Waist or Chest Waders



As I get older I find there are a lot of things I tinker with that make my day and life easier. Fly fishing waders is one of those items I’ve played around with to make my day on the water a little more enjoyable. The first waders I fished with were some chest waders bought at Academy Sports years ago. They lasted me one year before the leaking started. Since then I’ve gone through numerous pairs of chest waders all from Cabelas.

Fishing the Caney Fork River three years ago convinced me that I needed to try some waist waders. It was a hot humid afternoon and I was melting in my chest waders fishing knee-deep in cool water. I never fish any deeper than knee-deep when wading; I’ve convinced myself that if there is a trout deep enough for me to wade into the water above waist-deep then it should be taken by someone else.

My solution to the heat that day was to convert my chest waders to waist waders, by letting the shoulder straps and upper portion of the waders hang below my waist belt. That helps cool me off quickly but the shoulder straps and the rest of the upper portion of the waders were so cumbersome that I kept loosening and tightening my waist belt all afternoon. I knew I had found a way to make my day on the tailrace more comfortable. The question for me that day had nothing to do with trout but what to do with the issue of belt-tightening concerning my newly found waist waders.

That Caney Fork trip that day convinced me I needed to purchase a pair of waist waders. I tried on my first pair of Cabala’s breathable premium waist waders the next week and liked them. The test now was to try them out that week on the Sipsey, wading in its 58-degree water even on the hottest days. Guess what, they met the test, with one exception I still had to pull at the waders most of the afternoon to keep them in a comfortable position around my waist. So, the problem was solved the next week when I was visiting our local Bass Pro Shop in Birmingham. I was on a mission to find some adjustable suspenders that I could clip onto my belt to keep my waders in place around my waist. I’m glad to report the Redhead Suspenders I found worked to perfection. Amazing how a little tinkering with items can make my fly fishing a little easier. I’m curious what’s your preference waist or chest wader? 

 

May be my Largest Bluegill Landed on Smith Lake

I was fishing Smith Lake with one of my fishing buddies this past Thursday. Cloudy skies, very little wind, and a heavy dose of humidity greeted us as we launched my new Pro 170 Bass Tracker. This is my fourth Bass Tracker I’ve purchased throughout my fishing career and will be my last. The boat is the perfect size to maneuver the small sloughs I fly fish on the lake.



My first choice for today’s trip was the Sipsey Tailrace. I knew with the overcast skies the trout would be feeding on top, but Mike wanted to fish the lake for largemouth. We were fishing the back of some of the sloughs trying to locate spawning bluegills. It was a slow morning with both of us landing a few fish, me fishing my fly rod and Mike fishing his spin cast/combo. As we were leaving I decided to fish one of my favorite rock walls in Ryan Creek. I knew big bluegill hang out near the edges of the walls in Smith after the spawn to feed on the small freshwater shrimp.

After landing a few small gills near the edges of the wall using the Barr Nunn popper; I connected with what I thought was good bluegill stationed inches away from the edge of the wall. The fish didn’t take the popper aggressively like the big bluegills I catch. It did swim fast to deep water as all the fish I land from the walls do, which caused me to take up the slackline at a feverish pace. After getting the fish on the reel the drag started to sing and then I knew this was a bigger fish and maybe not a bluegill but a big spot. After playing the fish and getting it within viewing distance in the super clear water I knew I had a supersize gill. As I lifted the bluegill in the boat I told Mike that he might be the largest bluegill I’d ever landed using the fly rod. The bluegill nailed the popper in water 30 ft. deep and made a run for freedom in water 55 ft. deep. I know this fish was not in the spawning mode, because of the depth he was in. No fish were kept today and that included my prize catch. I released him not only for his heroic fight but because of his size and colorful markings.