Lessons Learned (or not)

[greywolf]

I always carry an extra set of car keys - both of them zipped into separate pockets in my vest.
Been FFing almost 50 years now, and have never lost a vest - at least not yet!

I usually dont carry my phone on the water with me - unless I'm meeting someone else, and need to be in touch with them to meet up.
Or fishing a new spot, where I need access to GPS
Other than that, I really dont mind being out of touch with the rest of the world for awhile.

As for the rod - once its strung up, I leave it together for the rest of the day.
Regardless if I move around a lot to try different spots.
Unless I need to go to a different size rod.

Rod allways gets taken down at the end the day though.
If it's hard to get the ferrules separated, leave it together.
Try again later, or even the next day
Leaving it sit overnight often does the trick

On warm days when ferrules lock it can help to submerge the ferrule in the cold stream for a few minutes or even get an ice cube out of your cooler and rub it along the ferrule. Has worked for me several times.

 

[greywolf]

We think alike. Keys always get tethered somehow in an interior (pocket within a pocket) pocket.

I consider boots the most important piece of gear I own. I’ll skimp on rods/reels/waders even/whatever, but I will buy Korkers with studs for life. May have saved my life already for all I know a couple spots I’ve found myself in. (Not recently.)

I almost always fish with waders and the truck keys go into a sealed inside pocket or pants pocket to prevent loss. Phone goes in a sealed inside wader pocket. So I look for a big sealed inside pocket in waders I buy.

 

[riverwhy]

Wading in Autumn with leaves on the ground is 100 times more dangerous than any other
Time. I ain’t down a few years ago on Penn’s just up from the washed out
Trestle bridge. Healthy gash and I had to go home early. Very innocuous paths can really surprise you .

 

[Shawn_H]

I was certainly hoping to hear (and learn from) other folks dumb moments - so keep them coming.

I’m not typically careless or clumsy - but something about fishing in a river seems to get me.

Regarding the rod - I think some are misunderstanding. The rod wasn’t stuck together - basically when it come apart of course there is some momentum and the pieces kind of swing. One time I was in a grove of pine trees packing up from tent camping - rod comes apart - tip smacks a tree branch - broken rod. The other time I was on a deck with another deck above and some outdoor lights - tip smacked a light - broken rod.

As I’ve been thinking about this I realize that I am breaking my rod down “wrong” and I plan to change that moving forward. I always just grab the junction closest to the reel first - which means that like 7ft of rod swings when it comes apart. So dumb. I should be taking the tip off first and working back down.

When I have some time I’ll tell the whole story of the keys - it’s a doozy.

 

[Cougarbaby]

Don't be wading on the Yough when they leave water out ,been there done that lost a Clearwater combo over it and swam 75 yds in chest waders

 

[GoldenRfly]

Never underestimate a stream embankment. A major arm injury requiring surgery occurred last year due to stream embankment instability. A great young surgeon and my diligent PT and exercise compliance led to an early discharge with fishing permission. I didn’t repeat the injury but hurt my hand (same arm) the first time out on another stream embankment. Cautious, cautious since.

Like others, I’ve fallen in the woods and my current motto is “Slow down … stay up.”
Any time I’ve fallen it’s because I was hurrying.

 

[Cougarbaby]

At least I've grown past the phrase alcohol was involved hahaha

 

[DomR]

I stumbled in shin deep water and bruised a knee, the other shin, and jammed my wrist. If I hadn't caught myself, a would have face planted into a rock. That was the eye opener that started me using a wading stick.

I didn’t use a staff on small streams (ones you could jump across) until I slipped off a backside rock and fell breaking a rib, fly box, ripping my waders, and gashing my head. Had I lost consciousness I’d have drown in 4 inches of water. You never know and care never take safety for granted.

 

[salmo]

I guess I’m lucky. I usually put my keys in my pants pocket when not wet wading. My backup is my phone app which can lock or unlock my car and give me directions back to my car. Now if I could only get a car that will drive down the mountainside to pick me up stream side? BTW I always wade with a staff. A wonderful gift from a site member.

 

[Bamboozle]

I was certainly hoping to hear (and learn from) other folks dumb moments - so keep them coming.

I’m not typically careless or clumsy - but something about fishing in a river seems to get me.

Regarding the rod - I think some are misunderstanding. The rod wasn’t stuck together - basically when it come apart of course there is some momentum and the pieces kind of swing. One time I was in a grove of pine trees packing up from tent camping - rod comes apart - tip smacks a tree branch - broken rod. The other time I was on a deck with another deck above and some outdoor lights - tip smacked a light - broken rod.

As I’ve been thinking about this I realize that I am breaking my rod down “wrong” and I plan to change that moving forward. I always just grab the junction closest to the reel first - which means that like 7ft of rod swings when it comes apart. So dumb. I should be taking the tip off first and working back down.

When I have some time I’ll tell the whole story of the keys - it’s a doozy.

It's best to seat and unseat NON-metal ferrules with a 1/4 twist. Sort of like screwing them on & off.

If your rod manufacturers recommends waxing their ferrules, a LITTLE white paraffin (NOT beeswax) rubbed on the male portion will make the whole seating & unseating process a lot easier.

When you twist NON-metal ferrules, especially when separating, you won't have to pull so hard to separate the sections and as a result, not be as likely to smack something with the tip section(s).

There is also no rule that says you have to pull the thinner more delicate section away from the thicker section. I always pull the thicker section backwards away from the thinner sections and keep FAR away from trunk lids, hatch doors or tree branches.

Good luck!

 

[Gibbon]

It's best to seat and unseat NON-metal ferrules with a 1/4 twist. Sort of like screwing them on & off.

If your rod manufacturers recommends waxing their ferrules, a LITTLE white paraffin (NOT beeswax) rubbed on the male portion will make the whole seating & unseating process a lot easier.

When you twist NON-metal ferrules, especially when separating, you won't have to pull so hard to separate the sections and as a result, not be as likely to smack something with the tip section(s).

There is also no rule that says you have to pull the thinner more delicate section away from the thicker section. I always pull the thicker section backwards away from the thinner sections and keep FAR away from trunk lids, hatch doors or tree branches.

Good luck!

Agree. I twist and pull the thicker section back under my arm. When it comes loose there little chance it will hit something.

 

[goose54cdd]

Sorry. Falls suck. I hope you had a wading staff, but if not, maybe consider getting one. Also, this from a Browning-Silaflex rod booklet older than I am:
View attachment 1641254664

That's a great idea. I've never see it. Thanks for posting.

 

[Kms]

If your rod manufacturers recommends waxing their ferrules, a LITTLE white paraffin (NOT beeswax) rubbed on the male portion will make the whole seating & unseating process a lot easier.

And if they do NOT recommend wax then do NOT use any. I got a replacement Clearwater rod (broken tip, second time), and the guy in the Orvis store handed me some wax. I put on a minimal amount, wiped off the excess, put the sections together, and the ferrule split. Went back to the SAME store later that week and told them what happened. They said the guy shouldn’t have given me the wax 🤦‍♂️. They replaced the rod, again.

Regarding the rod - I think some are misunderstanding. The rod wasn’t stuck together - basically when it come apart of course there is some momentum and the pieces kind of swing. One time I was in a grove of pine trees packing up from tent camping - rod comes apart - tip smacks a tree branch - broken rod. The other time I was on a deck with another deck above and some outdoor lights - tip smacked a light - broken rod.

That third break within less than six months led me to give up on graphite. Haven’t broken a glass rod (yet) despite many impacts that would certainly have broken the Clearwater. I like the slower action of glass and the (minimal) extra weight, but the catalyst was perceived durability, not action.

 

[troutbert]

Like others, I’ve fallen in the woods and my current motto is “Slow down … stay up.”
Any time I’ve fallen it’s because I was hurrying.

Good advice. Slow down.

On uneven footing, as in streams, when you take a step forward, make sure that foot is securely planted before you lift the other foot.

"When you are walking, don't cast. And when you are casting, don't walk." I heard that attributed to Ed Shenk. It's good advice. When walking and casting at the same time, you probably will be doing a sloppy job of both. When casting you are looking where you are casting, so not paying attention to where you are putting your feet.

 

[Bamboozle]

And if they do NOT recommend wax then do NOT use any. I got a replacement Clearwater rod (broken tip, second time), and the guy in the Orvis store handed me some wax. I put on a minimal amount, wiped off the excess, put the sections together, and the ferrule split. Went back to the SAME store later that week and told them what happened. They said the guy shouldn’t have given me the wax 🤦‍♂️. They replaced the rod, again.



That third break within less than six months led me to give up on graphite. Haven’t broken a glass rod (yet) despite many impacts that would certainly have broken the Clearwater. I like the slower action of glass and the (minimal) extra weight, but the catalyst was perceived durability, not action.

I can't believe the wax had anything to do with it except making a bit easier to seat the ferrule TOO tightly, instead of just tight enough...

Most NON-metal ferrules are sleeve-over or tip-over, some hybrid or a traditional spigot plug.

Excluding spinning & casting rods, with the exception of one graphite fly rod (coincidentally an Orvis), one Fenwick glass rod and a fiberglass rod I had built with nickel silver ferrules; every graphite & fiberglass fly rod I own has spigot ferrules.

The predominate manufacturer of these rods doesn't recommend wax on spigots (because of embedded grit) so I don't wax any of their rod ferrules in my collection (which includes a LOT of graphite) or any other rods by any other builder with spigots. This necessitates checking the fit occasionally, but other than that I never had a single issue.

Conversely, all of my sleeve-over ferruled rods; fly, spinning & casting (and the spinning & casting are all graphite), I use wax and also never had a problem.

I'll also add the spinning & casting rods are Cabela's branded rods, WELL over 20 years old and fished hard so I've had a lot of opportunity to break something...

Bottom line, IMHO there is nothing wrong with graphite and I have some rods that are SLOWER than some glass rods I own.

 

[TrevorCalse23]

We think alike. Keys always get tethered somehow in an interior (pocket within a pocket) pocket.

I consider boots the most important piece of gear I own. I’ll skimp on rods/reels/waders even/whatever, but I will buy Korkers with studs for life. May have saved my life already for all I know a couple spots I’ve found myself in. (Not recently.)

+1 for boots being the most important piece of gear. The fishing is no good if you cant stay on your feet for it lol!