The most effective way to fish for trout, in my opinion, is to strap on a pair of waders and head out to the local stream or river. Not only is effective, it's also a wonderful way to enjoy all the wonders of nature. I don't know? There's just something about standing in the flowing water of a river or stream, fishing for trout, that's spiritual to me. In many ways, wading for trout is my religion. But I digress. The point to this article is wading for trout, so I'm going to give you a couple of quick things to remember while wading for trout.
- Always Keep Contact With The Bottom - When wading, you want to "shuffle" your feet so that you always have contact with the bottom. Problems happen when water gets under your feet, thus pulling your feet out from under you, causing you to fall. Then you're taking that wet and wild ride that we all dread. This ride is about as much fun as having to take a crap in the woods, and I would assume you know how dreadful that is!
- Wear A PFD - This one is especially true when the water is high and unpredictable. A personal flotation device (PFD) can literally save your life! You can get them that are quite comfortable and inconspicuous. In high water wearing a PFD can literally mean the difference between drowning and not drowning.
- Use A Wading Staff - This is another high water tactic, but having a wading staff to balance yourself as your wading across high water can save you from falling. Don't worry, you don't have to buy one, you can just use a nice stick from along the river. The point is that a wading staff can definitely help you from falling.
- Fix Any Leaks - Sometimes we don't want toi admit to ourselves that our waders have a leak in them. I've had leaks that I thought if I ignored, would go away. Guess what? They don't. A leak in your waders is maddening, and needs to be fixed sooner rather than later. If you're waders keep springing leaks, just buy a new pair. Again, when push comes to shove, you'll be glad you did.
- Comfort Is Key - If you spend any time in waders at all, you know this. My point is that you want to be as comfortable as possible while fishing. If you're not comfortable, you won't spend nearly as much time fishing, and this isn't a good thing. Do your due diligence and make sure you have the most comfortable waders that you can get. When your wading, you don't want to worry about your waders, you want to worry about the trout.
With these tips and tactics you should be able to safely enjoy wading for trout, and that's all that really matters. The trout that is. Remember, nothing can substitute for practice. Being on the water, or in this case
in the water, is the best way to become proficient at the art of wading for trout. Never forget the little piece of wisdom Steven Wright reminded us all of, "There's a fine line between fishing and standing on the shore, looking like an idiot". The same goes for standing
in the water.
