Basic river rules
- Thread starter _WW_
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That fits with my working definition of the word wisdom... actually heeding that voice that predicts the consequence of a course of action.
RCF
Legend
As I get older I have to remember that I am not as capable as I once was. Those bells going off are becoming far more frequent too. I am almost/at at the point where if I even think about it, it is an immediate NO.
I was fishing the Willamette River with a friend who stands about 6'5" - I was following Mike down a deepening bar. I'm not and never have been an aggressive wader so when the river got mid-thigh and I started feeling like I was about to get moved and instead of moving myself I waded out. Mike kept going, longer legs, more mass, no problem until the bar steepened and deepened quickly. Like you, it looked like he was walking on the moon. He made it ashore not too wet for the experience.
Since then, and only once, I did the moon walk while crossing the Methow. I misjudged my crossing point wading back to the truck. It wasn't a place where I'd have been swept downstream, just a place where I damn near overtopped my waders.
Carry a change of clothes. A wading staff. Use your head for its intended purpose and not just a hat rack
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Fished the Yakima near the Rock Garden a few days ago (didn't even SEE a fish) and was careful not to go deeper than lower thigh, wading staff in full use. Thought back to the very first time I ever fly fished. Same spot, forty years ago with my fishing buddy. We managed to wade across and stayed on the other side of the river until it was completely dark, then waded back across in total darkness, arm in arm with our lines out long down the river for balance. In the top five stupidest things I have ever done but didn't know any better. We were both road racing motorcycles at the time and the wading didn't really seem that dangerous! What's that about no old bold waders?
Here’s one I just remembered that I learned from.
Well over a decade ago now I convinced my buddy to take our classic round float tubes across the Yakima, in an attempt to be safer than wading. Ha. That didn’t work out too great. We didn’t use fins so it was a short flail across the part where I couldn’t touch. But just as I touched down on the other side, I saw my buddy flip upside down as he was trying to get into his tube. He got out…awkwardly. I felt bad for him, admittedly after I stopped laughing. He was a little freaked out and understandably peeved at being wet, etc. If he needed help, it may have taken me a sec to get there.
We stashed our tubes in the brush and fished until dark. Then we couldn’t find the tubes! I think we had no lights. It took a bit but we did find them and crossed back without incident.
So there’s a few lessons there. I’d recommend at least wearing a PFD and taking a headlamp on any similar hare brained schemes. Use better watercraft, have fins or paddles, have a contingency safety plan.
Well over a decade ago now I convinced my buddy to take our classic round float tubes across the Yakima, in an attempt to be safer than wading. Ha. That didn’t work out too great. We didn’t use fins so it was a short flail across the part where I couldn’t touch. But just as I touched down on the other side, I saw my buddy flip upside down as he was trying to get into his tube. He got out…awkwardly. I felt bad for him, admittedly after I stopped laughing. He was a little freaked out and understandably peeved at being wet, etc. If he needed help, it may have taken me a sec to get there.
We stashed our tubes in the brush and fished until dark. Then we couldn’t find the tubes! I think we had no lights. It took a bit but we did find them and crossed back without incident.
So there’s a few lessons there. I’d recommend at least wearing a PFD and taking a headlamp on any similar hare brained schemes. Use better watercraft, have fins or paddles, have a contingency safety plan.
A lot of good rules above. Safety rules summary and checklist for me.
- PFD, my own, because it fits. Anytime I float on anything..
- Herkileez' wading staff. Industral strength essential safety equipment, especially with todays "sticky rubber" wading boots. Everytime I'm in moving water.
- PFD, just in case I forgot.
- Eyes, ears, and mind: Open.
- Small first aid kit. RENEWED WITH NEW BANDAIDS AND PERISHABLE STUFF EVERY YEAR. If you haven't renewed yours for a while, you oughta spend an afternoon this coming down season doing that. Time slips away, and 10 year old bandaids and wound wipes don't work so good.
- PFD, it's ready to go, right?