attempted suicide

[Larry L]

just walked in the door, still wet, after a couple hours on and, IN, my
local river

Mix a terrible clutz ( me) with deep, fast water and you end up with this
story of a slip and a hat floating ride/ swim down some nasty water. I was
too busy to be scared, but after getting to shore, safe, realized it could
have very easily gone the other way ... very deep, very fast, very cold
....... glad to still be here .... even ROFF seems better than dead <G>

WEAR YOUR WADING BELT .... mine may have made the difference today

oh, yeah, I caught a few, but maybe I'll post later for suggestions .... I
need a cyber guide .. I just don't know how to fish this much water

[Russell D.]

Larry L wrote:
> just walked in the door, still wet, after a couple hours on and, IN, my
> local river
>
> Mix a terrible clutz ( me) with deep, fast water and you end up with this
> story of a slip and a hat floating ride/ swim down some nasty water.

Glad you are okay Larry. I understand that before doing inverted fishing
you need to consult with Frank the Reidmiester.

Russell

[-- Rob]

>...... glad to still be here .... even ROFF seems better than dead <G>

glad you made it ok... I've done some very stupid things (not that what you did
was stupid) that could have turned out much worse... hopefully I've learned
from that.

I've yet to try to tackle big water, though.
Not much in my area.... however jetties during storms are a diff'rnt story...

[Chas Wade]

"Larry L" > wrote:
>
>WEAR YOUR WADING BELT .... mine may have made the difference today
>

My son Andy is often wading too deep, but has yet to scare himself.
(He's scared me several times) Just before Christmas he did one of
those impossible crossings, so I got him an SOSpenders wading belt. He
actually wears it. It's a wading bely with a fairly small packet on it
that has a bright yellow handle sticking out. Pull the handle and the
C02 cartridge inflated a Coast Guard approved type IV PFD.

I haven't bought one for myself, because I stay away from the tougher
wading spots, but it could be the lifesaver you need if it doesn't go
so well next time.

Chas
remove fly fish to reply
http://home.comcast.net/~chas.wade/wsb/html/view.cgi-home.html-.html
San Juan Pictures at:
http://home.comcast.net/~chasepike/wsb/index.html

[Anglerboy]

Dear Larry,
Whew! I took a few trips like that, especially while tippy-toeing down the
McCloud, back in the days when I was a kamikaze wader. The water wasn't
very fast, but it sure was cold. Luckily, I never drifted very far. Oh
yeah, and if you go into the drink and things get serious--LET GO OF YOUR
ROD! Rods are cheap, compared to a life.

About the wading belt. . . I think the main thing it's good for is keeping
you dry and warm, but only south of where you wear it on your waders. I
don't know about you, but the first thing that happens to me when I submerge
in cold water is that I exhale. Woof! Which is exactly the opposite of
what I ought to be doing: holding my breath or inhaling. Logically, though,
if my waders fill up with water I should maintain a neutral bouyancy, since
water floats in water, and so do my neoprenes. The weight of my boots,
however, might tend to keep me upright. With the belt on, might there be
the possibility, if you fall in over your head, that any air trapped in your
waders would float to the top, giving you an inverted position? On the
other hand, if I'm wading along fairly deep, I guess most of the air would
have been forced out of my waders by the pressure of the water. This is a
conundrum.

Perhaps some hardy soul with a swimming pool might experiement around and
report the results to us.

Breathe deep,
Anglerboy

[daytripper]

On Fri, 13 Feb 2004 17:19:10 -0800, "Anglerboy" > wrote:

>Dear Larry,
>Whew! I took a few trips like that, especially while tippy-toeing down the
>McCloud, back in the days when I was a kamikaze wader. The water wasn't
>very fast, but it sure was cold. Luckily, I never drifted very far. Oh
>yeah, and if you go into the drink and things get serious--LET GO OF YOUR
>ROD! Rods are cheap, compared to a life.
>
>About the wading belt. . . I think the main thing it's good for is keeping
>you dry and warm, but only south of where you wear it on your waders. I
>don't know about you, but the first thing that happens to me when I submerge
>in cold water is that I exhale. Woof! Which is exactly the opposite of
>what I ought to be doing: holding my breath or inhaling. Logically, though,
>if my waders fill up with water I should maintain a neutral bouyancy, since
>water floats in water, and so do my neoprenes. The weight of my boots,
>however, might tend to keep me upright. With the belt on, might there be
>the possibility, if you fall in over your head, that any air trapped in your
>waders would float to the top, giving you an inverted position? On the
>other hand, if I'm wading along fairly deep, I guess most of the air would
>have been forced out of my waders by the pressure of the water. This is a
>conundrum.
>
>Perhaps some hardy soul with a swimming pool might experiement around and
>report the results to us.
>
>Breathe deep,
>Anglerboy
>

I'm pretty sure Lee Wulff already did that experiment...

/daytripper (he lived, btw ;-)

[bugcaster]

Charles, even a walk on a moss covered rocky hillside can result in a ride
down a whitewater shute. I'm convinced that after reading about another
fisherman taking a false step along the Wilson River and almost going into a
shute, I'll start wearing my SOS even when not wading in deep water. They
are so comfortable that I forget I have them on.


"Chas Wade" > wrote in message
news:T4eXb.31202$uV3.53815@attbi_s51...
> "Larry L" > wrote:
> >
> >WEAR YOUR WADING BELT .... mine may have made the difference today
> >
>
> My son Andy is often wading too deep, but has yet to scare himself.
> (He's scared me several times) Just before Christmas he did one of
> those impossible crossings, so I got him an SOSpenders wading belt. He
> actually wears it. It's a wading bely with a fairly small packet on it
> that has a bright yellow handle sticking out. Pull the handle and the
> C02 cartridge inflated a Coast Guard approved type IV PFD.
>
> I haven't bought one for myself, because I stay away from the tougher
> wading spots, but it could be the lifesaver you need if it doesn't go
> so well next time.
>
> Chas
> remove fly fish to reply
> http://home.comcast.net/~chas.wade/wsb/html/view.cgi-home.html-.html
> San Juan Pictures at:
> http://home.comcast.net/~chasepike/wsb/index.html
>
>

[Bob Patton]

"Anglerboy" > wrote in message
...
> Dear Larry,
> Whew! I took a few trips like that, especially while tippy-toeing down
the
> McCloud, back in the days when I was a kamikaze wader. The water wasn't
> very fast, but it sure was cold. Luckily, I never drifted very far. Oh
> yeah, and if you go into the drink and things get serious--LET GO OF YOUR
> ROD! Rods are cheap, compared to a life.
>
> About the wading belt. . . I think the main thing it's good for is
keeping
> you dry and warm, but only south of where you wear it on your waders. I
> don't know about you, but the first thing that happens to me when I
submerge
> in cold water is that I exhale. Woof! Which is exactly the opposite of
> what I ought to be doing: holding my breath or inhaling. Logically,
though,
> if my waders fill up with water I should maintain a neutral bouyancy,
since
> water floats in water, and so do my neoprenes. The weight of my boots,
> however, might tend to keep me upright. With the belt on, might there be
> the possibility, if you fall in over your head, that any air trapped in
your
> waders would float to the top, giving you an inverted position? On the
> other hand, if I'm wading along fairly deep, I guess most of the air would
> have been forced out of my waders by the pressure of the water. This is a
> conundrum.
>
//snip//

BT. DT. Once when caught in a flash flood, and again when I just stepped in
a deep hole out of carelessness.
Giving up your rod is a mistake, IMHO. It actually makes a pretty decent
paddle/rudder.
As for the wading belt, I think you are correct that in the water it makes
little difference. Some people say it traps air in the waders and makes
one's legs float, but I have not found that to be a problem, possibly
because my boots keep the feet down. The big problem is that when your
waders fill with water it becomes very hard to maneuver when out of the
water. For example, climbing up a bank to get out of the river is damned
tough when you're cold, scared (or mad), and with your body and legs in a
bag of water. Then, with all your clothes wet, you have hypothermia to worry
about.

Bob

[Larry L]

I'll research that CO2 belt

The "funny" thing is that I have a CO2 Sterns fishing vest .... but I only
wear it boat fishing, when I was young and even more foolish, I used to
stand on the seat of my 8 foot pram ... one time my wet sneakers slipped and
I nearly went overboard, a long way from shore in a lake. It was summer
and hot, so when I got in close to shore in chest deep water I hopped
overboard to see how hard it would be to get back in the pram if I fell out
..... bought the CO2 vest before the next trip !!!

Think it may get some big water wading use in the future

[Larry L]

"Bob Patton" <rwpmailatcharterdotnet> wrote

.. The big problem is that when your
> waders fill with water it becomes very hard to maneuver when out of the
> water. For example, climbing up a bank to get out of the river is damned
>

That is why I mentioned the belt I was in about waist deep water just
above where it falls off to much deeper. I slipped and rode the fast
current over that lip into water about shoulder deep ( over wader deep, for
sure ) the top part of the waders filled, my shirt and vest filled, and
climbing back up the underwater "lip" even on the less steep bottom end of
the hole was very hard .... with full waders it would have been harder

Another quick tale ... South SF bay ( Alviso Slough access ) .... BIG storm
...while duck hunting in a small boat. I pulled my waders off and suggested
my buddy do so, but he wanted "to stay dry" .... the seas were rough
enough we were taking waves over the boat and bailing constantly ......
finally made it off the rough bay into the slough, then the dock My buddy
could NOT get out of the boat or even off his seat ... he had taken enough
spray to fill his waders and the weight made it impossible for him to move
!!! Full waders are NOT a good thing

[Larry L]

I had a digital camera in my shirt pocket ... it no longer works :-( ....
I'll leave it on a heater duct overnight ... maybe ?? when it dries out
completely

[troutbum_mt]

says...
> Perhaps some hardy soul with a swimming pool might experiement around and
> report the results to us.

Or you could just ask Frank Reid. I hear that he has it down to a
science. <g>
--
Warren
(use troutbum_mt (at) yahoo to reply via email)
For Conclave Info:
http://www.geocities.com/troutbum_mt3/MadisonConclave.html

[troutbum_mt]

says...
> I'll research that CO2 belt

Larry,

Glad to hear you are okay. You may be interested in these too.
http://www.sospenders.com/sundial/fishing.html

I have used these under my fishing vest before. They are a damn good
product IMO and not nearly as "bulky" as they look in the pics. Here is
the specific model I have used in the past and would like to purchase at
some point. It's just too easy to put off though....

http://www.sospenders.com/product/8030385.html
--
Warren
(use troutbum_mt (at) yahoo to reply via email)
For Conclave Info:
http://www.geocities.com/troutbum_mt3/MadisonConclave.html

[troutbum_mt]

says...
> I had a digital camera in my shirt pocket ... it no longer works :-( ....
> I'll leave it on a heater duct overnight ... maybe ?? when it dries out
> completely

By some electrical contact cleaner and spray it in any orifice of the
camera you can find that won't cause damage. The spray I use can be
bought at auto parts stores, etc and is a quick drying formulaa that has
worked well for me in the past.
--
Warren
(use troutbum_mt (at) yahoo to reply via email)
For Conclave Info:
http://www.geocities.com/troutbum_mt3/MadisonConclave.html

[brian sasaki]

Larry L wrote:
> just walked in the door, still wet, after a couple hours on and, IN, my
> local river
>
> Mix a terrible clutz ( me) with deep, fast water and you end up with this
> story of a slip and a hat floating ride/ swim down some nasty water. I was
> too busy to be scared, but after getting to shore, safe, realized it could
> have very easily gone the other way ... very deep, very fast, very cold
> ...... glad to still be here .... even ROFF seems better than dead <G>
>
> WEAR YOUR WADING BELT .... mine may have made the difference today
>
> oh, yeah, I caught a few, but maybe I'll post later for suggestions .... I
> need a cyber guide .. I just don't know how to fish this much water

Larry,

Glade to hear you're ok. FWIW, i've read that if you keep your wading
belt at the top of your waders, the odds of survivng something bad is
greatly increased. When your belt is low, around your waist, the water
pressure will force water into the waders. Wish I could remember where I
read that. It had some good saftey info from tests done by a whitewater
rescue team.

brians

[Roger Ohlund]

"Anglerboy" > wrote in message
...
> Dear Larry,
> Whew! I took a few trips like that, especially while tippy-toeing down
the
> McCloud, back in the days when I was a kamikaze wader. The water wasn't
> very fast, but it sure was cold. Luckily, I never drifted very far. Oh
> yeah, and if you go into the drink and things get serious--LET GO OF YOUR
> ROD! Rods are cheap, compared to a life.
>
> About the wading belt. . . I think the main thing it's good for is
keeping
> you dry and warm, but only south of where you wear it on your waders. I
> don't know about you, but the first thing that happens to me when I
submerge
> in cold water is that I exhale. Woof! Which is exactly the opposite of
> what I ought to be doing: holding my breath or inhaling. Logically,
though,
> if my waders fill up with water I should maintain a neutral bouyancy,
since
> water floats in water, and so do my neoprenes. The weight of my boots,
> however, might tend to keep me upright. With the belt on, might there be
> the possibility, if you fall in over your head, that any air trapped in
your
> waders would float to the top, giving you an inverted position? On the
> other hand, if I'm wading along fairly deep, I guess most of the air would
> have been forced out of my waders by the pressure of the water. This is a
> conundrum.
>
> Perhaps some hardy soul with a swimming pool might experiement around and
> report the results to us.
>
> Breathe deep,
> Anglerboy
>

I have tried it on purpose and in a river. It was a section with deep and
fast running water that I knew would shallow out 25 meters downstream.
I wouldn't have passed the shallow part without some serious effort ;-)
The thing is that if you on purpose trap air in you wader's legs they tend
to hold you afloat.
Pull your legs towards your stomach and hold your arms out perpendicular to
your abdomen, as were your arms wings.
Try to keep as much air in your lungs as possible, and yes I know it is
easier to do if you're prepared to fall in, you will then float without too
much effort.
Of course there are things that might make the situation worse, submerged
rocks, big waves and so on and you might get submerged yourself but if you
can hold your breath the air in your waders will lift you to the surface
again.
Try to remember to float downstream feet first and head last will you, else
this discussion will matter very little ;-)

/Roger

[Frank Reid]

> WEAR YOUR WADING BELT .... mine may have made the difference today
Larry, glad your okay. That is very scary. Do that at Penns and you can
get yourself a Duck Butt Award.
When I was stationed in California, we had an Airman disapear while on a fly
fishing trip. They found his body 2 1/2 weeks later on a sweeper (an
underwater snag). The report mentioned that he did not wear a wading belt.
It was presumed that he fell in, the waders filled with water and prevented
him from swimming (he was a very strong swimmer and surfer).
I've seen others in this thread question the efficacy of wading belts. All
kidding aside, I've been dunked both with and without them. I am a strong
swimmer. Let me put it plainly, A WADING BELT MAY SAVE YOUR LIFE. When you
go under, you need every bit of advantage and luck you can get. Without a
wading belt, your waders become a sea anchor.
Imagine this: two people fall in to fast current, both of equal swimming
abilities and size. The both set up to go downstream, feet first (as is
proper), floating on their backs. They hold onto their rods at a 45 degree
angle from their belly to their head. This helps keep you from getting hung
up on streamside branches (do the same with your oar if you fall out of your
canoe or kayak). The one with the wading belt has bouancy on his legs. His
butt is down, feet are up, with the wading belt holding air in the waders.
He slides over sweepers and is carried over eddies. He can use his arms to
guide him to shore or calmer water.
However, the guy without the wading belt has his waders fill with water.
His feet go down in the water, catching sweepers. The waders act like a
parachute or that sea anchor, catching every current and downward eddy,
pushing him down. His chances of reaching shore alive are substantially
reduced.
For safety, I wear a wading belt and have a one thumb-opening, curved-blade,
serrated-edged knife in the top shoulder pocket of my vest (on the opposite
side of my dominant hand). The knife is there to cut me out of gear if I
get in trouble. The serrated edge will cut through nylon straps. It
works. I've got the shredded bellyboat to prove it.
If I'm in water of thigh deep or deeper, I have a wading staff and
So-spenders. I've already used the wading staff a couple of times to get me
out of trouble. I jammed it length-wise into a chute and hauled myself out
on the Rapid.
Life is too short. My daughter wants to go to Yale, I don't want it to be
financed with my insurance money.
--
Frank Reid
Reverse email to reply

[Frank Reid]

> I had a digital camera in my shirt pocket ... it no longer works :-(
.....
> I'll leave it on a heater duct overnight ... maybe ?? when it dries out
> completely

If the batteries were in it, it may be a lost cause. Take the batteries out
to dry it, give it a few days (they will hold water) on edge with every
little hatch open.
--
Frank Reid
Reverse email to reply

[Don Phillipson]

> "Bob Patton" <rwpmailatcharterdotnet> wrote
>
> . The big problem is that when your
> > waders fill with water it becomes very hard to maneuver when out of the
> > water. For example, climbing up a bank to get out of the river is damned

This seems a bit silly, but I think all the classic
advisers (Ray Bergman, Lee Wulff etc.) included
the obvious advice. As soon as you reach crawling
depth water, just lie on your back and hold your
legs up. You cannot get any wetter, but you can
stand up when your waders are empty.

--
Don Phillipson
Carlsbad Springs (Ottawa, Canada)

[Scott M. Knowles]

"Larry L" > wrote in message >...
> just walked in the door, still wet, after a couple hours on and, IN, my
> local river
>
> WEAR YOUR WADING BELT .... mine may have made the difference today

The better advise is wear the SOS inflatable suspenders, or something
similar, as suggested. It's why the federal agencies, such as the
USGS, and some state agencies, that have field people wading rivers,
follow specified safety procedures, or risk getting disciplinary
action, including dismissal. This also applies when they use cableways
to make discharge measurements.

Some agencies also have criteria to determine if the stream or river
is even wadeable for the complete width, since they have to make depth
and velocity measurements across the stream/river. It's the factor
10, the maximum depth times the maximum velocity, especially if the
two coincide in the same place in the cross-section. Some people may
only wade a factor 8 because they're shorter or lighter, and some can
wade up to a factor 12+ for the opposite reasons.

Every USGS streamgager can remember those moments when the river did
or almost decide their standing (figuratively and physically) in the
river, myself included. Glad you're ok and only got mentally and
physically wet. Take care.

[Bob Patton]

"Frank Reid" <moc.deepselbac@diersicnarf> wrote in message
...
> > WEAR YOUR WADING BELT .... mine may have made the difference today
//snip//
> proper), floating on their backs. They hold onto their rods at a 45
degree
> angle from their belly to their head. This helps keep you from getting
hung
> up on streamside branches (do the same with your oar if you fall out of
your
> canoe or kayak). The one with the wading belt has bouancy on his legs.
His
> butt is down, feet are up, with the wading belt holding air in the waders.
> He slides over sweepers and is carried over eddies. He can use his arms
to
> guide him to shore or calmer water.
> However, the guy without the wading belt has his waders fill with water.
> His feet go down in the water, catching sweepers. The waders act like a
> parachute or that sea anchor, catching every current and downward eddy,
> pushing him down. His chances of reaching shore alive are substantially
> reduced.
> For safety, I wear a wading belt and have a one thumb-opening,
curved-blade,
> serrated-edged knife in the top shoulder pocket of my vest (on the
opposite
> side of my dominant hand). The knife is there to cut me out of gear if I
> get in trouble. The serrated edge will cut through nylon straps. It
> works. I've got the shredded bellyboat to prove it.
//snip//

Excellent points. I hadn't thought about the chance of feet getting caught.
Good advice to keep feet and head up and butt down. My wading belt goes near
the top of my waders, and actually makes them more comfortable.

My no. 1 daughter used to guide rafting trips, and tells about a high school
kid who fell out of a raft, got his foot entrapped between rocks, and
drowned in less than two feet of water.
Bob

[Larry L]

"Frank Reid" <moc.deepselbac@diersicnarf> wrote

> For safety, I wear a wading belt and have a one thumb-opening,
curved-blade,
> serrated-edged knife in the top shoulder pocket of my vest (on the
opposite
> side of my dominant hand). The knife is there to cut me out of gear if I
> get in trouble. The serrated edge will cut through nylon straps. It
> works.

Good stuff Frank

I've got a knife that sounds identical ... and, again, I consider it
required "boat equipment" ( pram, kickboat, float tube, or my 14 ft
duckboat ) but have never carried it wading.

Most of my wading has been on smaller streams and/ or very "user friendly"
places like Henry's Fork. Even places like the Madison that look big and
raging, I just wade the edges and one can fall down and go boom with little
risk beyond wounded dignity and bruised macho self image <G>. Some places
are really dangerous, however, if you are going to be carried into rocky, or
deep water, or areas with sweepers.

An incident on the Yellowstone last summer ( do NOT step on the tan bare
spots ... they are snot slick clay from thermal vents :-), and this one,
make me think that I need to give more respect to the power of water. In
both cases I barely stumbled, but the water completed the job by lifting me
off my feet and moving me where it wanted me to go. Partly, I'm not young
and strong, ( indeed I'm nearly the opposite :-( ) and with weak ankles and
a huge gut I'm top heavy on a poor foundation, things I tend to try and
ignore rather than accept and compensate for with extra caution and
preparation .... regardless, water has great power and I'm going to respect
the energy in moving water more in the future.

[rw]

Greg Pavlov wrote:
> On Sat, 14 Feb 2004 06:47:41 GMT, "Larry L"
> > wrote:
>
>
>>I had a digital camera in my shirt pocket ... it no longer works :-( ....
>>I'll leave it on a heater duct overnight ... maybe ?? when it dries out
>>completely
>
>
>
> I hope that you removed the battery. I'd wait at
> least two days, and try my best to make sure that
> it is truly dry all the way through before trying
> to turn it on. I keep my digital camera and phone
> in baggies, the kind that have blue and yellow edges
> that appear green when the baggie is sealed,
> and I replace the baggies every three or four times
> out. I wiped out two cell phones in dunkings 4
> months apart before I got this routine down.

It's not only "digital" cameras that are at risk in a dunking. Virtually
all modern cameras, film or digital, are toast if they get soaked. I've
ruined two -- one film camera and one digital.

The baggie solution works, but I find it a pain-in-the ass to get the
camera out of the baggie every time I want to take a photo. You'll get
far better results if your camera is immediately available, especially
for action shots of Frank Reid doing headers in the rapids. :-) For me,
the added hassle of removing the camera from a pocket, and then removing
it from the baggie, and then storing the baggie so it doesn't get wet,
and then putting the camera back in the baggie, and then putting it back
in a pocket, is discouraging. All I end up with are hero shots of
Bruiser holding big fish. :-)

Now I use a "water resistant" camera. It's a Kodak DC5000 that I got
cheap on eBay. The battery compartment, the CompactFlash compartment,
the lens, and all the external buttons and switches are resistant to
low-pressure water. I just hang it around my neck, tucked into my
waders, and don't worry about it. The Kodak DC5000 is a fairly old
model. There are probably other models of water resistant digital
cameras available that may be better -- I don't keep up-to-date on that
stuff.

--
Cut "to the chase" for my email address.

[Larry L]

"rw" > wrote

>
> The baggie solution works, but I find it a pain-in-the ass


Actually, I've been shopping for a water resistant digital anyway. My wife
can't go with me on my summer trips but loves daily e-mails and photos
uploaded to a special family section of my domain. I started to get a
Pentax model, but the camera shop guy ( also a fly fisher ) suggested
waiting until just before I leave for the summer .... since upgrades happen
regularily and prices are going down, not up ...good chance of a better deal
if I wait.

I only had the now drowned one with me because I was going to post photo
links and ask for suggestions on fishing this water ... I'm overwhelmed by
it, not even really sure where the fish "ought" to be.

I got ONE photo downloaded before the camera quit .... a very bad photo that
doesn't really give a decent feel of the fishing problem. Since I tried to
use the camera wet ... and judging from the replies here, ... I bet it's
toast at this point, for sure.

Maybe I'll post the one pic .... I'd be real interested in how you guys that
are far better fishermen than myself approach such situations. I pretty
much ignore the local river, cause I don't know how to make it produce ...
but others catch reasonable numbers and size of fish there. In Winter,
before irrigation, it's only big water, after the flows go up it's too big
to interest me, period ... but I could get a few extra days/ year in if I
figure out the lower flow times.

[Willi]

Chas Wade wrote:

> "Larry L" > wrote:
>
>>WEAR YOUR WADING BELT .... mine may have made the difference today
>>
>
>
> My son Andy is often wading too deep, but has yet to scare himself.
> (He's scared me several times) Just before Christmas he did one of
> those impossible crossings, so I got him an SOSpenders wading belt. He
> actually wears it. It's a wading bely with a fairly small packet on it
> that has a bright yellow handle sticking out. Pull the handle and the
> C02 cartridge inflated a Coast Guard approved type IV PFD.


I remember you saying he's an extreme skier. Somehow extreme wading just
doesn't match up.

Willi

[Willi]

Larry L wrote:

> Another quick tale ... South SF bay ( Alviso Slough access ) .... BIG storm
> ..while duck hunting in a small boat. I pulled my waders off and suggested
> my buddy do so, but he wanted "to stay dry" .... the seas were rough
> enough we were taking waves over the boat and bailing constantly ......
> finally made it off the rough bay into the slough, then the dock My buddy
> could NOT get out of the boat or even off his seat ... he had taken enough
> spray to fill his waders and the weight made it impossible for him to move
> !!! Full waders are NOT a good thing
>
>

I was a wild man wader when I was young and I took numerous full Reids
each season. I used what were state of the art waders during this time -
Seal Drys. For those of you that don't know Seal Drys, they were made
of unlined rubber, sort of like an inner tube. They could hold an
amazing amount of water. When you tried to leave the water, they'd
balloon out making it impossible to walk and making you look like the
Michelin Man.

I think that improvements in waders are the advance I appreciate most
since I started fly fishing. It used to be that waders didn't keep you
dry, they just kept you from getting too wet.

Willi

[Bob Weinberger]

"Anglerboy" > wrote in message
...

<snip>
> With the belt on, might there be
> the possibility, if you fall in over your head, that any air trapped in
your
> waders would float to the top, giving you an inverted position?
<snip>

> Anglerboy
>
>

Just wondering, would this even be an issue with breathable waders? I'm
sure some air would be held by the waders, just as one can fashion an
emergency life preserver using cotton pants with the legs tied. But I
can't help but think that the "air trapped in the legs" issue applies
primarily to non-breathables.


--
Bob Weinberger
La, Grande, OR

place a dot between bobs and stuff and remove invalid to send email

[Chas Wade]

Willi > wrote:
>
>
>I remember you saying he's an extreme skier. Somehow extreme wading
>just
>doesn't match up.
>

You get your adrenaline where you can. Whether it's on the river or
the mountain, he just has to go where no man has gone before.

Chas
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[Chas Wade]

"Bob Weinberger" > wrote:
>
>Just wondering, would this even be an issue with breathable waders?
>I'm
>sure some air would be held by the waders, just as one can fashion an
>emergency life preserver using cotton pants with the legs tied. But I
>can't help but think that the "air trapped in the legs" issue applies
>primarily to non-breathables.
>
Air can pass through the breathables, but at a remarkably slow rate.
For the issues discussed here, they're as air-tight as Seal Dries.

Chas
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[Wolfgang]

"Chas Wade" > wrote in message
news:yKEXb.40312$uV3.71702@attbi_s51...
> Willi > wrote:
> >
> >
> >I remember you saying he's an extreme skier. Somehow extreme wading
> >just
> >doesn't match up.
> >
>
> You get your adrenaline where you can. Whether it's on the river or
> the mountain, he just has to go where no man has gone before.

Hm.....

A successful defense of the logic behind going fishing instead of removing
the wallpaper in the bathroom.

A teenagers closet.

Ignoring a ten week old puppy.

Attending a Superbowl party naked as a blow against repressive social mores.

Stopping to ask for directions.

Asking her to drive because you're really not very good at this.

Hosting a Tupperware party.

Wolfgang
LOTS of frontiers left out there. :)

[Larry L]

"Willi" > wrote

> Seal Drys. For those of you that don't know Seal Drys, they were made
> of unlined rubber, sort of like an inner tube. They could hold an
> amazing amount of water.


Oh, I remember .... they would tear, ( not just little holes, inches long
rips ), at the THOUGHT of berry vines or those sharp willow spikes beavers
leave behind, and they actually cost a fair amount of money .... they also
concentrated the heat of the sun's rays and baked, ( a kind of steamed
boiling might be more accurate ) the occupant ......yes, I'd have to agree,
the modern breathable wader is the item I most appreciate.

[Jonathan Cook]

Chas Wade > wrote in message news:<yKEXb.40312$uV3.71702@attbi_s51>...

> You get your adrenaline where you can. Whether it's on the river or
> the mountain, he just has to go where no man has gone before.

Chas, and everyone else,

Some of you may remember me posting a TR and some photos of
fishing the upper Bow river this past summer. What I didn't
tell, and haven't really told hardly anyone, was that while
wading near the mouth of the Maligne river in Jasper nat'l
park the body of a tourist floated through the run I was
fishing. He was too far out and the helicopter showed up
simultaneously, so I watched the crew pull him out a short
bit downriver, perform the mandatory but useless at this
point CPR, and gave my statement to the police.

Water is an extremely powerful force in nature, and it is
not to be trifled with. Tell your son that you really don't
want to see the helicopter looking for him downstream
someday.

Jon.

[rw]

Jonathan Cook wrote:
> Chas Wade > wrote in message news:<yKEXb.40312$uV3.71702@attbi_s51>...
>
>
>>You get your adrenaline where you can. Whether it's on the river or
>>the mountain, he just has to go where no man has gone before.
>
>
> Chas, and everyone else,
>
> Some of you may remember me posting a TR and some photos of
> fishing the upper Bow river this past summer. What I didn't
> tell, and haven't really told hardly anyone, was that while
> wading near the mouth of the Maligne river in Jasper nat'l
> park the body of a tourist floated through the run I was
> fishing. He was too far out and the helicopter showed up
> simultaneously, so I watched the crew pull him out a short
> bit downriver, perform the mandatory but useless at this
> point CPR, and gave my statement to the police.

Great story, Jon. The "tourist" tag kinds of gets under my skin, though.
Weren't you a tourist? Are Bow locals somehow immune to drowning?

> Water is an extremely powerful force in nature, and it is
> not to be trifled with. Tell your son that you really don't
> want to see the helicopter looking for him downstream
> someday.

I've met Andy. In fact, I slept in his bedroom. (He wasn't there.) He
can take care of himself. He's a grownup.

--
Cut "to the chase" for my email address.

[Scott Seidman]

rw > wrote in news:402e4b39$0$208
:

> It's not only "digital" cameras that are at risk in a dunking. Virtually
> all modern cameras, film or digital, are toast if they get soaked. I've
> ruined two -- one film camera and one digital.

Most "weatherproof" point and shoots will make it through just fine, so
long as its in the closed position when they get dunked. My Yashica Super
T4 has seen the top of a river from below the surface more than once.

Scott

[Jonathan Cook]

rw > wrote in message >...
>
>Weren't you a tourist? Are Bow locals somehow immune to drowning?

Of course I was. I talked with the rescue crew and the
police. They knew who he was and where he was from. What
other word would you like me to use to describe someone
visiting a national park?

> can take care of himself. He's a grownup.

I don't doubt it. I also know what it's like to be a
young man and I know almost all of us have had a little
slip (or more) near the edge and thought "whew, that was
a close one." Odds are most of us won't experience a big
one, but Chas sounded like he had fatherly concern about
some of his son's wading habits, and if a (true) story
like mine could make him or someone else out there think
twice somewhere, then it's worth telling.

Jon.

[Wayne Harrison]

"Scott Seidman" > wrote

My Yashica Super
> T4

the best value in point and shoots *ever*, imo.

yfitons
wayno

[Scott Seidman]

"Wayne Harrison" > wrote in news:6d6Yb.11750$eL2.1239787
@twister.southeast.rr.com:

>
> "Scott Seidman" > wrote
>
> My Yashica Super
>> T4
>
> the best value in point and shoots *ever*, imo.
>
> yfitons
> wayno
>
>
>

The Zeiss engineer who came up with that lens was blessed on that
particular day (at least thats what the Kodak guys who try Kodak film in
point and shoots for a living say).

Scott

[rb608]

"Greg Pavlov" > wrote in message
> Yes, it's just about anything electronicaloid: almost none
> of it is designed with any real exposure in mind. I've
> blown away a few wlkiew-talkies as well.

Same here. I've lost at least 4 FRS radios through water exposure. Okay,
the two that got hosed down in the car fire were expected losses, but I lost
a couple more at an amusement park through a less-thorough wetting. It's
strictly zip-lock bags for me now whenever water is a possibility.

Joe F.

[George]

Unfortunately, you probably had circuitry shorts with power (battery in
camera) applied. However, if you want to give it a try what you do is: 1)
remove any batteries 2) rinse camera thoroughly with distilled water (many
minerals conduct electricity) and 3) wait to dry thoroughly before trying (a
week isn't out of the question if you haven't disassembled it for this
cleaning).
Hope you're luckier with the camera...

"Larry L" > wrote in message
...
> I had a digital camera in my shirt pocket ... it no longer works :-(
.....
> I'll leave it on a heater duct overnight ... maybe ?? when it dries out
> completely
>
>

[Chas Wade]

(Jonathan Cook) wrote:
>Chas, and everyone else,
>
>Some of you may remember me posting a TR and some photos of
>fishing the upper Bow river this past summer. What I didn't
>tell, and haven't really told hardly anyone, was that while
>wading near the mouth of the Maligne river in Jasper nat'l
>park the body of a tourist floated through the run I was
>fishing. He was too far out and the helicopter showed up
>simultaneously, so I watched the crew pull him out a short
>bit downriver, perform the mandatory but useless at this
>point CPR, and gave my statement to the police.
>
>Water is an extremely powerful force in nature, and it is
>not to be trifled with. Tell your son that you really don't
>want to see the helicopter looking for him downstream
>someday.
>
>Jon.

I just got home from a ski trip, so the reply was delayed. Thanks for
the story, I'll pass it on.

Chas
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[Chas Wade]

rw > wrote:
>
>I've met Andy. In fact, I slept in his bedroom. (He wasn't there.) He
>can take care of himself. He's a grownup.
>
Thanks for that Steve.

Chas
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