Wader Shootout: A WRG Guide to Waders

Posted on March 26, 2018 by Wild River Guides

Contemplating a new pair of waders?

As guides, there are not many things we are picky about. I mean, we sleep on the ground for about three months a year to experience the one of the most incredible wildernesses in the country. Point being, our standards for comfort aren’t very high. But when it comes to the waders we live in and work in during the summer season, we choose wisely. A good pair of waders can mean the difference between comfort and misery in southwest Alaska. There are few things that will put you in a bad mood faster than pulling on waders that are soaked through on a rainy morning. For this reason, we belive in shelling out some extra bills for the best of the best. So here’s a few thoughts on which route to go on waders from some folks who wear their waders almost every day from June to September…

Zippered vs. Non-Zippered

There’s a few things that we hear a lot at the end of a trip, and “next time I come, I’m getting waders with a zipper” is usually among them. They aren’t essential, especially for anglers that rarely wear waders outside of their Alaska trip, but they make life on the river a whole lot easier. They are easier to get on and off, and makes a midday pit stop less of production. Especially when it is raining hard.

As we are strutting our waders around the floatplane dock getting ready to take off, most guests will ask, “don’t you worry about the zipper leaking?” We can assure you that this has proved to be one of, if not the MOST waterproof part of the waders. Both YKK and Tizip have done an extraordinary job designing these zippers and the engineering inspires our confidence in the product.

The Downside?

Dollars: Most high-end zippered waders are going to hurt to buy. Simms G4Z waders clock in at 800 bucks and Patagonia zippered Rio Gallegos are $600. Not cheap, but again, if you wear them a lot and want to make life easier, it’s worth the extra money.

Sense: If you like to roll your waders down around your waist for a little air flow on hot days, the zippered waders may not be best for you. You will also sacrifice a pass-through hand warmer pocket but most waders still feature individual hand warmer pockets to keep your digits toasty.

Simms and Patagonia

In our minds, there are two main categories of waders. Simms and Patagonia versus everything else. There is a reason that almost every Alaska guide you see is wearing a pair of these. They are durable, have a lot of features, and they have good warranties if something goes wrong.

Ultimately, if you put any wader through the ringer of intense guide work and long days, they will all leak eventually. Our goal is to make it through a full season on just one pair of waders. Both Simms and Patagonia have accomplished this feat while working with Wild River Guides in the Alaskan Bush.

Simms

The Pros: Once you get past the price tag, there’s a lot of pros to Simms waders. Speaking about the “Guide” Series, specifically the G4Zs, the five layers of Gore-Tex really comes in handy. Jumping in and out of rafts, setting up camps on gravel bars, and bushwhacking through willows takes a big toll on waders. The multiple layers of Simms take a lot of abuse, and we have had several pairs last multiple Alaska seasons. The zipper is bomber, and there are a lot of pockets on the chest for stashing everything you will need throughout the day.

The Cons: The many layered design means more “stiffness” and less comfort and flexibility. There are fewer seams on the G4Z model, so less likely to fail, but it makes doing a cartwheel a little tougher. And jumping in and out of boats isn’t exactly a picnic, at least until the waders are worn in. Buying one size up in these bad boys goes a long way towards crouching over to grab that fly box you dropped. Again, the price on these things can be hard to swallow, but with good care they will last many seasons.

If you don’t think the zipper is your cup of tea, check out the G4 Pro Wader.

Patagonia

The Pros: For a few hundred less bones then the G4Z’s, you can get yourself into the Rio Gallegos Zip-Front Wader from Patagonia. This is a proven wader that has passed the full season field test several times. The 4-layer H2No breathable fabric stands up to hopping in and out of rafts, breaking up logjams, and short wind-sprints. The removable foam kneepads are a lifesaver when hammering on tent stakes or releasing fish. Both internal and external pockets provide enough room for gear with hand warmer pockets for chilly days. The flip out waterproof internal pocket is a nice feature for keeping licenses dry or shielding a cell phone from the elements (if you happen to have a reasonable sized phone).

The Cons: If you have Patagonia waders then you have a convertible suspension system that allows you to drop your waders down to waist height. On the (RG) zip fronts, the zipper is thick and keeps the waders from rolling down easily (and staying down) around your waist. We routinely carry pliers, a knife, and bear spray on our wading belts. The new Rio Zips only have one belt loop in back, which means you need to clip your wading belt together when unclipping your belt or your gear will end up scattered on the ground.

The In-between: The Rio Zips have a roomier fit then Simms, which can be a pro or a con depending on your body style or layering needs. But I will say, when the weather gets chilly, it’s nice to have some extra room.

If the zippered waders aren’t your speed you can check out the Rio Gallegos Wader.

Women’s Waders:

No longer do female anglers need to “deal” with hopping into a pair of waders that are designed for men. In the last few years, companies have started to listen to the needs of women by designing gender specific wader lines for comfort. But like Men’s waders, not all Women’s waders are created equal…
We have had several female guides over the years and their choices have fallen into two categories for wader choices, Simms or Patagonia.

Patagonia

Many women, including WRG guide Kate Rutherford preach to the comfort and design of the Patagonia Women’s Spring Wader. The quick drop-seat function has proved a valuable asset when it comes to relieving yourself without removing clothes in the backcountry. They feature the same durable 4-layer H2No technology proven in their waders for years. A downside of going with Patagonia is they only make one women’s wader so you are locked into spending about $400 on the Women’s Spring Wader but their warranty is rock solid should you ever have any issues.

Simms:

Simms produces two different waders for women, the Freestone ($250) and Womens G3 Guide ($500), which gives you some options based on your use level and budget. Our guides haven’t tested the Women’s Freestone Wader* in Alaska which only features a 2-layer breathable fabric. The wader reportedly does not breathe as well as Gore-Tex but this could benefit ladies that run cold. The Women’s G3 Guide Wader may come with a higher price tag, but it can handle Alaska fishing. WRG guide, Aubrey Romo has enjoyed the durability of the 4-layer Gore-Tex and reported the straps and pocketing as “user friendly.”

There are some choices to make when considering your next pair of waders. If you are a casual angler that prefers to wet wade on the home waters, it may be wise to save some beer money and find a less expensive pair of waterproof pants. Reddington, LL Bean, and Cabelas all make affordable models that will work fine for an occasional wade. But for your Alaska float, or if you plan on heavy use on your home river, it is worth it to invest in a pair of high quality waders that will last you for years to come.

See you on the river!

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“You Are Now Alone” – The FlyFish Journal

Posted on March 13, 2018 by Wild River Guides

WRG Guide Pete Jaacks describes the challenges, people, and fishing of Western Alaska on a late season exploratory coho trip. Join him, his brother, and fellow guide John Jinishian as they fight the weather, the Secret Service, and low water in pursuit of the magical fish in September. Originally published in Vol. 9.1 of The FlyFish Journal.

Read About It Here >

Chasing Chrome Coho

A late season fish sent home

“Northern Gravity”- Anglers Journal

Posted on March 13, 2018 by Wild River Guides

Join guide John Jinishian on his first season guiding in Western Alaska with Wild River Guides. Originally published in Anglers Journal, John writes about memorable experiences from that defining first season, as well as what drew him to Alaska to begin with.

Author John Jinishian holds a western AK rainbow

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Mousing in Western Alaska

Posted on March 13, 2018 by Peter Jaacks

When I first started casting a fly rod, my fly selection was pretty sparse. I didn’t even really know that there were fly patterns other than Elk Hair Caddis until I was a teenager. Fishing my home waters in Colorado, I stuck to the standard western trout fare. I swung leeches and wooly buggers, dead drifted nymphs, and skittered the reliable Elk Hair Caddis. I rarely deviated from the standard formula until I saw a short film about fishing with mice on the South Island in New Zealand. As far as I can remember, that point marks my obsession with fishing for trout with mice.

I began by tossing big deer hair mice patterns in the late evening, with little to no success. Colorado is not known as a mouse fishing haven, and whenever I tied on mice patterns, I had to optimistically shrug off sideways looks from my fishing buddies. I can dream right? There’s just something about throwing a huge foam fly imitating a mouse that I couldn’t get past. You slap it on the water and strip it back in, then watch as a shadow appears out of the brush, swimming lightning fast towards your fly like a shark chasing a seal. It smashes into the fly, then retreats. Then smashes again, thinking to stun the mouse before devouring it. You have to wait until you see the real take to set the hook, something that takes an overwhelming amount of self control. Then the trout jaws come out of the water again, swallowing the mouse whole, and bam! Fish on! Its magic.

Fly Fishing Mouse patterns Alaska wilderness rainbow trout

A fistful of well loved mouse patterns

When I began guiding in Alaska, I confess that it was not mice that brought me there. In fact, when I first stepped off the plane in Dillingham, deafened by the roar of propellers and captivated by the NO PEBBLE flags everywhere, swimming mice were far from my mind. I was drawn to Bristol Bay by the promise of solitude in the wilderness. By the thought of untouched salmon rivers meandering their way to the sea.

Upon my first flight into the Togiak Refuge, it became immediately clear to me that I had come to the right place. We soared through the post-glacial landscape, picking our way through mountains and flying over uncountable rivers. Every way I looked out of the float plane window, I saw none of the signs of activity I had grown accustomed to in the landscapes of the West. No fences. No parking lots. No roads. Just rivers and lakes with pods of salmon so vast you can see them from a thousand feet in the air.

It was soon after the mouse on my back returned to the front of my mind. I was sharing my boat with an angler who loved to fish dry flies, having spent summers fishing in Montana. When he handed me his box and gave me the “what should I use?” look, I grabbed a fat foam mouse and tied it on. I still didn’t hold out much hope, but I hadn’t been fishing in Alaska very long. After a few casts at the overgrown bank, a leopard rainbow exploded out of the shadows and crushed the fly. I was honestly shocked. I know now that any Alaska guide will tell you this is no surprise, but I was still new to the region and stared in disbelief. These fish actually eat mice!

Another fish fallen to the Morrish Mouse

There are some specific factors that make Western Alaska a mousing haven. For one, it is tough to earn a living as a trout there. The summer days may be long, but the summer is short. Trout have a small window to eat as much as they can as fast as they can, before summer turns to a long, dark, and cold winter. This makes them ravenous opportunists. Anything that can be eaten, especially something big and full of protein, is well worth the chase for them. Smaller fish, sculpins, salmon fry, salmon eggs, and of course, swimming rodents.

In the later summer months, trout tend to stack up behind the endless strings of salmon migrating up the rivers. For reference, Bristol Bay saw a record 59 million sockeye salmon return in 2017. Sockeye are only one the five species of Pacific salmon that call Bristol Bay home. Thats a lot of salmon eggs. The salmon eggs that fill the rivers are undoubtedly the life source for rainbows and Dolly Varden Char, as well as other resident species. They are innumerable and protein rich, so rainbows really key into them when the salmon are in numbers in the river. The longer the season goes on, the more difficult it becomes to get the leopard ‘bows to look up.

That leaves a specific window for mouse “prime-time”. The early season. Rainbow trout finish up their spawn in the late spring in Alaska, then prioritize eating as much as they can before winter. Their food sources are more limited however, as not many salmon have made their way up the rivers yet. Since the eggs are not yet prolific, the trout stay in the cover of the woody debris strewn along the banks. Their leopard spots afford them ample camouflage while they lie in wait…

This is what I have found to be a mouse fishing paradise. A perfect storm of events; long sunny days, hungry post spawn trout, and a lack of food supply competition all lead to one thing. Insane mouse fishing. Trout hide in the undergrowth, and hungrily chase mouse patterns that are slapped on the water near the bank, sometimes returning to attack the same mouse pattern a dozen times. The Kanektok river is well know for this phenomenon, as it has over 100 miles of overgrown banks for its resident ‘bows to hide in. A circulating photo shows a biologist dissecting a Kanektok ‘bow with over a dozen rodents in its stomach. Like I said. Insane.

Needless to say I found a place to fish mice. And while I throw them all season long, nothing quite compares to the first few weeks of the summer when the slap of a mouse pattern on the water is almost always shortly accompanied by the splash of a hungry rainbow. Now when I get those sideways looks about the mice patterns in my fly box at home, I grin and repeat the same line almost manically. “Come fish Alaska.”

A past guest summed it up for me one evening. He was fishing his way down the bank opposite from camp, casting a favorite foam mouse pattern. I sat on my raft, all the camp chores done for the night, and watched midnight sun glitter on the water as it sank lower in the sky. I heard a splash from downstream, followed by laughter and a yell back up to me, “I’m in a crazy land where fish eat mice!” Another convert to the mouse fishing faith had just been baptized in the waters of western Alaska. I shouted my approval.

Welcome brother.

Prime Western AK Mouse water.

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