# Wet wading dangers?



## Teeray (Apr 11, 2004)

I know this is a strange time of year to be bringing up the topic of wet wading, but I wanted to get some reactions. In the summer it sure is nice to go without the waders, but most of my fishing is done in streams not too far outside urban areas. With all the talk you hear about pollution, sewage, etc. it makes me wonder if maybe waders are still a good idea unless you are a long way from cities and are sure the water does not contain dangerous levels of contaminates. I'd hate to cut my leg on a submerged branch or a piece of rebar and let polluted water flow into that cut. Am I just being too cautious, or does anyone else worry about this?


teeray


----------



## Fish4Fun (Apr 6, 2004)

Buddy at work had that happen waded with no waders and got cut and a serious infection and blood poisning happened he hasn't been back to the river since.

I waded some last year without them but have thought about what your saying.


----------



## Salmonid (Apr 14, 2004)

Tee, on places like the Mad where i get in and stay in the water, can see everything, Ill wet wade, but places near polution, or where i have to get out and march around deep spots in nettles, Ivy, thorns etc. I always opt for waders, best to get some cheap breathables. 
I never had any problems but am pretty cautious. I always where wading boots when i wet wade to cover anything like glass, sharp rocks and rebar at the foot level that might pucture anckles, or tennis shoes.

Stay safe, a nasty infection could knock you out of the wading game for a long time
Salmonid


----------



## ledslinger (Aug 24, 2006)

i waded wet in cutoff bluejeans at mogadore while in college and couldnt afford waders---i got out of the water and had no less than 10 leaches stuck on me---those things give me the creeps


----------



## sevenx (Apr 21, 2005)

As far as the lmr goes I will wet wade in the summer with wading boots and a pair of light weight fishing pants, the quick dry stuff. I have not had any problems. Also with all the canoers and tubers and swimmers through out the summer if there were any serious risks involved I am sure this recreational activity would be stopped. I usually shower as soon as I can after being in the river just in case. s


----------



## Teeray (Apr 11, 2004)

Yep, sevenx, that is exactly what I've started to wear, those quick dry pants are great and will protect from a lot of abrasions....and leeches too I hope! Can't do without the wading boots either. For me, the added benefit is that no one I run into on the river will have to be subjected to seeing my legs, which look like a map of the Little Miami watershed. Damned varicose veins.

teeray


----------



## jsalkas (Feb 18, 2005)

Remember to clean your waders/boots if you're going from a questionable river to a pristine one (typically clean mine after fishing the Olentangy and planning on hitting the Darby the following week). I fish a river in Illinois that is loaded with those rusty crayfish (and hence, grows some big carp), but I'm paranoid about picking up some eggs and transferring them to some of the prettier waters I fish.


----------



## ethan-a-thon (Aug 17, 2006)

I've worried about this a bit too, I fish a lot below Griggs on the Scioto, but its where we get our drinking water so hopefully it ain't too Bad! I think infection is the biggest thing be concerned about, probably not pollutants. Grown boys like most of us can handle most of the bad nasties that we obsorb if at all, now I wouldn't go takin a kid in there wet wading though...


----------



## Whaler (Nov 16, 2004)

Just don't get wet fingers in your mouth. There is a bacteria in the streams called Giardia and it causes the worst Diharea (sp?) you can imagine. I was told that by Vince LaConte at a Steelhead Fly Fishing seminar I attended a couple months ago. For those of you who don't know Vince he is the retired fish management supervisor for district three in Ohio and a dedicated Steelhead fly fisherman.


----------



## ezbite (May 25, 2006)

i frog gig in jeans tucked in my socks and then duct tape the seams., put on an old pair of tennis shoes and go for it.i usually end up swimming anyhow so waders would be a big problem, i know its not in any river by a city so i don't worry about it. but when i do steelhead i always wear waders. its kinda cold so i need them.. no i won't wade without them cold or warm. too many variables..


----------



## ohiotuber (Apr 15, 2004)

Whaler,
I have a friend in Michigan who drank some untreated (he thought was treated) water & got Giardiasis ("beaver fever"). His was slow in getting diagnosed, & he almost died. He STILL lives with it, & becomes really ill all too frequently. He lost a LOT of weight, & cannot get it back. It is nothing to mess with, but the main threat is untreated water, although I'm sure wet fingers to the mouth would not be safe either.
Mike


----------



## Salmonid (Apr 14, 2004)

All of Ohio now has beavers so I highly recomend buying 3 dollar nippers/fingernail clippers to avoid putting fishing line in your mouth.
Beaver fever is one of the nations highest illness counts for illness from the outdoors and many deaths occur every year from severe dehydration from it.

Another thing to watch out for is Lyme Disease, (from Ticks) can give you a lifetime worth of symptoms and hard to diagnose.

Salmonid


----------



## Teeray (Apr 11, 2004)

Salmonid,

Since you mentioned ticks I thought it might be a good idea to warn any of you who fish the Cumberland tailwater. I went there last summer and camped at that state campground near the damn. They had just opened a new part of the primitive camping that was cut out of the woods only weeks before we got there. Not another camper to be seen in that section so that was great, but it was absolutely LOADED with ticks. We had those things everywhere...in our tent, in our clothes, in our hair, in my Jeep. I don't know if DDT or any other sprays are still legal, but if they are they had not used it in that new section yet. It almost ruined the trip. I was with a newbie ( city-boy) and I don't think I'll ever get him out fishing again after that experience. I'm not trying scare you away from camping there, just make sure you stay in the older section unless they tell you the tick problem has been solved.

teeray


----------



## Smokin Joker (Jun 30, 2005)

Those of you worried about getting Lyme disease, read this.

Brian


----------



## DarbyMan (Dec 11, 2005)

I do almost all my wading on Darby and rarely use waders (when its warm). I do wear blue jeans though because I often have to walk thru some thick undergrowth.
Only when the water is clear and low do I wear shorts. I know my areas pretty well but I still don't venture to far out when it's cloudy or high. Lots of stuff can get brought downstream or washed away.


----------



## Salmonid (Apr 14, 2004)

Thanks for the great link, Smokin! Good info..

Tee, I have stayed in simillar campgrounds with my exwife, that was a trip Ill never forget, her screaming a half a dozen times through the night as she felt them crawling all over her, then me getting the eeeby-jeebies just thinking about it, I believe we were at Mammoth Caves, perhaps its a KY thing...  

Salmonid


----------



## sevenx (Apr 21, 2005)

I have a friend who got lyme disease on a trip to Montana several years ago, he went through a battery of test over months of back and forth before they figured it out. He now takes medication to manage it but has suffered a great deal over the years the disease come's and goes and can have him back at the hospital in pretty bad shape from time to time. It is a great concern for anyone who is out in the bush on a regular basis. Some backpackers will wear tic collars for a dog or cat around there ankles when hiking and use sprays of powders on there gear. Prevention is the best med. I often get complaciant about checking after a day out in the bush, reading these posts is a good reminder. Transfer on organisms from one body of water to another can have devistating results. one example is the New Zealand mud snail. it is a tiny little creature that has been introduced into many western waters by attaching to waders, boots etc. Always makes good sense to check your gear when leaving the water allthough it easy to forget to do it. Thanks for all the info in previous posts guys. S


----------



## dakotaman (Oct 19, 2005)

just put on some old tennis shoes, a pair of shorts and go. I wet wade all the time. Even used to do it in the icy streams of colorado and wyoming.


----------



## Mattgmann (Sep 27, 2004)

This summer i was wet wading the Carson river in california. As pristine and clean a stream as you can imagine. Ended up with a flesh eating bacteria in my foot, and had to chow antibiotics for a few weeks....not to mention my foot looked like a swollen volcano of pus. That said, i'll still wet wade in the summer.


----------



## BobcatAngler (Jul 28, 2006)

It's sad, but I won't wade through certain parts of the Olentangy anymore. There's all sorts of sunken twisted metal in the campus area.


----------



## Shortdrift (Apr 5, 2004)

I always wash my waders as soon as I get home. Same for my boots. I hook the hose up to my hot water fawcet and give the waders a very slow washing and then the boots, inside and out. My object is to kill anything attached with the very hot water.


----------



## fishon (Apr 20, 2004)

good tips guys....

when we were youger we use always fish n wade with just tennis shoes and umbro soccer shorts... them were best back in the day.. but we would do it @ the Grand River after Harpersfeld damn and behind Genesse Camp ground..and Plum creek off route 252 ........man this was 12 + years ago...


frank


----------



## Bluegillmaster (Apr 1, 2006)

Salmonid said:


> All of Ohio now has beavers so I highly recomend buying 3 dollar nippers/fingernail clippers to avoid putting fishing line in your mouth.
> Beaver fever is one of the nations highest illness counts for illness from the outdoors and many deaths occur every year from severe dehydration from it.
> 
> Another thing to watch out for is Lyme Disease, (from Ticks) can give you a lifetime worth of symptoms and hard to diagnose.
> ...



I fished in the lmr valley 5 days a week this past summer. Gym shorts, tennis shoes, or even sandals. I got plenty of abrasions from nettles and briars while walking the bank. I know even cut my toe once or twice while wearing sandals. But that didn't stop me from trying to pull a giant smallie out of the water which my toilet indirectly drains to. I always bite my line when changing flies. I never noticed having dirahea or getting ill. Perhaps I built a tolerance. Always when I am fishing a carry lots of water. 64 oz. or close to it. Maybe this helped to flush my system. But I think that the real answer is that the small amount of "beaver water" I was taking in did not affect me.


----------



## big fish (Oct 9, 2005)

o greet i always wet wade in the summer without thinking twice bout it but now im going to be paranoid about stuff in the water. lol


----------



## BIGHILLBILLY (Jul 29, 2006)

Salmonid said:


> All of Ohio now has beavers so I highly recomend buying 3 dollar nippers/fingernail clippers to avoid putting fishing line in your mouth.
> Beaver fever is one of the nations highest illness counts for illness from the outdoors and many deaths occur every year from severe dehydration from it.
> 
> Another thing to watch out for is Lyme Disease, (from Ticks) can give you a lifetime worth of symptoms and hard to diagnose.
> ...


Beaver fever isn't only caused by beavers! It can be passed into the water by all kinds of animals! Main point is do not drink the water and try like hell to not get any near your mouth! I've waded and swam in the Hoga all my life and have never had any problems but I also know that it can happen at any time to anyone.

We were on a scout canoe trip in Ontario when one of the fathers took a cup full of water from the middle of a huge lake and drank it! Needless to say he had the squirts for a month before he went to the doctors. Nasty stuff right there!


----------

