Wading Staff?
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Yes all the time, made for low water fishing, or just for long walks over uneven ground. DIY made from a alu boat hook with hook removed and walking stick cap added. Small hole to drain any water. Tether to clip it to my belt. Tucked up between back and rucksack when not in use.
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220 Posts
I dont leave home without a wading stick. As Paul said above even just for walking out across rock marks it makes life so much easier and safer. The one i have folds down into a little holster that hangs off the waders, when you need it you just pull it out and it springs into onepiece and away you go. The diff it makes when wading over rocks etc is incredible, gives you alot more stablility/confidence and I feel alot safer.
Using the wading stick also makes a big diff to how my back feels after 12hrs of walking/scrambling and climbing over uneven rocky surfaces, with the stick to lean on when you need too your not as inclined to bend all manner of silly shapes to keep youself in balance and therefore not stressing your back as much. For that reason alone it is worth carrying. Quite a few guys I know over here now use and swear by them after trying one for a session or two.
Marty
Using the wading stick also makes a big diff to how my back feels after 12hrs of walking/scrambling and climbing over uneven rocky surfaces, with the stick to lean on when you need too your not as inclined to bend all manner of silly shapes to keep youself in balance and therefore not stressing your back as much. For that reason alone it is worth carrying. Quite a few guys I know over here now use and swear by them after trying one for a session or two.
Marty
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779 Posts
youve sold it to me - Im gonna get one now
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221 Posts
After falling on rocks last March and smashing up my ankle I now use a broom handle for wading across gutters.
I just force it into sand or place it behind or beside my legs when not in use. It floats so I guess one day I'll get around to drilling a hole through it and putting it on a leash.
I just force it into sand or place it behind or beside my legs when not in use. It floats so I guess one day I'll get around to drilling a hole through it and putting it on a leash.
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220 Posts
A quick search on that large internet auction site will see some turn up. I saw a nice snowbee one there, scierra do a good one too that Andy E uses. We use the ones that have bungy running through them as they just pop together when you pull them out of the holder. I notice the snowbee one has a choice of grips and a small compass that can be put in the top of the handle too, good for those dull days when you need your bearings on new marks and have no sun to work with.
The bay will certainly give you an idea of the sort of wading staffs avail but be warned buy a big named game manufactures one and you can spend silly money, i was lucky and picked mine up in a local shop for £25.
Marty
The bay will certainly give you an idea of the sort of wading staffs avail but be warned buy a big named game manufactures one and you can spend silly money, i was lucky and picked mine up in a local shop for £25.
Marty
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11,810 Posts
Found a few . . you are right Marty, some of them are silly money !!! Others look ok though . . . .
http://www.sportfish.co.uk/product/vision-folding-wading-staff
http://www.sportfish.co.uk/product/stonefly-wading-staff
http://www.sportfish.co.uk/product/william-joseph-wading-staff
http://www.grahamsonline.co.uk/product.php?ID=6855
Strikes me though, that some of the retractable versions, are no different from some of the standard versions you find in Mountineering shops. I've seen those for £10 locally. Quite how durable they'll be in salt water i don't know? I may take a look on the weekend.
http://www.sportfish.co.uk/product/vision-folding-wading-staff
http://www.sportfish.co.uk/product/stonefly-wading-staff
http://www.sportfish.co.uk/product/william-joseph-wading-staff
http://www.grahamsonline.co.uk/product.php?ID=6855
Strikes me though, that some of the retractable versions, are no different from some of the standard versions you find in Mountineering shops. I've seen those for £10 locally. Quite how durable they'll be in salt water i don't know? I may take a look on the weekend.
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Hi Simon, one of my chums and his missus use the walking/mountineering style ones you have mentioned there. They picked up 3 stage anodised aluminium ones in TKMaxx early last year for just a few quid for a matched pair, they have had a season out of them so far with just the odd wash to stop salt buildup. As they came in pairs for walking they both still have a spare too.
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11,810 Posts
Now that just sounds like such a good option doesnt it Marty? Cheap, robust, and no big outlay while i figure out just how much use i'll get out of them. A little trip to TKmaxx for a shifty tomorrow lunchtime methinks - otherwise, i know a couple of decent mountineering shops that i'll try on the weekend.
I'd settle for 1 season for £10 !!
I'd settle for 1 season for £10 !!
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220 Posts
Its deff the way to try one to see if you find it usefull or not Simon, the only dissadvantages are they dont pack away as small when not in use (i.e when your actually fishing) and take a few seconds longer to extend out to length and lock. The ones i have seen have a shock obsorber type effect to them when pressure is applied with an inch or two of travel, dont know if thats good or not tbh.
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773 Posts
I used one of these for most of last year, I think we got two for £8.00 from a garage somewhere. They do give a lot more confidence clambering over rocks but really come into there own when wading and checking out the ground in front. Its already saved my neck several times and just clips onto your backpack when not needed with a small carabineer simples, never leave home without them now.
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949 Posts
Nice to see a good few of us have realised just how usefull a wading stick can be for what we do. When I first got into this I also toyed with the idea of getting a fold-up one or using proper walking poles, and thought long and hard about "how to clip it up out of the way" when fishing. Eventually I found the answer was very much in evidence amongst the old stagers at a BASS fish-in at Shell Island in North Wales and was so obvious I was kicking myself for not realising it.
All you need is a suitable length of wood - as has been said a yard brush handle is ideal,(price @£1!) - and you just drill a hole in one end, tie on a length of cord about the same length as the stick, and tie a loop in the other end. Attach the loop to your jacket or belt and once you have waded out and fishing you just let it go and it floats around behind you but teathered within close reach when you want to pick it up again.
If you end up fishing quite high above the water on rocks, the cord is often best removed from your person to prevent it jamming in rocks and generally getting in the way.
At marks like Shell Island, the stick really comes into its own - for fishing in the splash zone or balanced on the top of submerged boulders that are a foot or so under the water, where you are getting hit by waves it's usefull to have the stick close to hand and if a big wave approaches you just grab the teather and pull the stick towards you and brace yourself against it so you are not washed off the rock. When bait fishing they can be grat for just leaning on and taking the weight off your feet when waiting for a bite or that slack-liner.
As has been said, they are great for helping you along rocky ground before you even get anywhere near the water, and I personally wouldnt be without mine anywhere I fish. Anyone who fishes bouldery reefs where the boulders are smooth and slippery should really think about trying one to see how much easier it makes things, even just as a very cheap experiment. When there are waves breaking it is so easy to get your foot trapped in between a couple of rocks and break your leg if a wave hits you, and if you are alone and somewhere remote you could end up in extremely deep do-do, and all for the sake of a £!
Even for fishing estuaries they are so sensible for safeguarding against drop-offs and holes especially in fast-flowing water. Salmon anglers have been using the things for years - and for good reason. My fishing buddy has never fished for salmon but has been catching bass on lures for over 25 years and he uses quite a substantial length of 2"x1" - (not as a rod! - but as a wading stick) - he is a firm believer that the stick should be strong enough to take his weight if he loses his balance and has to rely on it. He's had his for donkeys and is still with us so he must be right.
One other thing is to keep calm when you catch a fish and remember you have your stick attached - dont go jumping around dragging the thing along the rocks as you carry your fish out or try to land it, as it may wedge in and you could end up falling over of in. I think incorporating a short length of elastic into the teather is a good idea for when you forget you have the stick attached and could save you from going over.
For the benefit of anyone who is in BASS and going to the Shell Is. event for the first time this year, over the winter I have cut and drilled a dozen good lengths of hazel so anyone who wants to try a stick out can see how much it helps.
Thats all I know about sticks really.
Some pics;
Leaning on the stick bait fishing
Fast-flowing currents where care is needed (Jersey lads know all about this!)
Mad Mike about to get very wet as he tries to wade off in lumpy water without a stick.
All you need is a suitable length of wood - as has been said a yard brush handle is ideal,(price @£1!) - and you just drill a hole in one end, tie on a length of cord about the same length as the stick, and tie a loop in the other end. Attach the loop to your jacket or belt and once you have waded out and fishing you just let it go and it floats around behind you but teathered within close reach when you want to pick it up again.
If you end up fishing quite high above the water on rocks, the cord is often best removed from your person to prevent it jamming in rocks and generally getting in the way.
At marks like Shell Island, the stick really comes into its own - for fishing in the splash zone or balanced on the top of submerged boulders that are a foot or so under the water, where you are getting hit by waves it's usefull to have the stick close to hand and if a big wave approaches you just grab the teather and pull the stick towards you and brace yourself against it so you are not washed off the rock. When bait fishing they can be grat for just leaning on and taking the weight off your feet when waiting for a bite or that slack-liner.
As has been said, they are great for helping you along rocky ground before you even get anywhere near the water, and I personally wouldnt be without mine anywhere I fish. Anyone who fishes bouldery reefs where the boulders are smooth and slippery should really think about trying one to see how much easier it makes things, even just as a very cheap experiment. When there are waves breaking it is so easy to get your foot trapped in between a couple of rocks and break your leg if a wave hits you, and if you are alone and somewhere remote you could end up in extremely deep do-do, and all for the sake of a £!
Even for fishing estuaries they are so sensible for safeguarding against drop-offs and holes especially in fast-flowing water. Salmon anglers have been using the things for years - and for good reason. My fishing buddy has never fished for salmon but has been catching bass on lures for over 25 years and he uses quite a substantial length of 2"x1" - (not as a rod! - but as a wading stick) - he is a firm believer that the stick should be strong enough to take his weight if he loses his balance and has to rely on it. He's had his for donkeys and is still with us so he must be right.
One other thing is to keep calm when you catch a fish and remember you have your stick attached - dont go jumping around dragging the thing along the rocks as you carry your fish out or try to land it, as it may wedge in and you could end up falling over of in. I think incorporating a short length of elastic into the teather is a good idea for when you forget you have the stick attached and could save you from going over.
For the benefit of anyone who is in BASS and going to the Shell Is. event for the first time this year, over the winter I have cut and drilled a dozen good lengths of hazel so anyone who wants to try a stick out can see how much it helps.
Thats all I know about sticks really.
Some pics;
Leaning on the stick bait fishing
Fast-flowing currents where care is needed (Jersey lads know all about this!)
Mad Mike about to get very wet as he tries to wade off in lumpy water without a stick.
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Sorry Nigel mate, I never realised 
Do you have any such juristictions on the bird behind the veil, or the one you've managed to tangle up into submission on your avatar?
Good work. The IOM is indeed a wonderful and heavenly place.
Do you have any such juristictions on the bird behind the veil, or the one you've managed to tangle up into submission on your avatar?
Good work. The IOM is indeed a wonderful and heavenly place.
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3,285 Posts
after putting up a thread in the first couple of weeks of this forum titled "wading Aid" i only got replies from i think 2-3 people who said that they use one,so its great to see them catching on,i for sure think they are a must if wading on rough ground,i realised this quite quickly after getting rather wet. They had some of those telescopic aluminium walking sticks in Netto a while back for about a tenner ,didnt get one though as on closer inspection i saw it had an led torch built into the top of the handle and dont think sea water mixes very well with electrics and batteries,but a normal telescopic mountaineering stick..........very compact and very light,also like the broom handle idea though possibly a bit heavy and cumbersome when you are not in the water?
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949 Posts
Hi Trevor,
I obviously think they are a must as well.
Appreciate some people need unilateral recommendations to help them make their minds up about stuff, so why not just get yourself tooled-up with a yard brush handle, and try one out - for the sake of a pound you've got nowt to lose.
If you get yourself across to Shell on the 1st May bankholiday weekend and you can have a hazel one off me for nothing!
By the end of the season my stick is at its heaviest due to the varnish wearing off over the summer and the ingress of water. A fresh coat each spring is a good idea and for me all part and parcel of getting ready for the first forays after the bass.
The walking poles tend to be made of aluminium which does not combine very well with seawater.
I obviously think they are a must as well.
Appreciate some people need unilateral recommendations to help them make their minds up about stuff, so why not just get yourself tooled-up with a yard brush handle, and try one out - for the sake of a pound you've got nowt to lose.
If you get yourself across to Shell on the 1st May bankholiday weekend and you can have a hazel one off me for nothing!
By the end of the season my stick is at its heaviest due to the varnish wearing off over the summer and the ingress of water. A fresh coat each spring is a good idea and for me all part and parcel of getting ready for the first forays after the bass.
The walking poles tend to be made of aluminium which does not combine very well with seawater.
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71 Posts
Try the Snowbee wading staff, circa £25
It's basic but really good. I wade the rock strewn local marks a lot (I only live 400 yards from the shore) sometimes 7 days a week.
It's lasted me for five years and saved me from many tumbles, although I still manage the odd successful one
It's basic but really good. I wade the rock strewn local marks a lot (I only live 400 yards from the shore) sometimes 7 days a week.
It's lasted me for five years and saved me from many tumbles, although I still manage the odd successful one
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