There Are Few Things Worse Than A Pair Of Leaky Waders

I don't know if you've ever had the pleasure of experiencing the drip, drip, drip on your leg while you're standing in a river trying to catch a fish, but the experience is no fun at all. When it first happens you try to ignore it, in the hopes that the leak will magically disappear. This obviously doesn't work, and the next thing you know your foot is soaking wet. Now you get to go through the fun of trying to repair the leak, which unless the hole is huge, can be a chore just to find. A good tip is to carry a sharpie in your fishing vest so if you ever do spring a leak, you can mark where the area is while your on the water.

Hopefully you're storing your waders properly, because I had a pair of breathable waders that I would just throw in the car when I was done using them and throw in the basement when the winter came. One year I used them and they were leaking, but as I repaired holes, they kept leaking. With further investigation I found out that the waders where leaking all over. It was almost as if they were "sweating", when I was standing in the water. I came to find out that waders, especially breathable waders, need to be stored and/or dried out properly in order to prevent this.

That's a great and simple tip to prevent leaky waders. When you're done fishing and get home, make sure you store your waders upside down to dry out. Just leave them like that until they're needed again. This is true for neoprene or breathable waders. They should be stored hanging upside down.

As far as actually fixing any leaks that you have there are a couple of methods that work well. When you purchase a pair of waders, they generally come with patches to fix holes. These patches work fine, just follow the directions and you're good to go. The easiest way that I've ever found to fix leaks is a product called aqua seal. Aqua seal is like a liquid patch that you simply spread over the area in need of a patch and let it dry. It works great and is the easiest way that I've found to fix a leak in waders.

The bottom line is that having a leak in your waders in an amazingly frustrating experience. Now that I've begun storing my waders properly, I never have problems. If you store your waders properly, by hanging them upside down (and inside out for breathable waders) you shouldn't have any problems either.