# Wade Fishing Tips



## testoner (Oct 18, 2014)

I've had the chance to wade fish with a few folks over the last month. I thought I would put out a few tips that may help some folks out as I've been PM'd a few times about it. 

The biggest thing I noticed is most people wade fishing for the first time, particularly on the flats, move way too fast. When I was growing up, my dad told me to watch the storks and how they moved. Slow, and deliberate. No splashes or wakes. You should be moving the same. If you hear yourself moving, you are doing it way to fast. Fish hear sound just like us and feel vibrations. They hear the scraping and water moving and feel the low frequency vibrations of the water movement. The key is to minimize it. 

The other things it the "Stingray shuffle". I know I'm about to cause a huge debate here, but I don't think it is needed and it is detrimental to what you are doing if you move correctly. Shuffling your feet on the bottom causes noise and vibrations that will scare fish. If you move as described above, you will give plenty of warning to any lurking Stingrays. Every person I've seen or know who was stung by a Stingray was moving fast or landed on it after jumping from a boat. After years of wade-fishing, I have yet to be stung even thought there are tons in the area I fish. And I wade fish, on average, 2-3 times a week through the year. I wear wade shoes to protect my feet and encourage that. But, it is less for Stingrays than stones, shells, etc. 

The third thing is fish where you are wading towards vice just splashing out to the location. You will be surprised at what you catch by fishing the route to where you want to fish. This is really the case this winter. NLytle really schooled me on the really shallow water fish this winter. I tend be catching more on the wade out than when I'm at my "destination" this winter. 

I really do feel that wading puts you in touch with the water far better than any other type of fishing. You learn to read the bottom with your feet and see subtle movements that indicate fish in the area. That helps you when you do other types of fishing like form a kayak or boat. 

Tight lines.


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## dabutcher (Apr 19, 2008)

That is some great info.

Are there wading shoes that will stop a stingray's barb?


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## testoner (Oct 18, 2014)

I doubt the barb with penetrate the sole or nylon side material of most wading shoes. Most stings I've seen have actually been to the ankle or calf. Probably due the the fish arching when it reacts to being stepped on. There are wading shoes out there that are more like dive booties and have neoprene sides. Again, the key is to avoid stepping on them from my view. Wading properly helps with that I feel.


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## olvart (Dec 25, 2014)

Thanks,great post.


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## culinarypunk (Feb 22, 2016)

I'm reading a lot of posts ahead of my 1st trip to Florida and Pensacola. This is a great tip. Thank you!


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## NLytle (May 13, 2014)

I recently started wade fishing and have fished with Tommy on multiple occasions. He's a stealth machine and I move around like a drunk elephant. 

I have been catching a few more fish and I believe it's because I have been moving slower. I'm starting to prefer wading to the kayak. 


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## LIM-IT-OUT (Aug 26, 2014)

You ever notice that most serious flats fishermen from the keys to Texas all wade fish... plenty of logic behind it and I truly believe there is no better way only louder alternatives.

As for the rays... I hope to never have to feel that pain. Ive been next to sharks and stung by jelly fish plenty of times but nothing scares me more then a ray, the thought of a barb in the foot.... yea pass the jelly fish stings please


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## TroutSupport (Aug 15, 2013)

I absolutely love being in the water wading and catching fish... it adds a whole level of enjoyment to it that I can't find in other methods. Good info above. 

Many that step on rays are walking normally in less than clear water, or like above, many are hit while wading or swimming in deeper water that they can't see the bottom and they step onto them. Many also step backward onto them when they get off balance for some reason by stepping into a crab hole or loosing footing while fighting a fish. I have seen rays trail a wader because of the muddy water they created. They are searching for food and usually trail reds create 'muds' like that and they'll find shrimp the reds are feeding on. I still shuffle my feet and make long cast and read the water further away from me. 

The barb is not the big deal. Yeah, it hurts like hell... but it's the infection that will put an angler down for several months. I'm ok making a little noise if to be safe. Sight casting to fish that one is stalking is a part of wading and it can be accomplished at longer ranges by reading the water and looking for the sign of the fish. Does one need to be quiet, absolutely. 
good info.


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## testoner (Oct 18, 2014)

Great points about fishing further out if you drag your feet. I think you have to decide on whether you want the close game or the long game like you describe. If you drag your feet in the ray shuffle, you will likely be in the long game initially. I prefer to be able to get close from the get go. I've literally been so close to feeding reds that I barely tossed my lure/fly feet from me while wading and my arm movement is what typically scare them, not me walking. That takes very careful, slow movement. You are right, you can cast further and they will come back closer after they settle down a bit if the bait/conditions that took them there in the first place remain. Inevitably, I always manage to lose my balance at least once while wading and splash around so I scare fish regardless of how I moved there. Usually, this is when I'm on fishing and at some weird angle like trying to cast to my right rear. It sometimes shuts the bite down, but they almost always come back.

I think how you move comes down to your concern level with rays. Mine is near zero most of the time, but I have some time in the water both fishing and "working". I move slowly without dragging and that gives them time to move. I don't plod through the water. I really slow it down even more moving through water that is deeper, murky or has thicker grass. If you don't feel comfortable, by all means do the shuffle. I also never go in water above my waist when wade fishing. Two reasons for that. First, I don't want my gear (I wear a waist/sling pack) getting dunked/wet. Second, most shark bites happen with those who are wading in water above the waist. The two sharks I have seen while wading here have both been in waist deep water and were cruising along at that depth. Two is enough data points for me to buy into the waist deep theory. At night, I almost never go above the knees. 

Two videos to watch that one might find interesting. One is a video of someone actually getting stung (recorded by chance) and the other is...well, I'll let you watch. You can call the did crazy or experienced. Probably a bit of both.


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## Hawkseye (Feb 17, 2012)

I grew up wade fishing almost daily on the north side of Santa Rosa sound and at the time...you not only had to keep a sharp eye out for stingray and sharks (which I've seen in the knee high shallows) but you had to watch out for alligators (very big ones). They are no fun. They can be on bottom or top and will scare the hell out of you.


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## testoner (Oct 18, 2014)

Hawkseye said:


> I grew up wade fishing almost daily on the north side of Santa Rosa sound and at the time...you not only had to keep a sharp eye out for stingray and sharks (which I've seen in the knee high shallows) but you had to watch out for alligators (very big ones). They are no fun. They can be on bottom or top and will scare the hell out of you.


I can deal with sharks and rays all day long. Alligators are the one animal that I have had actively "stalk" me. Like, literally following me along the bank in the water waiting for the chance to pounce. I thought I was good in the salt water of the sound here until Monday when I found a blog video from Louisiana that had a kayak fisherman catching reds and then a gator shot of the bank right by them unexpectedly. I thought, that is just LA. Thanks for ruining my day Hawkseye! :thumbdown:


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## Hawkseye (Feb 17, 2012)

testoner said:


> I can deal with sharks and rays all day long. Alligators are the one animal that I have had actively "stalk" me. Like, literally following me along the bank in the water waiting for the chance to pounce. I thought I was good in the salt water of the sound here until Monday when I found a blog video from Louisiana that had a kayak fisherman catching reds and then a gator shot of the bank right by them unexpectedly. I thought, that is just LA. Thanks for ruining my day Hawkseye! :thumbdown:


If it makes you feel any better, I haven't seen one in the salt water with my own eyes in about... ahhhhhh..16 years. Most of them were poached, relocated and generally run off by people moving to the water. Last one I saw was under the north side of the Garcon point bridge. A very big one appeared out of nowhere and chased my topwater spook back in towards shore (right back to where I was hauling my younger ass back toward higher ground.)

Just keep in mind that if you're anywhere near sawgrass or freshwater inlets or drain inlets......you should really pay attention and keep your eyes open for them because they are still out there. 

I think there was a photo on here last year taken of one in the shallows out at Fort Pickens.


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## Hawkseye (Feb 17, 2012)

Here it is....


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## Hawkseye (Feb 17, 2012)

One more thing. If they're sitting on the bottom in one of these muddy bottom grass beds that red fish love so much...you'll never see them. It looks like the bottom starts moving.

Happy wading. :thumbsup:


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## FreeLine (Oct 5, 2007)

I have seen one in the sound - after a storm.


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## testoner (Oct 18, 2014)

Crazy stuff.


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