Walk before you Run!

"It's about wading staff's"

Wading Jedi / Falling Newbie:

This past May I had an incident where I was one with the water, I Chunky Dunked (story here). Not quite spiritual but definitely a wake up call. Quite ironic considering I've been testing the Fishpond Wading Staff (reviewed here) since March. At this point in my fly fishing (career / adventures) I would say I appreciate a staff more now than ever, at least when wading in waters that are still considered virgin for me. My wading skills aren’t quite up to Jedi specs like Wading Jedi Tom Larimer. Now some may argue they refuse to use such items as a wading staff. Keep it simple, less items out of your way. I get it, I've had line around my staff or other gear too. 

The Difference is in the pudding:

In May Greg and I were able to use Simms Wading staffs on the Deschutes for three days.  This was my first time putting together this style of staff sitting on a picnic table talking shop drinking a whiskey and coke. I probably looked like an inexperienced Michelangelo (Ninja Turtles) flailing this limp stick around (2014/2015 Simms Staff). Eventually I got the hang of it. - It's a learning curve to say the least for any one who has never operated this style of stick. I realized this after Greg's friend Dan went through the same turmoil, but with a few practice go's one eventually figures it out.

No matter what Simms changes or updates, one thing still holds true to this day for their staffs. It's how convenient it is to collapse your staff and have it neatly folded in a sheath, on the water, in a boat or even on land. It took me a few times on the water and maybe a few jokes on my behalf using this style of staff, but eventually I found my groove. Besides its drawbacks I enjoyed this setup quite greatly. Not only is it light weight, thinner than other staffs but the sheath is made of neoprene so it dries quickly.

My advice or reminder to anyone is whether you use a staff or not, walk before you run. Slow down. My day on the river with Tom I tried to keep up with him in the river, but either my PTSD (chunky dunk) or lack of Wading Jedi skills kept me a good rod length behind. I relied more heavily on my staff while wading in the middle of the "D" to fish a particular run. Good thing I made it too, caught a few whitefish, rainbows and had a few more grabs before returning to the boat. I was able to collapse the staff if need be while I worked the run or let it drift to my non casting down river side while I fished with confidence.

Be sure to check out wading staffs and accessories. 

Article by: Mike Prine - The Newbie
Gorge Fly Shop - Webmaster

Let us know your thoughts on wading staffs
and what do you think about collapsible staffs?
"Fly Fish the World with Us"