Wading Staffs

[LynnF]

I've decided, since I'm not the world's most confident wader, that I'm going to buy a wading staff. Been on my mind for a few years, but I've got a specific one in mind that I was once told about. It collapses into a small pouch that you can wear on your wading belt. I found one at the fly shop in Whistler, B.C. a few years ago and I kick myself that I didn't buy it. However, I just lucked out and found what I think I'm looking for on EBAY.

Here's the link: http://cgi.ebay.ca/Collapsible-Wading-Staf...1QQcmdZViewItem

 

Does anyone have a wading stick like this and can tell me the pros or cons? I'm one of those people that believes you get what you pay for and this one seems to be a little on the cheap side (but I don't really know what I should be paying for a good one, or even where to find one that collapses that small).

 

TIA.

[bloom]

I bought one off ebay for my Father, and they work quite good. It's shock cord and folds up into ~10''. Fits in a little pouch that loops onto his wading belt. Make sure it's tied to the pouch.

 

I've used it a few times and it does make a world of difference.

[toolman]

A wading staff with a weighted tip is a good feature. Silver Doctor recently purchase an awesome wading staff that is the best I have ever seen. Hopefully he can share his opinion with you on it. Not sure if it is available in Canada yet, as it was brought over from Scotland by Gordon Macleod (Speyghille), back in May, when he was instructing a Spey School for us.

[bigalcal]

I use a wading staff and I love it, I bought this one at Cabela's and it is great for freestone rivers. I'm not sure how good it would be on mucky bottoms as the sections might pull apart. Pretty reasonable price I ttought.

http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/template...f&noImage=0

[bloom]

I use a wading staff and I love it, I bought this one at Cabela's and it is great for freestone rivers. I'm not sure how good it would be on mucky bottoms as the sections might pull apart. Pretty reasonable price I ttought.

http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/template...f&noImage=0

 

 

That's the one I got off ebay. No concerns with it. Have never had the pieces pull apart when we didn't want them to.

[rhuseby]

Mucky sections are usually when the river is slow and dropping silt, so you probably won't need a staff there.

[bigalcal]

Mucky sections are usually when the river is slow and dropping silt, so you probably won't need a staff there.

I don't use the staff just for wading but also for accessing the areas I like to fish.

The Elk has pretty squishy areas where you have to walk. Also walking to rivers over marshy type areas can get a bit mucky. Even yesterday getting to a pool on the Racehorse I had to cross a placed log over a marsh and when you weigh 240 lbs you don't always trust them so I used the staff for balance etc For the freestone rivers where I normally fish and wade my purchase is more than adequate. I have heard that a ski pole type small basket on some staffs are good for these silty conditions.

[SilverDoctor]

A wading staff with a weighted tip is a good feature. Silver Doctor recently purchase an awesome wading staff that is the best I have ever seen. Hopefully he can share his opinion with you on it. Not sure if it is available in Canada yet, as it was brought over from Scotland by Gordon Macleod (Speyghille), back in May, when he was instructing a Spey School for us.

 

That's right, I purchased the "Sharpes Weighted Spey Wading Staff" from Gordon. On of the best investments I've made in years. It's certainly the Cadillac of staff's. The weighted bottom make it easiy to use, it's a one piece and very positive for balance. I've used a wading staff for about 30 years and now feel totally lost without one. I would highly recommend a staff of some Kind for anyone fly fishing medium to large streams. Although it's been mentioned that people use them in silty and muddy situations the real use of a staff is multi fold. It acts as a third leg and sometimes like a balancing tail. It gives you positive balance when wading. With the lanyard you don't always need to hold the staff. I often walk with the staff dragging behind.

 

The break down staffs are good but I have talked with people who have had them collapse on them at crucial moments. Check out brands and look for POSITIVE locking on the sections. For years I used a metal ski pole with success. Also a good choice, easy to find, but you MUST work in a rubber tip of some sort (like on a cane tip) or you will be telegraphing you presence.

 

A staff hase saved me many times from a plunge, fending off pooches and it makes a great camera pod and easel to mention a few things.

[bigalcal]

"but you MUST work in a rubber tip of some sort (like on a cane tip) or you will be telegraphing you presence. "

 

Perhaps I will devise something for the staff tip. Good advice

[speyghillie]

Hi Silverdoctor and Toolman,

Glad you are putting the Sharpe's Spey Staff to good use silverdoctor, i hope to be back over in September so may be able to take a couple more over, hope we can catch up when i get there as i will be flying into Calgary.

Going to the CLA next weekend so will see all the new products, its the biggest fishing show in the world with lots of new products, if anybody needs a Sharpe's Spey staff let me know, and i will try and bring some over with me, they are one piece with a measure on the side, weighted bottom and made from steel with a rubber foot.

Speak to you soon.

Gordon.

[Jeremy]

Hi Lynn. My wife and I have the Ebay staff you show there. They are quite nice and include a rubber tip to keep things a little quieter. We are very happy. I could post some pictures if you like.

 

Jeremy

[Pipestoneflyguy]

I use a adjustable ski pole too - works great. I share the fear that a shock corded unit that doesn't lock could bind and pop too easily. Last year a local shop gave me a couple adjustable poles (Leki) to product test and they work excellent, they come with rubber tips for stealth mode and also have built in shock absorbers (I also bought winter baskets for snowshoeing and X country skiing) - the shock absorbers make a real difference on long downhills.- they adjust pretty short so once you hike to where you want to fish you can put them both, or just one on the pack instead. (and you can turn the shock absorber part off too)

 

After we all ooed and awed at the weighted version (which is awesome) I tried filling the lower section of a adj ski pole with sand (sealed in with a bit of epoxy poured in) but it wasn't heavy enough to work properly so I tried stuffing a piece of round stock (steel bar) in the lower section, that worked great but in the end I decided I do too much hiking and being light for the hike was more important than the benefit of a weighted staff in my case anyway.

 

My creativity and ingenuity aside (ha ha ha - who am I kidding, I am cheap and I steal other peoples good ideas if it saves me a buck LOL) I would buy the same staff as Silver Doctor in a second !

[LynnF]

Thanks for all this information. SD - I like the sound of yours, but I'm really keen on getting a collapsible one. I will look for one that locks and can be put away most of the time because I really am just using it for balance when crossing freestone rivers (mainly because I usually cross with my son on the downstream side and I'm worried about taking him down with me if I go).

 

Thanks again - valuable information for me.

[flyangler]

I've got a collapsible one, Lynn. Most of the time, it lives in it's pouch on my belt. It's very fast to deploy on short notice. One irritation I have with mine is that the sections stick together from time to time, especially if I've leaned on it a lot. I try to remember to wax the joints to prevent this. Mine is a folstaff brand.

[Guest TerryH]

I use a collapsable one all the time and wouldn't leave home without it. The only problem, as others have mentioned, is that most staffs, mine included, don't have a locking mechanism. This is only an issue when dealing with a soft bottom. The only locking staff that I know about, is the Simms. I wish I had known that before I bought mine. Terry