Wading Staffs

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DUCKMANNM
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Joined: 05/11/18 16:32
Location: Albuquerque, New Mexico USA

Re: Wading Staffs

#61

Post by DUCKMANNM »

I made my first wading staff out of an old ski pole. Took that round thingie of the bottom, took the grip off and filled with styrofoam peanuts to deaden the sound. A wading staff is also very useful if you fish where there are cows and farm dogs!

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Fred Kretchman
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Joined: 05/19/11 18:00
Location: Kittery Point, Maine
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Re: Wading Staffs

#62

Post by Fred Kretchman »

Last year I bought the one sold by REC in CT... Alan Gnann came up with a really great staff: available in two handle styles- one is ergonomically fitted and the other is a spey handle type... the earth magnets that pull the sections together are quick and easy to assemble, and can be done with one hand. Also, comes with 2 different tips- one metal and the other a synthetic for quiet wading. And it is short when folded up in the holster. Absolutely strong too. I sold my Folstaff because it was difficult to assemble quickly, and it got stuck every time I used it so had to carry it onto dry ground to disassemble. REC nailed it on this design.

red 1
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Joined: 09/23/13 19:10
Location: Ct

Re: Wading Staffs

#63

Post by red 1 »

Making my own. Draw knives (?) remove a lot of material quick!
I want to be buried with my favorite rod.
I hear the Styx River has Fish.

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henkverhaar
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Re: Wading Staffs

#64

Post by henkverhaar »

Mmm, not sure that I would want to use sawn wood for a wading staff (unless it really is straight grain, long fiber wood, and I'm absolutely sure that it was sawn totally with the grain). I much prefer full branches (preferably hazel), cut, peeled and seasoned. Then shaved to final dimensions with a drawknife and spokeshave. I've made walking sticks on the lathe from sawn wood, but keep in mind that a wading staff, when used waist deep in fast flowing water, needs to withstand much higher loads than a normal walking stick...

red 1
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Joined: 09/23/13 19:10
Location: Ct

Re: Wading Staffs

#65

Post by red 1 »

It's good oak. The plank I cut to use was from a 150 year or older tree the line crew dropped. It will make some solid wading staffs. The learning curve staff went ok except for a few spots where the drawknife cut more than expected
I want to be buried with my favorite rod.
I hear the Styx River has Fish.

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rhmill01
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Joined: 02/13/10 19:00

Re: Wading Staffs

#66

Post by rhmill01 »

I have both. The Folstaff did great service but over time the joints wore and had a habit of coming apart when I was in a precarious situation, and the whole staff would collapse on me. So I retired it.

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GrsdLnr
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Joined: 12/07/06 19:00

Re: Wading Staffs

#67

Post by GrsdLnr »

rhmill01 wrote:
07/05/20 13:24
I have both. The Folstaff did great service but over time the joints wore and had a habit of coming apart when I was in a precarious situation, and the whole staff would collapse on me. So I retired it.
Do you still have it? Folstaf repaired mine (cork handle was loose, carbide tip worn to a nub, shock cords stretched out and weak, etc) for $10. Contact Folstaf

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Hsimmons
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Location: Idaho

Re: Wading Staffs

#68

Post by Hsimmons »

I've used a found beaver-cut willow for six years now that I eventually fancied up with a hemp twine handle, wrist lanyard, a 12-gauge shell on the tip with felt furniture protector stuck on the bottom for traction and multiple layers of True Oil and spar varnish. The staff has a bit of a twisty bend in it which I find good, as it flexes when I have to lean into it hard and then rebounds and tends to push me back upright. I sometimes attach a tether to it on my vest so that it can trail behind me in the water when I am not using it. It's light weight and also floats. Last week the lanyard slipped off my left wrist at mid-stream while I was casting and I didn't notice it until it was long gone. Later that day I found it floating nicely in shallow water next to the bank about 1/4 mile downstream as I returned to the truck. The only downside is that if it's on the tether it can float around my legs and trip me up if I'm not careful.

Image

AlexP
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Joined: 08/29/19 14:18
Location: South Minneapolis

Re: Wading Staffs

#69

Post by AlexP »

Hello, for the Folstaf users, do you have issues with folding it back after use?

I have a very hard time pulling the sections apart. I bought it a few weeks ago and have used it about 10 times. The last couple outings it takes me a few minutes to fold it. The two bottom sections are the most challenging. It is a little frustrating. I do like how it performs, I cannot believe I have gone so many years without a wading staff.

Any tricks that users might have if they have encountered the same problem?

Thanks

Alex

putemback
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Joined: 02/16/12 17:18
Location: Sunflower state

Re: Wading Staffs

#70

Post by putemback »

Pull it apart starting at the large, handle end and when it gets difficult to separate the smaller sections, tap the lower carbide tip firmly on a rock or hard ground and the remaining sections will then be easier to separate. Hope the explanation is understandable and helpful
Justin

"I'm suspicious of people who don't like dogs, but I trust a dog when it doesn't like a person."-Bill Murray

narcodog
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Re: Wading Staffs

#71

Post by narcodog »

AlexP wrote:
07/13/20 14:37
Hello, for the Folstaf users, do you have issues with folding it back after use?

I have a very hard time pulling the sections apart. I bought it a few weeks ago and have used it about 10 times. The last couple outings it takes me a few minutes to fold it. The two bottom sections are the most challenging. It is a little frustrating. I do like how it performs, I cannot believe I have gone so many years without a wading staff.

Any tricks that users might have if they have encountered the same problem?

Thanks

Alex
Be sure to wax the joints occasionally.

herkileez
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Joined: 07/01/15 10:41
Location: Campbell River, BC

Re: Wading Staffs

#72

Post by herkileez »

Thin-walled staffs tend to flex and cinch up the insert, making it difficult to separate them when they lock on.

AlexP
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Posts: 381
Joined: 08/29/19 14:18
Location: South Minneapolis

Re: Wading Staffs

#73

Post by AlexP »

Thanks everybody for the feedback to my question. I will follow the suggestions and hopefully it is just user error.

Tight Lines

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LeoCreek
Sport
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Joined: 08/06/07 18:00
Location: Out West

Re: Wading Staffs

#74

Post by LeoCreek »

I received a Riverstick wading staff from Rick yesterday, and have to say I'm very pleased. A well-made, sturdy, excellent product.

We all need someonething we can lean on....

Bill Terry
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Joined: 11/28/20 16:55

Re: Wading Staffs

#75

Post by Bill Terry »

I have a whole bunch of wading staffs. My first one is just an aluminum tube, cut to a convenient length, capped with crutch tips glued onto the ends, and secured to a rope with a clove hitch.

When I'm traveling by air, I use a collapsible staff. I have one by Dan Bailey whose sections fit together like ferrules. It was cheap, and it's sturdy, but it's kind of hard to get apart--the joints get stuck, and you have to bang the staff against something solid like a boulder to loosen up the joints. I left it at a helicopter pickup point in New Zealand; I thought my guide had it, and he thought I did. Since I have never been a graceful wader, and now I practically need to take a wading staff into the shower, I had to get a replacement ASAP. I bought one by Airflo at Hunting & Fishing; it's too long, and the sections get pulled apart if the tip gets stuck in the rocks, but it served its purpose. My guide looked for the Dan Bailey staff the next time he fished the same beat, and he had it waiting for me the following year.

Now, when I'm traveling by air I use a Simms staff, which comes apart easily but stays together in use. It has a retractor with a very thin cord, which is remarkably still pristine after quite a few years of use. It comes with a holster that you can stuff the staff into when you're not using it, which for me is not too often. It's not designed to hold a person's full weight, but it supports enough weight that it has always been sufficient for me.

But when I can drive to my destination, I prefer my solid ash staff. It's extremely strong, and it feels just right. I have no idea where I bought it; that was decades ago. The bottom foot or so gets beaten up, and I reapply tung oil every now and then.

I have a couple of other collapsible staffs that I never use anymore, and I can't remember their history. The Simms and the ash staff are my go-to staffs now.

With any wading staff, I put a rubber crutch tip on the end, secured with vinyl electrical tape. I do a lot of my fishing in New Zealand, where the fish are extremely spooky. If a hard staff tip clanks against a rock within casting range of a fish there, you might as well be fishing in downtown Auckland.
Ad piscatoribus sunt omnes res secundi.

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Mike McGuire
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Re: Wading Staffs

#76

Post by Mike McGuire »

When I go some place far away like NZ, I find a hardware store and look over their selection of replacement broomsticks and shovel handles, and make a selection. There's always somebody who's willing to drill a 1/4" or 6 mm hole through the end for an attachment cord. Wood I prefer because it floats and is quiet hitting the rocks on the bottom. One warning--stay away from plastic clips on the end of the cord. I had had one break in a highly inopportune place and nearly lost the staff.

Mike
A Selection of my DIY Rodmaking Tools

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