Wader Safety 101 | Fly Fishing Safety | Part 1

Safety when wearing waders in rivers, streams and lakes is often overlooked, when it could save your life. Wearing waders around water, especially cold water, can be incredibly dangerous if care is not taken. Always ensure you wear a wading belt that is fastened snugly and be aware of how to get yourself (or a mate) out of trouble should you fall into deep water. When fishing in remote areas always carry a PLB or similar.
Presented by Jimmy Barwick
Filmed and edited by Dean Johnson
Tom's Outdoors is a family-owned retail store and guiding service in Tumut, NSW, where we live and breathe what we sell. Our range of considered, enduring and trustworthy gear is tried and tested in the mountains of Kosciuszko National Park and surrounds. We specialise in premium, built-to-last outdoor clothing and equipment for fly fishing, hiking, camping, paddling, trail running, bike packing, skiing and snowshoeing. Furthermore, we offer an exceptional outdoor experience centred around the art and joy of fly fishing. Our skilled guiding team embodies the essence of Tom's Outdoors, providing an inclusive, professional and educational guiding experience. Drift the Tumut River, walk and wade Kosciuszko high country streams or fish the Snowy Mountains lakes.
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[@RAGEFISHING]

Thanks Tom, I will be sharing this with my next KZbin video where one of my fishing buddies got himself into an unsafe situation while fighting a steelhead. 👍🏻

[@kennyv.7247]

As a relatively new fisherman, I greatly appreciate the knowledge. Keep it up. Good show boys

[@marshallandgunner2775]

Thanks for this helpful video.

[@berks8260]

Excellent tutorial

[@bertiebeetle525]

Thanks for this. Some good tips, especially the bit about lifting your knees. I’d add two other points. 1. Make sure your wading belt is non-stretch! For some ridiculous reason, many top wader brands include a stretchy belt which will not keep the water out. Just replace it with an $8 tradie belt from Bunnings. 2. ALWAYS carry a wading staff when on the river, and use it! The extra stability and confidence it gives you is incredible. It also helps test water depth. It will also pay for itself in no time by helping retrieve flies stuck in tree branches. 😊

[@TomsOutdoorsFlyFishing]

Great points, cheers! 😊

[@stephenrosenfeld833]

Really? I bought one of those "top wader brands" that came with a wide stretchy belt and it's considerably more comfortable than my old belt, allowing me to really cinch it up well. I have more confidence in it than in my old pair. And thank you so much for producing this video. When I first started fly fishing decades ago I had no idea how dangerous it could be to fall into the water with waders on - until it happened to me. The weight of those borrowed water-filled ill-fitting waders was incredible!

[@robertyetsko80]

EXCELLENT INFORMATIVE VIDEO

[@mathewcampbell8479]

Thank you so much for presenting this. So important to know what/what not to do.

[@TomsOutdoorsFlyFishing]

Cheers Mathew!

[@petermiller9115]

Thanks

[@kimanimack6746]

Good safety video for people who don’t know what they’re doing in situations

[@user-bw5il9bo7y]

Thanks Tom

[@Latanwinde]

that was good stuff thank you for that

[@theastuteangler]

great work sir

[@renaudbonneville]

This might be a stupid question, but I haven’t found the answer anywhere. Can’t you feel the studs through your boots? The studs I saw where really pointy, like normal screws. Thank you for that video!

[@TomsOutdoorsFlyFishing]

Great question! Studs are designed to only screw into the sole and not poke through, just be sure to get the correct studs recommended for your boots as sole thicknesses may vary across brands.

[@jeremyowen1]

I almost died yesterday. Probably. I decided to make a river crossing in some shin deep water with no staff or studs in my rubber soled boots. Was fine until exactly half way when the current picked up so severely that I was sliding downstream into the hole from the force. I was barely able to panic stumble my way across. Can't tread water nor swim very well, big ol' backpack on full of supplies for the day and a net tied to me for good measure. I'll be honest, that humbled the shit out of me. I bought a staff today with a good titanium tip and I'm working on some studded boots next. That about sums up why I'm here. So thanks for the edumacation.

[@TomsOutdoorsFlyFishing]

G'day Jeremy, glad you're still with us! Rivers can be super deceiving when eying up a potential crossing point. What looked good from the bank suddenly feels a whole lot sketchier when you're in the thick of it, especially with heavy gear. Definitely err on the side of caution when crossing, and never underestimate the power of fast-flowing water. Glad we could edumacte you! In case you missed it, we have a river-specific wader safety video here kzbin.info/www/bejne/j3-sZqelnK-VoK8

[@stefanoflocchini7805]

What is your opinion on felt boots with spikes?

[@TomsOutdoorsFlyFishing]

We don't sell or run felt here in store, however if you did I'd skip the spikes and let the felt get maximum traction. I prefer the Aluminium bars of Foot Tractor Boots, cheers!

[@goldeneyeforevercom]

I'm interested to know how this applies or doesn't apply to neoprene waders. Additionally, let's assume the current is carrying you. How long could you conceivably backstroke to keep your head about water? Assume that you are doing the bending knees bit. It's hard to know how calming the air in legs is, or would it be a big struggle after a few minutes? A river might have a slow stretch a while down river. Easy enough to bob your way with panic?

[@TomsOutdoorsFlyFishing]

With changing flows and a million and one variables at play when fishing, it's always important to be careful and alert when playing around moving water. Water temperature, depth, flow rate and obstacles in the river all play a part in where you can and can't wade. If things do go pear-shaped, however, it's important to stay calm, find an eddie or calm water to swim back into and find a stable footing.

[@goldeneyeforevercom]

@@TomsOutdoorsFlyFishing Thanks for the non answer.

[@TomsOutdoorsFlyFishing]

Sorry mate, we can't really give a clear answer without knowing your swimming ability, fitness level, water temp of the river you are fishing in, how fast the flow is. I.e. you'll be able to backstroke for longer in the Tumut River at low flow at the end of summer then high flow in spring. It will be a struggle to backstroke for longer than a few minutes, or even seconds depending on the water you are in, regardless of the type of waders you are wearing. If you can, grab a friend and jump in a swimming pool or a dam/lake with your waders on and this will give you an idea of the buoyancy they provide.

[@goldeneyeforevercom]

@@TomsOutdoorsFlyFishing I think it was more a comment that showing your ability, stamina for backstroking this method would answer many of these questions. Your video showed about a 10 seconds duration. Is this a realistic demonstration? Could have been. It's great what you show, but the crucial aspects are missing. Your demonstrating that yes, and still water, you can backstroke to safety which is about 3 ft away. For example, could you simply sit there still without even paddling, which would be similar to going with a river current. Of course! When the river provides a slow flow, and you could start a backstroke. But unfortunately I have more questions than answers. I'm better off having watched your video, but leaves me wanting a bit more demonstration. If you don't mind, just get right on that.

[@TomsOutdoorsFlyFishing]

There is a part 2 to this video that's more focused on moving water, if you haven't already watched it. kzbin.info/www/bejne/j3-sZqelnK-VoK8si=OPycH7j79302pDv5 We do have plans to make further videos on this topic, as our fly fishing guides have recently become Swiftwater Rescue qualified (Swiftwater Safety INstitue SRT Pro 1), so they have further knowledge to apply to wading safety.