I hate to disagree, but this is a safety issue that hits pretty close to home for me. About 15 years ago back home on the Cape, we lost one of our fellow TU anglers in the ocean due to flooded waders. They were rubber bootfoot style and he wasn't wearing a belt (critical piece here). He was already wading deep, and didn't notice a ~5 ft slope on the edge of the sandbar, and slid down. The waders immediately filled with water (rubber waders are heaiver than water, so they will sink you) which displaced any air within the waders that would've kept him afloat, and they dragged him down - despite the guy being a strong swimmer. During normal wading, the water pressure had simply displaced the air without replacing it with water, which basically created a vacuum and "stuck" the waders to his lower legs, which prevented him from taking the waders off. His fishing buddy was about 150 feet away, which is an eternity to run in waist+ deep water, and by the time he got there with his knife (another must have with rubber waders), got out of his own waders, and cut him out of the waders, it was too late. We had a second person that fell out of his bass boat while wearing waders, but was OK since he was wearing a belt, which slowed the water intrusion and kept his air bubble long enough that he was able to free himself. Remember the buoyancy of your body is not just fighting your own weight like in a pool - you're also fighting the weight of the waders, your gear, and your clothes, which probably total about 10 lbs or more, especially in the winter. It's the equivalent to a scuba diver's weights, but without the quick release. Add current from a river (or ocean) and it gets even more dangerous. Neoprenes might make the difference since it is a less dense material - and I believe even has positive buoyancy - but after that experience, I will never suggest waders are OK from a boat, and are never OK without a belt if you're getting deeper than your knees.
On Wed, Nov 6, 2013 at 10:09 AM, Eric Y. <theericyoung@gmail.com> wrote:
For whatever it is worth, I got dumped from a SOT wearing waders during the 2011/12 duck hunting season. Frightening at first, but far from the certain-death-by-drowning claims you see online. They quickly filled with water, ballooned out, and started floating me down river. It was very easy to undo the belt, swim out of them, grab the boot, dump the water, and trudge to shore. Thankfully, it happened at the take-out for the float we were on so in a few minutes I was in dry clothes and heating up in the car - had it been mid-way through the float, I would have been in trouble due to the cold. They do not drag you down (after all, water inside your waders is no heavier than water outside your waders so if you float in the pool, you'll also float in water-filled waders) but cold water is no fun and can pose a serious threat. If you wear a tight wading belt and a good paddling PFD, it will keep a lot of the water out as well (I had put my PFD on the shore with some other gear when I dumped).The best solution for fishing is going to be a dry suit, as mentioned above, but you can probably also find a decently discounted neoprene wet suit online. A dry top and rain pants will probably provide all the protection you need, but it is always good to prepare for the worst case scenario of dumping your boat fairly far from shore.
On Wednesday, November 6, 2013 9:21:38 AM UTC-5, Charlie Church wrote:Gene,I have been kayak fishing through the winter for 5 or so years now? There is an excellent and very popular kayak winter fishery to be had in the Hampton Roads area from now until January.That being said, you should dress right so you don't fall in and never come back.In the past I have used a dry suit although a bit pricey. If thats too far out of your price range, a dry top + waders can achieve the same thing. The point is to be able to fall into the water and not get wet. Even a mustang survival suit would not get the job done.Another thing to note is that I have a hard boat (not inflatable). My kayak is an ocean kayak 13 which in a way almost performs better when the conditions are bad out.Here is a link with more info on cold water gear: http://www.angling-addict.com/2013/10/cold-weather-gear-for-kayak-fishing.htmlIf you are interested in making the drive south for some winter fishing, you should follow TKAA.org or Pirates of Lynnhaven. A lot of those guys will go out and fish together in the winter.
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