# Monumental Breakthrough In Flyfishing



## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

Flyfishing has changed little since I started in the 50s. We still use fake midges, nymphs, hoppers and crickets. Bamboo is still popular. We still use bobbers but call them "indicators"; that's OK, minor stuff. Graphite is up to generation....?whatever? now and continues to get harder to cast with each new model. I have a new IM1,000,000 thingie with Boron in it. It's fast.......so fast it beat me home from Riverdale the day I bought it. But it's a chore to cast; all about timing....whatever that is? I struggle casting it and might trade it in for a new snowmobile or a used car. No one uses fiberglass for some reason. It is out of favor except for a few salt water and bass bug diehards, including myself.

But WADERS have changed. Let me tell ya. And waders are important. Years ago, I was holding a drift boat below the dam on the Green and a dapper young man came over dragging his boat to chat with me. We were both waiting for our people to park. He skipped the small talk and proceeded to tell me how goofy my waders were and he'd seen nothing like them short of a garage sale. He told me "....ya know Eric Clapton fishes down here.....and Karl Malone" I told him I knew of Clapton, but Karl Malone "sorry I don't watch football". Then he walked away, kinda sucking his teeth.

Well, I was wearing my old circa 1971 rubber-coated Red Balls. Geezus, I liked them. You could carry a six-pack of beer, pack of smokes and bait in them. If you fell in the river they were easy to empty. If you had to pee it went smoothly. That elitist snob that gave me a hard time at the take-out was wearing those neoprene wader thingies, insulated, skin tight too. I must say, they looked stylish.

Later I learned how important it was out West to be fashionable when flyfishing and I bought some of those waders.....at a scuba diving shop, the way I remember it. Boy did I look sweet! But I couldn't carry my beer or smokes and soon had to quit both habits. And I learned if you had to pee you better not wait cause it takes forever to peel those things down. A plus was when I fell in the river I would kinda bob up and down and not sink like a rock like I did in my Red Balls. And I stayed relatively dry.

So 2 years ago on the Snake some guys were wearing goofy-looking big baggy waders so I went over to ask them what was up with their getup. Good grief man, one guy gave me a long narrative about how obsolete my neoprene waders were and *his* new Goretex thingies were the only way to go. I said "blah, blah, those are cool, you could put a six pack of beer and lunch in them; they got everything but a zipper."

Guess what, they now make waders with zippers. *It's a monumental flyfishing breakthrough*. Finally something new. I bought a pair. They cost more than most of the cars I ever owned. They are about as ugly as my old Red Balls, but that is not important to me these days. They are baggier than my old Red Balls which is a good thing: hides the gut I got from sitting around hitting on stupid outdoor forums.

First time out wearing them on the Green I fell in the river and quickly unzipped the water out. How cool is that? Taking a leak in the new waders was fun and I proudly peed and peed often. Hell, I may take up beer drinking again.

I love em; who says flyfishing hasn't changed?


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## ScottyP (Sep 12, 2007)

Nice narrative. Aren't those zippered simms like 300 dollars more than zipper-less (or non-zippered if you prefer)? That is an expensive zipper.


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

ScottyP said:


> Nice narrative. Aren't those zippered simms like 300 dollars more than zipper-less (or non-zippered if you prefer)? That is an expensive zipper.


At eBay, no. At Angler's Den, yes.

Dangit


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## Jesse Higgins (Sep 11, 2007)

Hahahahaha. 

I've only been fly fishing since the early '70s, but I can still relate. :lol: It was the late '80s when things really started to change. 'Bout the same time personal computers really began to catch on...


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## gnfishn (Sep 25, 2007)

LMAO....I loved your post goob. I remember feeling like I was wearing tights like batman and robin or something in my first neoprene's.


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

Yeah, yeah.......the zipper doesn't leak. 

How'd they do that?


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## americanforkdude (Sep 13, 2007)

Nice post goob, i'm still impressed. I don't miss the old neoprene's much anymore either. Didn't leave much room for the boys. Even in cold weather i'll layer up and stay comfortable than to go back to them. Well said though


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## metal_fish (Mar 19, 2008)

Classic! But i will manage with my neoprene waders i can deal with a few minor inconvenients.


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## eightstrings (Sep 4, 2008)

I enjoyed the narrative. I'm early 30's and I have been at this coming on 20 years. From the early days, I was far too cheap for waders. I was a kid with nice gear and pink legs sticking out of Converse all-stars. I still refuse to pay the big bucks for waders, but I do wear them places and seasons I would have left them behind five years ago or so. I've actually been thinking about finding an old pair of vulcanized hip boots...


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## flyguy7 (Sep 16, 2007)

why would you not want to be comfortable?


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## Huge29 (Sep 17, 2007)

flyguy7 said:


> why would you not want to be comfortable?


did you not read the part about wearing the Chucks? that is comfort and style all in one; what more could you want? :mrgreen: :mrgreen:


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## eightstrings (Sep 4, 2008)

Flyguy, the canvas hip boots are taking it a bit too far indeed. I used them a time or two as a kid and I think I'd want them for the memories. Honestly, comfort is a distant second when I'm thinking about throwing money down on gear. I don't seek to be uncomfortable mind you, but I have never really objected to fishing in leaky waders as long as I can stay warm in cold weather. I know for a fact that this is not the answer for everyone. I have had friends borrow my waders who conclude I played a truly cruel joke on them when I use the same waders and don't really notice - until I take them off.

I do replace things like waders and boots, but only when my discomfort becomes a distraction and interferes with whatever I am trying to accomplish. In short, I'm cheap and I'm comfortable enough.

Cheers.


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

I probably spent more hours flyfishing in cut-off blue jeans than any type of wader.

Cut-off blue jeans are out of style now too.

To each his own.

Do things.


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

Looks like its been nearly 2 years since I bought the waders with the zipper.

So far no leaks! Amazing, just amazing.


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## Packfish (Oct 30, 2007)

Amazing military technology----- one of mine work great- the other pair broke and I had to re due- needless to say I don't wade over the crotch with that pair.


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## Artoxx (Nov 12, 2008)

Wading over the crotch is usually what informs me that I need new waders. :shock: 
When I step in waist deep and the boys start trying to climb up on my shoulders, that is a fairly blatant hint. :shock: :wink: 
For some reason that is where most neoprene waders I have owned have sprung their final leak. I cannot seem to fix a hole that is located in that area, no matter that I spend more on Aquaseal than it would have taken to just replace the **** things in the first place. :roll: 

I had some breathable waders that were so breathable they doubled as a screen door on the days I wasn't fishing/hunting. I replaced those rotten things SIX times and every pair was garbage from the word go. 5 pairs of Hodgeman breathables, and one pair of Scaddens. They guys at Anglers Inn hated to see me walk in the door.

They finally upgraded me to a couple of hundred dollar pair of Scaddens in an attempt to get me to go away for longer than one trip to the water, and then went out of business the following week, thus successfully sticking me with a pair of waders that NO ONE could or would replace. Still have the skanky things out in my garage.
I even tried to contact Dave Scadden personally but he wouldn't return my phone calls. Neither would anyone else at that number. Haven't considered buying anything with that name on them ever since. Hodgeman would at least keep replacing them as long as I would keep sending them back. Not that I would ever buy Hodgeman breathables again, even on a bet. I filled up the leg of one pair of them with water one time and proceeded to circle as many of the leaks as I could as fast as I could with a sharpie. I got over 55 leaks in ONE leg, below the knee, before the fabric was too saturated to tell separate leaks from each other. I am pretty sure that my Wranglers are more water proof than those waders.
But I usually get several years of use out of their neoprenes, and by far the best price for my poor/cheap butt. If you have to be broke, cheap is a good habit to form. :|


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## troutscout (Feb 12, 2009)

I love my breathables with a zipper. I couldn't afford them except they were a deal on closeout. $500 for waders?? Come on. I still have the same pair of cheap Hodgmen neoprene waders I bought 13 years ago. I'm a skinny dude with no insulation so they have a place for winter fishing or alpine float tubing or anytime it's cold. The new innovations are sweet but only if you're willing or able to pay for them. Few really improve your fishing while the rest just make you look, feel, act cooler or make it slightly more comfortable. 

I'd love to get my hands on an old fiberglass rod. For small streams that would be killer!

^^ike


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

I noticed my backpack has waterproof zippers....the pack cloth is not waterproof, but the zippers are.

Good grief.


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