Watch your step, opps...

East Bay Ed · Senior Member

Watch your step, opps...

AbelBoy · Senior Member

Hi East Bay Ed,
Glad to know that you are still with us. Sometimes its hard to tell the pressure of the hydraulics in shallow water.

AB

Edit:� I put my wallet, keys,�and cell phone in a zip lock bag when I fish.

-- Edited by AbelBoy on Tuesday 31st of March 2009 05:18:12 PM

papaoak · Veteran Member

East Bay, Glad to hear your all right.

East Bay Ed · Senior Member

Thanks, There's nothing like�being around to fish another day.

-- Edited by East Bay Ed on Tuesday 31st of March 2009 05:20:40 PM

the big j · Veteran Member

I know the feeling. I was there on Sat and tried to climb down this steep hillside to get to some cool looking riffle and damn neared fell numerous times, only to get to the bottom and take a dunk. The boulders on the Stan are well polished and no felt sole can help. It even seem that studs on the bottom of my boots would have been of detriment, had I used them. Worst part was I was alone too, no one to help.

shon42073 · Senior Member

Glad your still with us Ed. Just a reminder to be careful out there guys, Things happen. Cell phones don't belong on trout rivers smile

.

Codym · Senior Member

I pack mine in�a plastic bag, seeing how I have lost 2 phones to the water while fishing. cry

Flying Dutchman · Senior Member

Ed, certainly glad to hear you are alright! My last trip to the Stan, I almost had the same problem at the cable below the Burping Rock. Yeah, things can happen fast!!!

davefickess · Newbie

I feel your pain brother.� Even at Putah I have gotten to take a ride during high flows.� As far as the cell phone goes I file the advice about keeping it in a ziploc bag under the category, "Good advice I wish I had heard yesterday".

Good luck staying dry on future outings.

iFish · Senior Member

East Bay, what's the 'ol song, "I was at the right place, but it must have been the wrong time"? Good you're here to tell the story and back safe! Ziplock, phone, good advice.

Speaking of "swept off your feet" stories, anyone care to share more harrowing events? Mine involves wet wading a small creek in the eastern sierras wearing Tevas sandals. Yep, you can say that was my first mistake. A plunging slip, foot wedged in a hole between rocks, a smashed and bleeding big toe, face plant in the creek and lights out sprained ankle later (after I came to) involved a literal crawl a mile over rough terrain to my manual shift SUV. My rod somehow caught on my vest during the fall, so at least I didn't go home empty handed. But the 6 hour drive home was an exercise in medieval torture. No stops for a quick burger were made. Ouch.

I've NEVER worn Tevas fishing again!!!! And remember kids, always be safe when out wading alone.

ONEWEIGHT · Senior Member

I've had too many dumps to count.� The most memorable was probably on the NF Yuba.� Somehow I'd forgotten to bring any change of clothes up for the ride home.� We were there in late October, fishing the October caddis hatch, and stayed until dark.� As we were leaving the river at dark, I slipped on a rock and took a complete and total dunk.� Being late October and dark, it was about 45 degrees or less.� I was freezing in the wet clothes and decided to pull over, get rid of the wet clothes,�and drive home in my underwear and old towel as a shirt for the last 2 1/2 hours of the drive.

shon42073 · Senior Member

I can share two events that are deeply engrained into my thick head. First is an upper sac. 4 day trip and within the first hour of the first day I literally skied down a slanted peice of lava rock and took a complete wader filling dunk, My first and only dunk that actually filled my waders, Would have been quit the picture of me standing on the bank in my underwear dumping out my waders and ringing out my thermals. The next was not a funny one at all. I still don't know what happened all I know is�I stepped on a rock and the next thing I know I'm laying on the rocks completely paralyzed in the legs and arms, ears ringing and head gushing blood, That lasted about 10 seconds but seemed like minutes. My ears rang on and off for weeks after that. I drug myself up on my feet stagered over and dunked my aching head into the river to wash the blood away and get my bearings. It was one of those where ya tell yourself"just calm down, everything is ok" That was on the clark fork pretty far in and away from anyone and alone. After some looking into concussions I now know that after severe head trama one should probably have someone there to wake them up every hour and make sure there still ok. It was a bad situation. I think that most people think of fisherman as some guy that sits in a lawn chair on a lake somewhere dunking bait and being lazy, But as we all know here its not like that huh, It can be a tough physical activity the way we go about it. One more nonflyfishing accident, i once fell through the deck of a fishing peir on a place called 3 mile sluogh on the delta near rio vista, It was rotten and I fell right through, My dad had to save my life as i was pretty young, Oh and then theres the time our boat caught fire right�after i landed a 28.5 pound striper, We ended up dumping the motor in the delta and paddled hours with one oar back to shore, Then theres the time the killer salmon atacked me, Bout a 40 lb. chinook bit a peice of the sole off my shoe after it was landed and in the boat, then theres the leopard shark that almost took my thumb off, then theres the time our car top boat flew off on the antioch bridge, Ain't fishin stories the best, I could go on and on.

Codym · Senior Member

I've only fallen a few times while wading but one was one of the scariest experieces in my life. I was steelhead fishing the smith in Feb.� I was about knee deep, but I slipped and got carried into a deep run, even with the wading belt� my waders were full of water. luchily the water got really shallow after the run and I was able to get out. Scarry stuff.

vince · Senior Member

I've taken a few "drifts" down the Mo in Montana when I've lost my footing. I fear the day when felt soles are gone...

shon42073 · Senior Member

vince wrote:

I've taken a few "drifts" down the Mo in Montana when I've lost my footing. I fear the day when felt soles are gone...

I've used those new soles that simms has, I forget the name and they work awesome. Easily as good as felt. They were loaned to me.

�

FlyMonkey · Member

I've never taken a dunk and filled my waders. But I've always been curious.

If you fill your waders, do you sink? Or are equalized because the water outside is the same inside the waders? My guess is that you just move slower trying to maneuver. And probably have trouble getting out of the water once you can stand.

??

East Bay Ed · Senior Member

Fly Monkey,

Speaking from experience.� I didn't sink, but movement was very difficult.� It was sort of like trying to run in a snow drift.� Very slow and very tiring.�

I always new that if you fish long enough you would make a mistake.� Over fifly years of fly fishing I've made many.� Mercifully for me, and the rest of you, we do learn from our mistakes.

Nohackle · Senior Member

The last time I took a spill was on Putah.� I was fighting a good fish and decided to get to shore.� Not being careful, I stumbled on a branch or rock, fell forward�and took water into the top of my waders.� The good news is that I landed the 19 incher that I was fighting so it wasn't a total loss.� Unfortunately, I had been fishing only two hours and had to quit�becaue of�the cold water soaking much of my clothes.��Becaue of�this incident I learned to keep a spare change of clothes in my car.

iFish · Senior Member

Oneweight, I'm sorry but your misfortune cracked me up a bit. I'm imagining the visual of you driving up to your home, towel, skivvies, and then your wife comes to the door, and you're standing there... 'nuff said.

Shon, the "head trauma" experience is definitely one for the "Man vs Wild" category. Yeah, I didn't go to the doc either. I still get a ping of pain if I step just right. BTW - Simms "Stealth Rubber" with the little nubs. Used them as a demo when I worked at Western Sportshop. Much better than Tevas, believe me.

FlyMonkey, you haven't reeeally fished until you "dumped".

Nohackle, no fair. You still took a 19'er to hand after your unintentional wet wade. That's "A River Runs Through It" scene with Brad Pitt.

Here's one that didn't happen to me. I went to Ketchikan Alaska three years ago and my bush plane pilot told me a story of three "sports" who were helicoptered into the very area I was being dropped off. They were from a very nice lodge and were dropped off on a narrow section of shore on McDonald Lake (my remote destination) near some very tall swale grass. And just after the Heli took off, a huge brown bear decided to bust through the grass and chase these guys off the beach. Where else, into the lake, armpit deep with waders on for three full hours until the Heli came back to pick them up. It tore their gear up on the beach and wouldn't let them back up on shore until the copter chase it off. Now that's harsh.

I did fish that same section of beach later that week. No brown bear this time. whew!

More stories out there?

-- Edited by iFish on Wednesday 1st of April 2009 10:43:02 PM

shon42073 · Senior Member

I gotta say if you go to brown bear country and ain't packing atleast a 44 mag. your just plain nuts, 50 cal. smith and wesson is the preffered brown bear country sidearm these days.

drifter · Senior Member

I think "grizzly man" (timoth tredwell) might disagree with you Shon.........but then again, didn't work out too well for him in the end. confuse

the big j · Veteran Member

This is all wonderful. I'm not only currently not catching fish, but I could drown too!

shon42073 · Senior Member

drifter wrote:

I think "grizzly man" (timoth tredwell) might disagree with you Shon.........but then again, didn't work out too well for him in the end.

Isn't that the guy that went up and lived with and thought he befriended the grizzlys and then one day they decided to kill him ? He only carried pepper spray i beleive, Bad idea

. poor guy, i watched him on tv a few times.

�

drifter · Senior Member

yeah, the guy was a nut, but i must say, his movie is a must see. �If you consider a big smile while cuddling with 2 year old grizzly bears and bathing with mature grizzlies as "pepper-spray", �then yes, he used pepper-srpray smile

-- Edited by drifter on Thursday 2nd of April 2009 05:05:15 PM

AbelBoy · Senior Member

Timothy Tredwell on Letterman

iFish · Senior Member

Then he introduced his girlfriend one summer to his brown bear pals at the "The Maze".� That was it... kibbles.� What a way to go.� They wouldn't play the audio tracks during the film from the video camera she was using at the time of their attack.� Too gruesome. BTW - I don't think he even used pepper spray, he was way too trustful and actually thought they cared about him. Huh???

Walking, or fishing for that matter, around brown bear territory is really testing one's resolve. I do have to say that I was a bit nervous at times in Alaska fishing migrating chum salmon with bears around. Often times fishing alone and only a can of pepper spray at my side, which is usually locked so you don't accidentally trigger a shot at yourself. Yeah, I know, what was I thinking?

Mike Markwith · Veteran Member

Did anyone see the video of some guys doing an experiment with waders in a swimming pool? I thought it was on "Hook TV." Anyway, this guy jumped in a pool with his waders, once with his wading belt and once without. I know a pool isn't a raging river, but he floated quite well. In fact, the waders collapsed around him, kind of like a vacuum seal. I'll see if I can find the link.

Ty · Senior Member

I took a little "spill" on Putah a month ago or so.� My life was never in danger but my pride took a good beatin' as the water was only an inch deep or so.� I was creeping down to the water and peered around a bend only to see another angler hitting the run I was going for.� So being the newbie that I am I decided to watch this guy to see if I could learn anything.� So I'm there for a few minutes, he looks around and nods to me and a minute later, the small rock that I had been standing on moved and I immediately end up flat on my back in 2 or 3 inches off water right by the bank.� Maybe it was one of you guys that saw me.

FlyMonkey · Member

FlyMonkey, you haven't reeeally fished until you "dumped".

Hah. Maybe so. I've come really close a few times, but nothing more than a splash has gotten over the top of the waders. I'd like to consider myself sure footed and careful. However, I think luck has something to do with it. :)

I will say, the older I get, the more often I get in bad situations due to clusmy moves. 25 years ago as a youngster, when I first started fly fishing, I probably would of got a kick out of being dunked. Not so much these days!

Now that I've said this, it will probably happen next time I'm out. :(

Flying Dutchman · Senior Member

Mike, is this the link?

http://www.hook.tv/player.php?key=0BFC668E22B9AE42