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I can’t seem to get comfortable with wade fishing…

14K views 88 replies 61 participants last post by  Trout-deluxe 
#1 ·
I know it may be a bit ridiculous but when I’m wade fishing I have a really uneasy feeling about being out there. It really takes the fun out of it to be honest. The whole time I’m out there I’m thinking about a bull shark or a gator creeping up on me. I didn’t grow up fishing and really only started getting into it just a few years back so maybe that’s part of it. I don’t know….maybe too many youtube videos or something.

Anyone else have this problem?
 
#2 ·
I have donated a half dozen stringers to the man in the grey suit. I have had them bump into me dozens of times. It will get your attn. But the fact is you are not on their menu. You aren't splashing around like something they would feed on. You are just another pier piling to them. They are around you. But you aren't in danger. Thousands of wade fisherman are in the water daily and you never hear of an incident. Now beach goers is a different story. They are splashing around like shark prey....

Now gators....dont wade in back lakes with gators. Period.

Wade with friends and see how comfy they are.

Or man there is no shame in it....i know a lot of people that generally stay in the boat.
 
#3 ·
I know it may be a bit ridiculous but when I’m wade fishing I have a really uneasy feeling about being out there. It really takes the fun out of it to be honest. The whole time I’m out there I’m thinking about a bull shark or a gator creeping up on me. I didn’t grow up fishing and really only started getting into it just a few years back so maybe that’s part of it. I don’t know….maybe too many youtube videos or something.

Anyone else have this problem?
I've been wade fishing all of my life. I shuffle my feet and keep at least a 15 foot stringer. Sharks will take that before me. I hope.
Perhaps you can go out to a reef where it is really shallow and wade there. That might help.
 
#4 ·
sharks are definitely out there, we were fishing West Matagorda over by greens this pass weekend caught several small black tips 30'' or so and had about an 8ft Bull come up and investigate circle one time and left and yes we had fish on the stringers but thankfully he left without incident.
 
#5 ·
Don't even think about going to the Chandeleur Islands then. LOTS of sharks out there. We don't wade on the surf side there, but on the bay side no issues in many hundreds of man hours of wade bay fishing 35 miles offshore. They are there and will eat your stringer, but never a scratch.
 
#6 ·
It takes a pretty big person to admit to that.

Great info above. Might catch and release a little while as well just to get your confidence up. Might wade in the grass flats of Port A as well in super clear shin deep water. Get a couple limits on trout and reds while wading with a guide down there in clear shin deep water and you'll start to have more fun with it and forget about sharks.

Put a trip together with Marcus Canales, he wades and sightcast some shallow grass in the upper laguna. There are definitely no gators back there, and the chance of seeing a shark are remote at best.
 
#7 ·
I remember a year or two ago I was listening to Mickey Eastman's show on the radio. He was talking about how he took people out once over by the "Moody property". I guess he was talking about the area around Moody Gardens, I don't know. Anyway, he said that they witnessed a fairly large gator pulling a calf into the water. That's never a good sign. I didn't even think gators were in the bay.
 
#8 ·
I wade with a friend mostly. And we always discuss which way we're going and to remember to shuffle our feet and be aware of your surroundings . Kinda puts your mind at ease when fishing with a friend.
But then my wife says why wade when we have a perfectly nice boat.
Good luck.
poc-ed
 
#10 ·
As others stated, just be willing to give up your catch if you run into a shark. I've never ran across a gator but I don't fish too many remote back marshes, yet. I'd give them my catch too though.

Long story short. My Popo fished Matty surf throughout the 50s/60s/70s and told me many stories of how he'd have to give up his catch to sharks. He even broke a few custom rods poking them as he walked back to shore. Used to scared the blank out of me as a kiddo when I heard him speak of those adventures.

As I've grown older I realize there is nothing in this world like wade fishing. Just be aware of your surroundings (shuffle feet etc) and have fun!
 
#11 ·
When I wade fish, which isn't that often, maybe a half dozen times a year, I am way way more scared of stingrays than sharks. When I first started a few years ago sharks were all I could think about, but after seeing a friend get hit in the arm by a stingray while flounder gigging, that is all I can think about there. Shuffling my feet or not, I still cant help but feel I am going to get popped at any moment.
 
#12 ·
You're not alone. I know a lot of people who won't wade fish for a lot of different reasons and though they have tried they stay in the boat now days.

It's not for everyone and you will do just find drifting in the boat.

I wrote an article about that very thing about 4 years ago.

Why Get Out Of The Boat?

I had a friend ask me the other day why I would get out of a perfectly good boat, get all wet, mingle with sharks, jellyfish and stingrays, just to catch some fish. I answered that I just liked to be one with nature and laughed. I added that wading was actually a combination of hunting and fishing, and I really enjoy that aspect. But he was serious and he just didn't understand why I didn't just stay in the boat and drift, so I proceeded to explain further to him why I like to wade.

I told him that I like drifting and do it quite often when over bottom that my knees and back can't tolerate, i.e. soft mud bottom or when fish are holding in deeper water that can't be fished any other way. I pointed out that my feet can take me where my boat can't and I can't find the small changes in bottom structure if I'm in the boat. I also explained there are times when the fish are holding on structure that I would likely zip across while drifting, catching only one, whereas when wading I can stand perfectly still and take greater advantage of my good fortune.

I explained that there is a stillness when wade fishing that you can't get if fishing from a boat. Stillness equates to stealth and adds to the odds that if fish are where you are; you'll catch them. I can cover a lot of ground quietly and I don't have to move with the wind to do it as I would if I stayed in the boat. If I see bait get busted upwind I can wade to within casting distance and with a boat unless I had a trolling motor I'd be out of luck. Even with a trolling motor though, going against the wind is going to cause some hull slap, which is noise, which isn't stealthy.

I told him that by being in the water I was less visible to the fish than I would be if I were fishing from a boat and that by being lower to the water I could cast a little better than from the boat.

He asked me about sharks, jellyfish, stingrays and other nasty creatures being in the water and how I dealt with knowing that they were there. I replied that I slide my feet for the stingrays, wear long pants and long sleeve shirts for the jellyfish and for the sun, and that I watch carefully for the sharks. I told him that when a small to medium size shark gets too close I simply whack him with my fishing rod and it usually goes away. He then asked me what I did if it was a really big shark that got too close and I told him that I usually gave the shark plenty of room and moved away from it. If the shark became aggressive I would make my way back to the boat and toss a fish to it to keep it busy. I told him I would give him my stringer with all the fish on it to keep the big shark away from me. He actually got goose bumps when I told him that and said that he would never give up being at the top of the food chain just to be able to sneak up on fish.

I had explained to him all that I really could at the moment. I'd run out of reasons that I like to wade fish, well those that I could think of anyway, and simply told him that he needed to try it with me some day and see if he liked it. I offered him some wading boots that someone left in my boat one day that would fit him, I had an extra wading belt or two or three that he could use along with a stringer and box to hold the lures he would want to fish with.

I'd like to say that he took me up on my offer and that I took him wade fishing and that he had a great time. I'd like to say that he caught fish, saw no sharks or stingrays and that the jellyfish weren't in the bay that day but I can't.

He looked at me, laughed, and said "Oh hell no."

He said that he would fish the way he wanted to fish and that I could do the same. He said that if I wanted to use a perfectly good boat as a taxi to a spot where I could jump into the water, lower myself on the food chain and be bait for JawsI could just go right ahead. He would be in the boat where he could stay dry, not get eaten, stung or stabbed by any sea critter, and where he could be close to the beer and the snacks where he enjoyed being.

And really, he had a very good point. Fishing is supposed to be fun and stress free. If getting into the water stresses you out; don't do it. If wade fishing is what decompresses you from a week in the office, then great, have at it.

But however you fish, be it from a boat, from belly deep in the bay or from the bank, have fun while you're doing it.

After all, if you can't have fun when you're fishing why go?

TH
 
#34 ·
You're not alone. I know a lot of people who won't wade fish for a lot of different reasons and though they have tried they stay in the boat now days.

It's not for everyone and you will do just find drifting in the boat.

I wrote an article about that very thing about 4 years ago.

Why Get Out Of The Boat?

I had a friend ask me the other day why I would get out of a perfectly good boat, get all wet, mingle with sharks, jellyfish and stingrays, just to catch some fish. I answered that I just liked to be one with nature and laughed. I added that wading was actually a combination of hunting and fishing, and I really enjoy that aspect. But he was serious and he just didn't understand why I didn't just stay in the boat and drift, so I proceeded to explain further to him why I like to wade.

I told him that I like drifting and do it quite often when over bottom that my knees and back can't tolerate, i.e. soft mud bottom or when fish are holding in deeper water that can't be fished any other way. I pointed out that my feet can take me where my boat can't and I can't find the small changes in bottom structure if I'm in the boat. I also explained there are times when the fish are holding on structure that I would likely zip across while drifting, catching only one, whereas when wading I can stand perfectly still and take greater advantage of my good fortune.

I explained that there is a stillness when wade fishing that you can't get if fishing from a boat. Stillness equates to stealth and adds to the odds that if fish are where you are; you'll catch them. I can cover a lot of ground quietly and I don't have to move with the wind to do it as I would if I stayed in the boat. If I see bait get busted upwind I can wade to within casting distance and with a boat unless I had a trolling motor I'd be out of luck. Even with a trolling motor though, going against the wind is going to cause some hull slap, which is noise, which isn't stealthy.

I told him that by being in the water I was less visible to the fish than I would be if I were fishing from a boat and that by being lower to the water I could cast a little better than from the boat.

He asked me about sharks, jellyfish, stingrays and other nasty creatures being in the water and how I dealt with knowing that they were there. I replied that I slide my feet for the stingrays, wear long pants and long sleeve shirts for the jellyfish and for the sun, and that I watch carefully for the sharks. I told him that when a small to medium size shark gets too close I simply whack him with my fishing rod and it usually goes away. He then asked me what I did if it was a really big shark that got too close and I told him that I usually gave the shark plenty of room and moved away from it. If the shark became aggressive I would make my way back to the boat and toss a fish to it to keep it busy. I told him I would give him my stringer with all the fish on it to keep the big shark away from me. He actually got goose bumps when I told him that and said that he would never give up being at the top of the food chain just to be able to sneak up on fish.

I had explained to him all that I really could at the moment. I'd run out of reasons that I like to wade fish, well those that I could think of anyway, and simply told him that he needed to try it with me some day and see if he liked it. I offered him some wading boots that someone left in my boat one day that would fit him, I had an extra wading belt or two or three that he could use along with a stringer and box to hold the lures he would want to fish with.

I'd like to say that he took me up on my offer and that I took him wade fishing and that he had a great time. I'd like to say that he caught fish, saw no sharks or stingrays and that the jellyfish weren't in the bay that day but I can't.

He looked at me, laughed, and said "Oh hell no."

He said that he would fish the way he wanted to fish and that I could do the same. He said that if I wanted to use a perfectly good boat as a taxi to a spot where I could jump into the water, lower myself on the food chain and be bait for JawsI could just go right ahead. He would be in the boat where he could stay dry, not get eaten, stung or stabbed by any sea critter, and where he could be close to the beer and the snacks where he enjoyed being.

And really, he had a very good point. Fishing is supposed to be fun and stress free. If getting into the water stresses you out; don't do it. If wade fishing is what decompresses you from a week in the office, then great, have at it.

But however you fish, be it from a boat, from belly deep in the bay or from the bank, have fun while you're doing it.

After all, if you can't have fun when you're fishing why go?

TH
That was awesome..Very well said !
 
#15 ·
He got down on his knees to reach under the flounder to secure it on the gig before lifting it and putting it on the stringer. When he did that, unbeknownst to any of us, the flounder was overlapping a stingray that the gig didn't happen to go through. When he bent down he put pressure on the stingray thinking it was the flounder and when he let up on the pressure it got him. I posted pictures and the whole story on here when it happened a few years ago. He ended up needing plastic surgery on it.
 
#17 ·
My worst 2 fears when wade fishing is getting hit by a stingray...AGAIN... Once was enough for me! The other is getting that flesh eating bacteria in a wound or cut that I wasn't aware of... that's only a problem I think in the summer when the water gets really warm... My scariest episode while wade fishing was doing battle with a little 3 foot bull shark that was after my stringer at POC years ago... I had a few nice trout on m stringer... waist deep water and this pesky little shark kept darting in on my stringer.. had lost one nice trout to him already. I backed out to mid calf deep water, and he came at my fish again. They were in the edge of the grass even. I had just finished a cast and was using a 7M mirro-lure... I wound that lure against my rod tip and whacked that shark on the back to run him off... trouble is, that 3 hook lure stuck him smack in the back with all three hooks!!! He took off and almost snatched my rod out of my hand... Fortunately I had the drag set for trout instead of reds... he ripped off about 30 or 40 yards of line in about 2 seconds!! Hooked in the middle of the back by his dorsal fin, there wasn't a good way to handle him once I landed him on the sand... I never have whacked another one with the lure again!!
 
#20 ·
I get a little nervous wade fishing once I catch a fish and the sucker inhaled the bait and starts bleeding. I had a red do that while wade fishing Baffin mudhole...err I mean Bay. The dang red kept swimming back to me bleeding everywhere. I finally took him back to the boat so I could relax. I got smacked in the shin by something big out there too. Pucker Factor 8. I convinced myself it was a bull red. Heh.
 
#26 ·
Sharks don't bother me much. I've been bumped by and seen some pretty big ones up close and personal like. Not cool at all when you're chest deep. I've had some close calls with stingrays too, again not too bothered by them either. I stepped into some quicksand at POC one time. That wasn't any fun at all. Rattlesnakes and alligators, on the other hand, are 2 things I hope I never encounter on a wade. But, my biggest fear wading (and fishing in general) is Vibrio. I've seen what that carp can do first hand and I pray I never get it. I have found that drift fishing in the boat will produce fish almost as well as wading and you can cover a lot more ground.
 
#27 ·
I never get out of the boat anymore. Used to wade on occasion, but I found myself so tense that I didn't enjoy it. Lost a few fish off the stringer on several occasions too. If I can't catch fish out of the boat.... oh well, at least I can relax and have a good time.

Went on a wade trip with a guide several years ago and he kept putting us out in water that was 4' - 5' deep. I'm vertically challenged, and needless to say that was not a good day for me. Miserable the entire time.

Nope, if I have to get out of the boat these days, I'd just quit fishing.
 
#31 ·
May have been that brown shark repellent that you excreted into the bay that ran the shark off.

That is why I like winter day and night wading when the sharks are out of the bay. I wade at night but I can get a little nervous when you hear some big fish busting bait in the dark when you are wading chest to waist deep on a summer night. Big Jack or shark? ;)
 
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