Another option if you don't have the money for a drysuit is a good drytop. We use them for rock hopping and short swims to boulders while surf fishing for stripers and if you have a good one you stay pretty dang dry. Just wear it over your waders and keep the waist tight, when you go over your head all you end up with is wet hands and a wet face. Bomber gear makes the best ones in my opinion. The ones with latex wrist and neck gaskets are the best. Since you're all sealed up they also keep you warm, almost too warm at times.

That sounds like fun.
Those are beautiful fish.
East Coast ?

Good tip on the dry-top and links ?

Yep, i try to go back to NH, Mass and Maine for a week each fall. It's pretty intense, big surf and unexpected legdes and drop offs take us down quite often out there chasing cow stripers in the middle of the night. But man is it fun!
Any whitewater supply place has lots of options for a good top...

[quote=stam....recently joined the Kilchis swim club...
[/quote]
WTF, that's my neighborhood.
Favorite timing is Nov - Dec for late Chinook.

Hopefully you hit it right and were able to float from the Park.

Above the county park ? Good for you !
I put in at the park one time when I shouldn't have. (too low)
Probably dragged, walked the boat for over half the float !

Have hit it right, too, and it's magic. I love enough color to able to sit above them and back-bounce big globs of eggs down the staircase and into their mugs.
On that river I would describe that color as a gray-green and going to green. Usually a one day window.

was quite a ways above that..... If you're going to go swimming you might as well go swimming in the good stuff...

That's what I'm talking about Stam...getting away from the pack and every other guide boat within a hundred miles.

"From the park" thins it out pretty well.
The more difficult water and the longer trails generally pay off.

That's a great pic.
She's a cute little canyon.
Hard to believe that pasture land is not that far away.

Just wrap your self up in a few black contractor bag's and you'll be fine.Don't forget PDF.Good luck,
SZ

As a shamed expert, there is a lot of good info here. A couple of things:

-If the water is really THAT bad, a helmet is probably wise. On a related note, you could bruise/break other body parts that might limit your mobility after the incident. My last time, I ended up with a softball size bruise on my [Bleeeeep!]/upperleg that made me walk funny for a week.

-Wading belts are really the key. If you really want to go overboard, you could wear 1 near the waist, 1 near the chest, and 1 for each upper thigh.

-Fully zipped up coat and cinched down coat.

-I'd give each guy a throw rope to keep on them. You can use it to save the other guy or use it yourself from wherever you wash up (which may not be a good spot and may require additional swimming to get you to a safe place).

-Protected cell phone if you get service where you are going.

Good luck. Stay safe. [Bleeeeep!] gets scary in a big hurry.

-AP

Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

Been a while since I was on that section of river.

We need to talk sir stam.

I am, as always, willing to help out and to test theories. Today I went in the river in chest waders. I did have a snug wading belt. Result two wet arms, wet to center of belly and center of back. No issues other than embarrassed and cold.

In my personal experience, I have found that my beer belly stretches the waders sufficiently above the belt to help keep drier during a *quick* submergence

Ah... the ol' "internal seal". I first saw this sported a few years ago by one of the PP mods at the SRC.

I almost said it, but couldn't work up the courage

Self sealing internal wader gasket. Add more beer for tighter seal!

And it can be used as a convenient shelf for fly tying or addressing terminal tackle.

Any name on that fat mod?

Do these waders make my [Bleeeeep!] look fat?

^^^ Better know the right answer if you wanna go fishin' with Mr. Vedder.