Black_Ghost
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Thick Tail
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in the blink of the eye, this falling thing must be due to reading that "8,9,10 and your out" Evans thread below.
Last week right after I took the picture below of the new Snowbee Torridge spey rod and Marryat MR 9 reel I went for a walk on a part of the river I had never fished before. No one else around walked quite a ways down the banks were all long grass thru which a trail weaved through.
It all looked pretty easy but the grass was very high several feet and you could not always see where you were stepping. Well I went down in a second it seemed falling on a mud bank/step of some type.
My right hand holding the rod by the reel hit the ground hard. My wrist ached (nothing else). of course I immediatedly looked at the Torridge thank god it was tall grass it landed in and not bushes or rocks !!
Then I tried to reel the Marryat and that was a no go it was grinding. Had to switch to my back up reel and continued fishing. Marryat is now being fixed in Grants Pass Oregon. Archuleta Reel Repair. Sounds like it will be back to me by next week and ready to go again. Have had this reel since 1984 its one of my favorites.
Lesson Learned: You never know when you could have a bad accident. There is no way I could have prevented it. Since I usually fish alone I am careful in where I wade and climb these days. When I was younger I was all over the place. Had I broken an ankle or something else and not been able to walk out it would have been a long time for some one to find me since no boats come on this river nor are there many anglers. I had my cell phone and could have called 911 in this incident had I been really hurt though and not able to move or unconscious who knows when I would have been found.
For those that fish alone it pays to be less risky in where you go and what you do when you get there.
My wife did not know where I was going that day either as I changed plans at the last minute.
Be careful out there.
BG
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"The ability to delude yourself may be an important survival tool."
Jane Wagner
Edited by Black_Ghost (10/27/05 11:59 AM)
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BobK
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Hey, Hal...
Go a little more carefully... we don't need to be putting up any "R.I.P." signs streamside! And especially from Eastern flyfishers.
On the other hand, though, I will be "living on the edge", as soon as I get healed up from my surgery. As we get older, we don't get any smarter. That's a myth. A little more experienced, maybe, but one of my favorite expressions is, "Well, it seemed like a good idea at the time...."
BobK  
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fredaevans
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Hal, Hal, Hal ... "DON'T DO AS I DO!!!"
All that said, it really is far too easy to take a 'dump on the beach.' STRONGLY recommend you either carry a whistle or small air horn on your vest. The 'universal' three blasts indicates ONLY one thing.
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Fred A. Evans
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stupervisor
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steelie
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i find when fishing alone always at the very least leave a note/v-mail/message on answering machine as to where you are and when to expect you.
i rarely fish alone since time on the water is best shared with a good friend, cigar, and a dram of nectar.
i found when i solo fish i tend to miss the simple thins going on around me. nothing better than tailing your partners steel and see him happy as a pig in (you know what).
at times a good partner can pick up a flaw in your cast or notice a slight but harming change in your presentation.
also nice when you have a dinner bet on the first fish and he has to buy that big hunk of beef to pay off.
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great lakes chrome interceptor
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fredaevans
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GREAT POST Stup., covered it nicely!
Fred
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Fred A. Evans
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Black_Ghost
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The worst part of this was my damaged Marryat reel, now back in the mail to me repaired from Oregon no less.
Aaah a good serious fly fishing colleague is hard to find these days.
I carry a whistle and small air horn which was not needed on this occasion. I did climb a small cliff right after this fall, not that I wanted to but it was the only way up and out of where I ended up on the river. My mountain goat days are numbered I can see, not like my youth thats for sure.
BG
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"The ability to delude yourself may be an important survival tool."
Jane Wagner
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BobK
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Oh, oh!... Sounds like an "old geezer" talking!
Just remember, BG, "Old age and treachery shall overcome youth and inexperience..."!
BobK 
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fredaevans
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" ...I did climb a small cliff right after this fall..." Gad! That has a ring of .... humm.
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Fred A. Evans
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BobK
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Yeah, Fred, I was thinking the same thing you were.... As I always say after a disaster, "Seemed like a good idea at the time..."
Or, as we used to say in the Marines, "Fortunately, he landed on his head..."
BobK
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Black_Ghost
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A little sprained wrist was not going to stop me from fishing the new spey rod or from climbing out of the end of trail situation I found myself in with the only way out was up and over or a hard wade upstream.
BG
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"The ability to delude yourself may be an important survival tool."
Jane Wagner
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fredaevans
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"...A little sprained wrist was not going to stop me ..." Hal, I've good news and bad news. My left hand is at the point that I have to remember to 'butt out' my cig. with my right hand. Why? Because more often than not, the entire hand from the wrist out will lock up to the point that I have to use the other hand to 'un-lock' the stuck didgets.
Trust me DON'T SCREW AROUND!! If you have a 'problem' get your Doc on it ASAP. For me, too late ... I was a hero .. and they tend to 'die young.' (Hal, this is a 'no shxt' post.)
Fred
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Fred A. Evans
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BobK
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Fred's RIGHT, you know....
As you get older, parts wear out or break! Better learn to go a little SAFER, and SLOWER! And THINK about how you are going to extricate yourself from a situation AHEAD OF TIME!!
Plan what you are doing, and you'll catch more fish, too!
BobK
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Black_Ghost
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Don't worry fellows the body is about 99% now, still jog about 10-12 miles per week, wrist is fine weight is 190 lbs, still lifting light weights, etc.
I just don't do the fly fishing death wades or walks anymore but it doesnot take a death wade or walk to get hurt just a simple walk in unknown territory like the one above can do you in.
I often think what would happen if I spain an ankle real bad in the middle of a difficult river wade, as my ankles have been my only weak point my entire life from all the ankle sprains playing sports. Scary if you sprain an ankle when deep wading fast currents.
So I do not do them like I used to and the spey rod helps a lot allowing longer casts and shallower wading. Maybe I should just go with hip boots and forget the waders ?
Been thinking about that as I think I could do it without it materially impacting my fly fishing on rivers.
BG
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"The ability to delude yourself may be an important survival tool."
Jane Wagner
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fredaevans
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" ...Scary if you sprain an ankle when deep wading fast currents.
So I do not do them like I used to and the spey rod helps a lot allowing longer casts and shallower wading." Another thing the longer rod does is provide you with an 'instant wading staff.' Been there, done that several times.
The North Umpqua has taught me many lessons on just how poor a wader I really am in over 6" of fast moving water.
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Fred A. Evans
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Black_Ghost
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Heck we may look better in hip boots also ! Just like those women in hip boots they call "Women in Waders" every year, some one ought to straigthen them out on their terminology its "Women in Hip Boots" and decent fly fisher would no.
 
BG
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"The ability to delude yourself may be an important survival tool."
Jane Wagner
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fredaevans
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Actually, if it weren't for keeping me dry when it rains, and a few places I do have to go 'waist deep' in still water to get from place A to B .....
I'd say that hip boots (or at least waders that only come waist high) have a lot to recommend them.
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Fred A. Evans
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BobK
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Being "sensible", 90-95% of the time I wear hip waders. Lighter, and not as confining, I still get everywhere I want to. Yeah, I still have the ol' chest high waders, but they see little use now. But if you think and plan a little bit, the little waist-high jobs do the job for me.
BobK
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Black_Ghost
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Who makes a good insulated pair of hip waders I bought a cheap rubber pair this summer for pond fishing but don't think they are good enough for the ardors of winter steelhead fishing.
Guess its time to start doing some Google searches.
BG
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"The ability to delude yourself may be an important survival tool."
Jane Wagner
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fredaevans
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Hal, hit Cabela's.
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Fred A. Evans
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BobK
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Yeah... that's what I have. I have a pair of insulated for winter, and a pair of breathables for summer and fall fishing. Price was right, and they will normally replace 'em without question if you have any problems.
I know the hodgman guys and others will speak up, but mine have lasted 4 and 3 years, respectively, and are still going strong.
BobK
Edited by BobK (11/04/05 07:55 AM)
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Black_Ghost
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Yes I looked them but they are rubber soles really want felts and studded preferred.
BG
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"The ability to delude yourself may be an important survival tool."
Jane Wagner
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BobK
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BG - you buy STOCKING FOOT waders, then you buy WADING BOOTS (they used to be called "Brogans") to use with them. That way, you can get felt soles, and studded, and a GOOD sole material to use during the winter!!
Quit being so "economically prudent", or "thrifty" (or "cheap")! After all, it IS your LIFE we are thinking about!!
BobK
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Black_Ghost
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"BG - you buy STOCKING FOOT waders, then you buy WADING BOOTS (they used to be called "Brogans") to use with them. That way, you can get felt soles, and studded, and a GOOD sole material to use during the winter!! "
This is what I have been using for about 27 years maybe those waist level waders is what I need then I could use my current wading shoe with studded felts.
Hate to say it but I had to do a death wade in foreign water recently with out my wading staff to get across the river or else be faced with a death march through untrailed woods back to the car on a new section of river since my assumption that there must be nice trails along the river turned out to be false.
I felt like I was grouse hunting again brush busting etc, and with a 12 foot spey rod in my hand (I broke it down though in the really heavy bush)
Wow was I sweating after that trek back to the river, then had to wade upstream along some very slippery and rocky banks. No way rubber soled boots could have been used on this river it was hard enough with the studded felts, but
I DID NOT FALL IN.
Definetly need the studded felts I am convinced they make a big difference in wading stability.
Hip waders, breatheable, with my studded felt wading shoes, yes I thinks thats the way to go, have to start searching for them.
BG
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"The ability to delude yourself may be an important survival tool."
Jane Wagner
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stupervisor
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steelie
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mrfc.com has wienbrenner studded felts on closeout.
speaking of grouse, used to carry bth spey and shotgun (grandfathers holland & holland) while pm fishing. do a little blast and then some cast, was tons of fun. lots of grouse on the pm, wild turkeys too.
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great lakes chrome interceptor
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BobK
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Hal, Cabela's has hip waders in stocking foot models. Check the catalogs and the web site. (Also, periodically check out their "Bargain Basement" for closeouts and overstocks - some good prices there - and NOT on just their brand!)
BobK
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fredaevans
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To expand this a bit, understand you can get studded wading boots with Ceramic AND now Aluminum studs. Who makes them?
Fred
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Fred A. Evans
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Black_Ghost
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Hmmm I did see them advertised recently, may have been Orvis or Bean. I can tell you one thing I am going to use studded felt all the time going forward in the last part of my fly fishing years. They saved me this year on one particular river which is very slick footing a number of times.
BG
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"The ability to delude yourself may be an important survival tool."
Jane Wagner
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BobK
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Well, that's OK if you don't have SNOW and ICE to contend with. Otherwise, walking to and from your destination, you will grow in height by about an inck each step you take, and fall on your @ss if you have to climb or descend any banks.
That's why I have 2 pairs of wading shoes... one for warmer seasons, and one for the snow.
BobK
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Black_Ghost
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For the heavy snow conditions the Yak Trax are on and the bottom of the felts are sprayed with some PAM. Not had to deal with those conditions the l |
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