Falling in river with chest waders?

Planning on running some rivers with heavier white water this winter in my new cataraft (North fork Nehalem, Trask River below pennisula) and was wondering if any of you have taken a spill in the river with chest waders on. I'm trying to come up with the best way to keep water out if I ever take a spill.
I plan on wearing a life jacket of course, but whas wondering what else guys do to stay dry.

Hard to beat a tight belt and a good PFD.
Get into a sitting position with your feet downstream to ward off any rocks and angle your way to the nearest bank.
Better yet, don't fall in.

Go with a partner and tell someone your float plan.
Being able to start a fire (or infrared heater) can save yer a$$ after a winter dunking.

Tight belt.....will trap the air......PFD and trapped air.....bounce, bounce, bounce..........Think positive..."NO SPILLS".....

Happy 2012.............

tight belt and don't gulp water, easier said.

Like the rest said (aside from KK, who I reluctantly agree with most of the time) a good wading belt will go a long way. If you are wearing a good wading Jacket as well, it is amazing how long you can be up to your neck without getting soaked. I'm there in most mud puddles I step in, so I have experience in this matter. Saved KK the trouble of making fun of me to distract people from his fascination with goats
Happy new year.

Basics have been mentioned.

If your going to run the trask below the peninsula, you better be DAM good on the sticks, or practice what has been allready said here.

Don't they call the downstream take out, Last Chance ?

If there is a reasonable chance I could go for a swim, I put this on...



The Kokatat Supernova is very affordable compared to most dry suits and although it isn't designed for long swims, I have taken quite a few in it and it does well. A little leaky at the neck due to the neoprene gasket, but very minimal. It is quite light and packs around very easily as well. I have fished and floated quite a few long days in it and I would say that it is equally as comfortable as my waders, perhaps more so.

Otherwise, as Neal said, a good neoprene or stretch wading belt, a well fit rain jacket, and a properly fit and functioning PFD is about as good as you are going to do.

Couldn't let this little gem go by. It is a hard knock life for most oompa loompa's.

Well played sir.

just wear a belt and have wool socks. dont ask.

That looks nice, Coley.
It might lure one into more gnarly stuff, though.

what kind of Cat? is the cat ready to run heavy water? thats what i would be concerned about 1st?

How well does that suit work, Coley, if you capsize the boat while peeing?

Hmmmm.....I think that's how the Titanic went down.

It is a hard knock life Coley, but we are sturdy, and only fall when stoned or drunk I never fall much..... Just have to know when not to take the next step/wade over my head....

I've seen where boldness, tired legs and slippery rocks combine to produce a dandy shuffle or even an upside down turtle.
It's hard not to laugh, and you know if you do, you're next.

Wow KK that is excellent advise I"ll try and remeber that. Maybe I should get a float goat. I'm sure you have some experience with those.

The cat is a 12ft two man with welded 1"steel tube framing. Tubes are 20" Maxxons. Its solid enough to handle the water. I grew up on the Trask and have imagined doing the drift for years, just never had the right craft to do it. The NFN is a different story though. Scouted the Jack, King and Queen the other day, unfortunately the flows were at summer levels. I will have to go back and take another look at it now that the water is up.

That's what I was thinking, chest waders with wading belt (don't have a good one yet) then simms g3 jacket, topped off by a good pfd. I don't think much water is going to get past that. Thought about duct taping the bottom of the jacket to my waders but not sure that will be necessary. I know if you go in your going to get wet, but I just don't want to fill up to my chest with H20.

Tillanook,

I grew up on that stretch of water also. Sounds like you have the rig to run it but I wouldnt attempt it unless the river was at least 8.5'. Even then I would not run the Dam hole.

Good luck out there, I will be taking out at last chance on Monday. All I have is a hard boat and there in no way in hell I am running that water in a hard boat.

Well if my waders are full of water it won't matter any way now will it.

I had my 30 seconds of shame on the Hoh a few years back, don't ask how but I went all in a$$ over tea kettle.

I was surprised how little water got in, had on a snug fitting pair of Simms waders w/ belt & my breathable fishing jacket. most of the water was wicked in by my 100% cotton Carhartt hoodie. Hood/neck & sleeves were soaked & keep me cold the rest of that gray February day.

I've sense swapped out to the Under Armour ColdGear hoodie, its perfect for OP winter trips that always include h20 in some form.



c/22

HRYK

If I were going to run a river with heavy water where there was more than a slight chance of swimming, I would NOT wear chest waders. Although when full of water chest waders become neutrally buoyant, they are a real challenge to manuver in when they're full - or filling - with water.

If you wear waders be certain to wear a tight wading belt.

Dude that water below the peninsula is suicide

My most shameful moment was doing the upside down turtle in 12" of water once. I was amazed that the 2 sports on the other side didn't laugh.
They were in heavy, nasty water so I suppose it would have been risky for them to bellow.

Haven't pulled that move yet.

I have forgotten to close the relief zipper answering the call though. A dry suit fills up pretty quick.

KK, good point about being neutrally bouyant. I bet it would take alot to swim to shore while swamped though. Avoiding ending up in the water in the first place is always top priority.

Avid, the water below the pennisula is ugly with the dam hole being the worst. Luckily I'm able to put in right at the dam hole below the chute (at least that's the plan) after that its three of the best chinook holes on the upper river and my favorite steelhead stretch on the coast. Which just happens to be surrounded by private property and rarely gets fished. After that there's a real tight bouldery section which is probably class three. There's only one real rapid of concern in that stretch and its at end of the stretch above a nice slow pool.
Sykofish, would you concure?

Another option for a coat might be one of the Mustang floatation jackets and maybe not need a PFD

http://mustangsurvival.com/recreational/boating

I have forgotten to open the relief zipper answering the call though. A dry suit fills up pretty quick...operational definition of a "senior moment".

Yep.

Avid knows that section of river.

I plan to be there in the morning. Might be on the upper Wilson depending on water clarity and crowds.

The best way to not swim/sink your boat is to go with a proficient rower first, make the judgement call that you are competent to row it yourself, and go with it...a "backup plan" of having a nice life preserver is stupid-retarded.

Onr quick anecdote asbout float coats/life vests: I swam the upper Kalama years ago in the fly water (took while to get my raft unstuck from a log all the way across the river). I was wearing a life jacket and it worked good except for a little heavy whitewater where nothing will keep your head up.

A few years later the Department of Fisheries bought all of us Fishcops mustang flotation suits. We tried them out that summer by having the Coast Guard take us out and letting us jump overboard by "A" jetty and letting us paddle to the beach. To my surprise the flotation in the legs of the suit floated you horizontally in the water instead of vertically like a life jacket does. With the flotation suit the waves broke over my head and it was not a comfortable feeling. It's very difficult to get you legs under you. So, I vastly prefer a life jacket and would NEVER wear a flotation suit for fishing out of a boat on a river.

Good real life example of why it is so very important to test and be familiar with gear that your life may depend on. Great insight Tug and thanks for sharing.

I was thinking the floatation jacket might cover both the need for rain protection and as a PFD.

Something else to keep in mind is to carry some basic survival gear - lighter, knife, energy bar, etc in a waterproof pouch) so you can get a fire going and have some food if you're stuck on the bank waiting for rescue.

I was thinking of that nasty stretch below last chance

hey Rusty lets drop your driftboat in at the dam hole. I will get on the sticks,and we will die.

Those flotation coats look nice, not sure I would want to wear one all day while rowing though. I was looking at some of the paddling jackets they make for kayaking and I think they would go nicely over your waders and under a breathable rain coat. There not to bulky, have a gusseted neoprene neck and sleeves to keep water out and at under a $100 bucks wouldn't break the bank.

I lost a good friend many years ago in the Snoqualmie, he was wearing waders, a loose belt but no PFD, this is a recipe for disaster. He tried to remove the waders without success because water creates suction around your feet making it almost impossible to remove, this left his waders stuck around his knees and sealed his fate. The moral of the story is don't take foolish risks, always wear a PFD and a tight belt, if you go in follow the advice previously posted. Good luck and be safe!

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 ?

http://kayak.nrsweb.com/boating/Drytop

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.

For those without a fully developed beer gasket, one of these devices can be worn inside the wader :

Also works well for enhanced mid-section girth, mainly on a temporary basis.

Well, I took the cat out on its maiden voyage yesterday. I knew when I bought it that the chances of taking a taking a dip had gone up dramaticly...just didn't expect it to happen so soon.

We drove up the Trask to the old girl scout bridge, aka Stones Road to launch. The launch is your standard wood slide about 50 ft long. I've used it many times to launch the drift boat and sometimes its kinda sticky. Put the cat on the ramp and discovered it didn't want to slide very easily. Plus the pontoon was just wide enough that one toon wanted to slip off the side of the ramp.

We had the cat on the steep part of the ramp when we decided to turn it sideways, and with less surface area touching the ramp she took off like Clark Griswald on a sledding slope and we couldn't hold it . Didn't bother tying a rope to it as we had to push it down the ramp to that point . I had to run down the bank and dive in the water to get a hold of it. Luckily, it was only about 8ft from the bank so it wasn't too difficult to pull back to shore....but I was soaked . Luckily had an extra pair of sweats in the rig so I made the drift in semi-comfort.

Anytime you can work Clark Griswold into a thread, it deserves 5 stars.

Glad you got your boat back. Close one.

Golden rule, no snowcap on the river!

Ya, thanks. It was real close. I somehow magaged to roll my ankle badly when I jumped off the rocks...the situation went from bad to worse after I made it back to shore and realized what had happened. Not having an dry socks to wear helped keep the swelling down though

That sucks dude glad you came out of it all right. You didnt go below last chance by any chance?

Totally reminds me of the last time I came up to fish with Twitch and Sykofish. Well,Syko and I decided to fish one of the most cluster$%#@!! rivers in oregon,and we are putting in at this big long boat slide,much steeper than stones,and these hotshots are trying to water hog us so Rusty says F this lets launch and tie up down river I dont want to be anywhere near these fools.


Sure enough we are anchored off to the side and we hear bang!! whoosh!!! Splash!!! there goes the boat and dude running into the water after it. Haha we didnt see them for 3 hours(little embarassed?).
It was some funny assed chit. Different scenario then yours was,these dudes had a frayed rope and not enough of it,were in a hurry to get 1st water,and.......

wait for it.....























































....they were from Ifish

Won't be going below last chance for awhile...need to work a few things out yet...looks like fun though.