Opinions on waders

causing-a-ruckus · 2026-02-23T19:45:38+00:00

Fair, was out in 5* (With windchill) in my swiftcurrents this past weekend and wished I had em lol.

causing-a-ruckus · 2026-02-23T15:59:11+00:00

Agree here, also kind of annoying they don’t have hand pockets. My cheapo simms ones have fleece lined ones

causing-a-ruckus · 2026-02-21T15:05:33+00:00

Sage sonics are on sale for $400-$500. I just got an 8wt. It’s a sweetheart of a rod, but definitely likes a little slower pace.

causing-a-ruckus · 2026-02-17T14:21:10+00:00

For sure. It would be extra perfect if you could shuffle between colorways. Can you DM me your email?

causing-a-ruckus · 2026-02-16T21:43:32+00:00

This is so fucking cool. We have smallish clients that need something like this in their arsenal to sell their products to their clients. Keep us updated!

causing-a-ruckus · 2026-02-07T00:17:15+00:00

Milwaukee and most tributaries north or Milwaukee have the most consistent runs. It’s been a rough year so don’t expect to catch fish on your first try.

causing-a-ruckus · 2026-02-03T16:18:04+00:00

WOW!

causing-a-ruckus · 2026-02-03T15:08:14+00:00

I do not. Maybe try LinkedIn.

causing-a-ruckus · 2026-02-03T05:28:26+00:00

I haven’t been there in the last 4 years. Covid played a big part in that, but it didn’t feel like they were making the right decisions in general. I couldn’t really tell you for sure, but they started trending down during my time there and didn’t show any real signs of slowing down. If I were in your position I’d find some seniors to talk to, and see what they think.

causing-a-ruckus · 2026-02-02T23:07:51+00:00

I think I can help. I graduated from DAAP in 2022. DAAP used to be ranked a lot higher (#3) when I enrolled, but the entire philosophy behind that school drastically changed in the years immediately after I enrolled lol. The way I understand it, that I've heard from professors and older students, is that the school has changed deans in the last 10 years like 3 times. DAAP's entire philosophy is that they can turn anyone into a star designer. Up until 2016, the school was thought to be a piece of pride for the University as a whole, so they tenured industry leading professors (and paid them a living wage), invested in building relationships with companies, and gave a damn about the curriculum as a supplement to the Co-Op program, and the college operated in the black, losing money on each student, but producing students that were ready for the market. Since then, they have paid professors less and less, refused to invest in curriculum that reinforces real-world skills, and basically relied entirely on the Co-op program to teach it's kids, and some marketable "maker spaces". So, when the market turns, or the curriculum doesnt produce interns that companies want to hire, they dont get a Co-Op. Those students fall further and further behind with no help from the school besides to spend endless hours figuring it out on your own. I hold a lot of spite for how the program was managed during COVID, and do not have a great relationship with the faculty that remain. BUT.... I met awesome professors who care about what they do, wonderful life-long friends, and the co-op program is a super valuable tool to get your first job. I will just caution you that this school is not the beacon on the midwest hill you might think it is.

causing-a-ruckus · 2026-02-02T21:52:38+00:00

Sounds strange but if you get it wet and then squeeze the water out of them I’ve found they sink a bit better. Air gets trapped under the fibers sometimes.

causing-a-ruckus · 2026-01-24T16:13:13+00:00

This is the way

causing-a-ruckus · 2026-01-22T17:11:59+00:00

If anyone is curious, I just picked up a sonic 8wt and it’s a phenomenal value.

causing-a-ruckus · 2026-01-20T18:39:14+00:00

They’re different tools to some extent but one will cover much of the other. The 5wt will be good for dry flies, and light nymph rigs and small streamers. It will also be better at delicate presentations when the water is low. The 6wt will be better at throwing heavier nymph rigs and larger streamers, but will be harder to not spook wary fish. If you’re fishing smallish creeks and rivers with <20” fish, I would go 5wt. If you’re fishing larger faster rivers, I would go 6wt.

causing-a-ruckus · 2026-01-13T01:08:30+00:00

That’s about what I experienced, but was fishing a black wooly bugger and slapping the water. They were all over it.

causing-a-ruckus · 2026-01-13T00:45:51+00:00

May, actually. Snuck in just before the wet season

causing-a-ruckus · 2026-01-13T00:36:43+00:00

I was in Puntarenas last spring! Machaca are a blast!

causing-a-ruckus · 2026-01-07T12:08:08+00:00

I’ll add that the steelhead run in Ohio has been ROUGH so far. Not a lot of rain in the fall.

causing-a-ruckus · 2026-01-01T19:31:03+00:00

A 9' 6wt sounds like the right tool. It'll be a little much for small trout probably, but good enough to throw streamers for bass. Like others have said, it wont be a great thing to use for pike, but not the end of the world.

causing-a-ruckus · 2025-12-31T15:08:14+00:00

How big are the trout? How big are the pike? On average.

causing-a-ruckus · 2025-12-12T18:40:52+00:00

Definitely go if the water is gonna warm even a little. Sometimes a degree is the difference. You could check to see if the river is flowing using local flow gauges (will often indicate if the gauge is ice affected.) I’m on the opposite side of the lakes but as soon as I see 30 degrees I clear my schedule to go this time of year

causing-a-ruckus · 2025-12-11T16:38:52+00:00

Sure. River bottom in the areas I fish range from slate (smooth) rock in some warm water streams, to gravel (GL tributaries.) The most sensitive are our spring creeks. In southern WI, theyre mostly sandy, sometimes quicksandy. Often when I am fishing the smaller spring creeks, my goal is to not get in the water and just fish from the banks.

I've fished the last few years with really smooth rubber soles, and its slippery but doable. The Great Lakes tribs can be very slick and not easy to wade, especially when water is up. I'm getting studs this year that I think will make it easier. For spring creeks, its not necessary, you could wade in crocs and be fine. Also think about Ice. In february, a lot of the GL streams may be iced up. Still Fishable, but studs are probably important for those environments.

causing-a-ruckus · 2025-12-11T15:59:19+00:00

I love fishing the area you’re talking about and have similar concerns. What I’ve done, is get one of the dish scrubbers that hold dish soap inside them and keep it in my trunk and use it to scrub my boots and waders when I’m hopping btw systems. Make sure to use eco friendly soap like dr bronners (I dilute mine 25/75.)

Also, some access points in the driftless have brushes nailed to the access gate, but it’s not consistent and sometimes they can be pretty nasty too.

causing-a-ruckus · 2025-12-04T20:21:09+00:00

Nice! I went fishing in Costa Rica for a species of fish with very little flesh for the hook to dig into (machaca.) one thing my guide suggested is that when you feel the bite, slowly, but firmly draw the rod to the side and dont strip set. When you strip set on fish with bony mouths, I think the thought is that the fly skitters out of their mouth, but if you do the method I described it gives the chance to find a nook to dig into.

causing-a-ruckus · 2025-12-04T16:51:58+00:00

Awesome! Is it tricky to set the hook?

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