The latest how-to video from Ben Sittig, a.k.a Huge Fly Fisherman, is about an evergreen safety topic. Anyone who spends a good amount of time on the water has gone for a swim and has seen other anglers doing things they shouldn’t be doing. As usual, the presentation is humorous and snarky, but the information is spot on. To be a good wader, you need to know how to place your feet on each step, how to position yourself in relation to the current, and–most important–be aware of your own limitations.
I remember several times in my youth when I got myself into trouble because of overconfidence. It usually didn’t end well. I now err on the side of caution, and I don’t feel as if it costs me any fishing shots.
One other tip–never wade downstream into someplace that you can’t wade back upstream to get out of. Usually that means running into a problem with an unexpected deep channel that blocks you, but I had to swim a river in B.C. when a bear came out and parked himself on the downstream gravel bar that I was headed towards.