If you're anything like me, there are few things that are better or more fun than grabbing your fishing gear, stepping into your waders, and heading out to fish your favorite river. There's nothing more relaxing for me than standing in the middle of o flowing river, attempting to catch a few trout. Wade fishing is easily my favorite form of fishing, but with wading comes a few safety issues that I wanted to review. This might sound as if its second nature, but you simply never know when you might slip and take that wet and wild ride down your favorite river, on your AS#! Keep these simple points in mind, and hopefully that wet and wild ride will be avoided.

Always Have A Foot on the Bottom - This sounds simple, but its still important. You always want to have contact with the bottom. Have a solid foot hold, before taking the next step. Getting in a hurry causes a lot of people to slip and fall while wading. Take your time; the fish will wait on you.

Wading Sticks - In the springtime, many times we have to wade in water that's quite high from run-off and/or rain. When you have to wade across high water, grab a stick to wade with for support. Some anglers carry wading staffs with them. You can also just grab a stick that's about as tall as you are from the bank, and use this. A wading stick will give you extra support while making it across high water.

Work With The Water - This is probably the best piece of wading advice that I can offer. Rather than fighting the water, work with it. If the water pushes you 50 yards downstream while you're crossing, who cares? In many ways, you need to become one with the water. Work with the water, rather than trying to "fight" it, and you'll be much better off.

Fix Any Leaks - There are few things that are more distracting than having a leak in your waders. And being distracted causes accidents. If you have a leak, even if its tiny, fix it sooner rather than later. There are few things worse than a leaky pair of waders!

Wading safety is really quite important, especially when your favorite river is flowing hard beacase of high water. If you question whether or not you can make it across by looking at the water, don't even try. In most instances you're better safe than sorry. I know from experience that taking that wet and wild ride on your AS# is no fun at all. People actually lose their life from wading accidents, and that's the last thing we need. Just take your time and listen to your gut and everything will be fine. How many times have you thought to yourself, "If I just would have listened to my gut!"? When it comes to wading safety, listen to your gut for God's sake. Listen to your gut and everything will be just fine.

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