck huntin---now she runs along the bank and barks lol----so now we dove hunt or chucker------------hope this isnt to long winded and yup the spellin aint all good but if it sinks in --tight lines and happy fishen
Will

Back when I was a "Bank Maggot" and could'nt afford any type of boat, I was on the south fork, Sack {Didn't hear about anyone drowning last yr} I walked out on the end on a sand bar {not gravel}, QUICKSAND!!! I went under. Luckily my cheap Red Ball waders fit tight enough I made it out before they filled up. After telling my wife what happened she agreed I needed a good set of neoprene waders. She also agreed to a good "NEW" fishing vest which is inflatable. {When you bring home the Bacon they tend to want to keep you around awhile}. Orvis makes one with about 17 pockets which several can be divided into into 6 more. Add some small brass grommets in the bottom of the pockets for water drainage. Now if I go in again I just pull the cord and float!

"BANK MAGGOT" huh