Wade up or down stream? 2024
Otter17 reply :
When wading a stream or small river for smallmouth I’ve always waded down river. Should I be wading up river?
Bluebasser86 reply :
You should wade upriver so that the debris and mud you stir up aren't being washed down into the water you're fishing, dirtying the water and alerting the fish to something out of place being in the water above them.
Oregon Native reply :
I do both with success....I just try and walk quietly....your in there home. There was an exception back home in Oregon on this trout stream that cattle would cross frequently. I called it the Crooked River Shuffle. You drug your feet across the bottom as you walked and then fished below you. Was crazy good. Trout waited for the cattle to cross for their food to be stirred up. So....I too stimulated the hatch!!!
B-Dozer reply :
Walk Like an Egyptian
scaleface reply :
I walk both ways , I have to get back after all .
Kev-mo reply :
You can do either. I've found that some presentations are easier one way but other than that it really doesn't matter.
The best argument for upstream imo is safety especially if you are wading at waist level or above and can't see the bottom. You don't have the current pushing you if you trip over something, are in a shelf like area or step into a hole or a soft bottom muck area.
TnRiver46 reply :
On 10/16/2018 at 12:45 PM, Otter17 said:When wading a stream or small river for smallmouth I’ve always waded down river. Should I be wading up river?
Yes!
Tennessee Boy reply :
+1 for wading upstream
WRB reply :
Trout and bass both face into the current waiting for prey to come down to them, that is how your lure should approach. Casting up current is easier when wading up current and you don't alarm fish as easily from down stream. If the stream is wide enough you can wade down current and cast across up current effectively and drift lures into eddies.
Tom
Ratherbfishing reply :
I vote for wading upriver. It leaves considerably less mud, debris, etc. to alert the fish AND when you cast upstream (and across), and retrieve (or drift), it's easier to pass a bait in front of a fish (upstream- where it is facing). Also, and as you get older, this will seem more important, if the banks are steep and brushy and you can't walk on the shore, walking WITH the current (when you are done) and "back to the car" will be sooooo much easier than walking upstream.
J Francho reply :
I only wade in to cast, unless the bank is impassable. I'd prefer not to wade downstream, but sometimes it's a necessity. Often though, I will hike upstream, looking for fish or spots, reading the water as I go, and return as travel back downstream. I suppose I wade fish similar to how a drift boat would operate. Cast are usually made perpendicular to current, and I let the bait swing into high percentage areas. In the case of something like a shallow lipped crank or minnow bait, there's a point where you don't even have to reel line in. At that point just let bait do what it does.
FishAndAPole reply :
I have tried both methods and have found that when I wade up stream past where I want to fish and do a little fishing for a bit and then come back down stream slowly and softly as I can and cast down stream I get a lot more bites. I am guessing that the fish are facing towards me and the lure is smacking them in the face in the current. 
One of the big factors is where is the sun.. I keep my shadow behind me. I have tested putting my shadow in front and a fish chases the lure and gets close to my shadow and takes off bc I am a huge predator silhouette.
Brad Reid reply :
A little bit off topic but if you like stream fishing, love to see a master at work with spinning tackle? Grab your lunch and watch this angler at work.
Brad
Accuracy counts!
J Francho reply :
Good stuff. That backhand cast is very useful when you're in the back of the boat with a right handed boater that typically casts off the port side. The spinning pitch is also great for getting under docks.
B-Dozer reply :
You know what they say about fly fishing.
Once you try it, you're hooked ????
Otter17 reply :
On 10/17/2018 at 1:19 AM, Brad Reid said:A little bit off topic but if you like stream fishing, love to see a master at work with spinning tackle? Grab your lunch and watch this angler at work.
Brad
Accuracy counts!
????
IgotWood reply :
Depends on how I am fishing. If I am fishing live or artificials on a dead drift, then I will work my way upstream. Cast upstream and drift it back.
If if I am fishing moving baits that I want to swing, like a crank, or spinnerbait, etc, I would work my way downstream.
If working downstream, keep in mind that the fish are likely to be facing upstream, and will see you or your shadow before you’re able to present a bait to them. Not really a big deal, you just need to be a little more cautious and strategic as you’re moving around.
Scott F reply :
One tactic that can work well if you are wading downstream is to intentionally shuffle your feet to stir up the critters on the bottom that can get bass feeding.
MIbassyaker reply :
On 10/17/2018 at 1:31 AM, B-Dozer said:You know what they say about fly fishing.
Once you try it, you're hooked ????
One of these days, I'm going to try this.
However, I'm a little concerned about it becoming an obsession that will completely take over my life. I know my limitations....
Otter17 reply :
On 10/17/2018 at 10:08 AM, MIbassyaker said:One of these days, I'm going to try this.
However, I'm a little concerned about it becoming an obsession that will completely take over my life. I know my limitations....
Same exact reason I’m holding off as well man.
TnRiver46 reply :
On 10/17/2018 at 1:31 AM, B-Dozer said:You know what they say about fly fishing.
Once you try it, you're hooked ????
Unless of course you have been a Fly fishing guide for over ten years and get sick of guys showing up with their vented shirts telling you how they have fished sun valley Idaho, Patagonia, Jackson hole, Alaska, blah blah blah. They usually can’t throw a fly past the rod tip!!! Give me a bass boat and a baitcaster any day.
B-Dozer reply :
On 10/17/2018 at 11:40 AM, TnRiver46 said:Unless of course you have been a Fly fishing guide for over ten years and get sick of guys showing up with their vented shirts telling you how they have fished sun valley Idaho, Patagonia, Jackson hole, Alaska, blah blah blah. They usually can’t throw a fly past the rod tip!!! Give me a bass boat and a baitcaster any day
Yeah well I guess ya gotta know your limits.
Turkey sandwich reply :
The short answer, imo, is that there are times for both and that more importantly, current changes the way you present more than anything else.
TnRiver46 reply :
On 10/17/2018 at 11:42 AM, B-Dozer said:Yeah well I guess ya gotta know your limits.
I used to love Fly fishing from about age 12-25, and I still do, but guiding opened my eyes to the “elitist” dark side. Yet I still do it! TO me, fishing is fishing but I can’t convince the vented shirt crowd of that
gnappi reply :
I'm in the walk upstream camp. I never fished downstream except for at the spot where I entered the stream.
Turkey sandwich reply :
On 10/17/2018 at 10:08 AM, MIbassyaker said:One of these days, I'm going to try this.
However, I'm a little concerned about it becoming an obsession that will completely take over my life. I know my limitations....
There are much worse addictions, but it's bad. 
J Francho reply :
Since I switched to a centrepin, I haven't touched a fly rod. Come to the dark side.
Catt reply :
On 10/16/2018 at 9:14 PM, scaleface said:I walk both ways , I have to get back after all .
Pretty much it! ????
I'm aint gonna wade a mile up stream & then walk back to the truck.
I'm gonna fish my way back!
Your still looking for the same eddies, cover, structure, just from a different angle. You know where the bass are holding, that is if you were successful on the way up.
Tennessee Boy reply :
I haven't done much wading in the last 35 years but when I was a teenager I spent my summers wading creeks. I always waded upsteam. I would wade a mile up stream and then climb up on the bank and walk back to the truck. I'm not saying I didn't hit some of my favorite spots on the way back but I would climb down the bank below the spot and fish it from downstream.
You catch almost all of your smallmouth in the current. They're facing upsteam looking for a meal. You approach them from behind, throw your lure up into the current and work it toward them. That's hard to do from the other direction.
The fish I caught were 90% smallmouth and 10% spotted bass. If you're only fishing for largemouth, it might be a different story but I think going upsteam still gives you the advantage.
Spend the time you have wading upsteam then take the fastest route back to the truck when it's time to go.
J Francho reply :
On 10/17/2018 at 11:58 PM, Tennessee Boy said:That's hard to do from the other direction.
It's simple, you swing the bait. Bait fish swim facing upstream. Your presentation could look backwards. Both work, though. Who knows, maybe that's why it works, too.
Scott F reply :
There are advantages to fishing going upstream against the current to be sure, but to totally pass on fishing downstream in my opinion, is a mistake. As most guys who fish rivers in kayaks or canoes do, they put in or paddle upstream, and float back downstream.
Tennessee Boy reply :
On 10/18/2018 at 12:48 AM, J Francho said:It's simple, you swing the bait. Bait fish swim facing upstream. Your presentation could look backwards. Both work, though. Who knows, maybe that's why it works, too.
I get what you're saying. I'm not suggesting that the way I did it in Tennessee 35 years ago is the only way to do it everywhere and for all time. I threw crawfish baits in the current and caught large numbers of very small smallmouth. I probably averaged 10 an hour and the fish probably averaged 7 in. It was big fun for a teenager in those days and involved a lot of trespassing on private property. ????
J Francho reply :
Lol, I bet it was fun. We'd do a lot of creek fishing in spring and fall, but the fish were steelhead, browns , and salmon.
TnRiver46 reply :
On 10/18/2018 at 1:08 AM, J Francho said:Lol, I bet it was fun. We'd do a lot of creek fishing in spring and fall, but the fish were steelhead, browns , and salmon.
I bet those are a handful in shallow current !!!!
J Francho reply :
Yep, they are. I had a weird one a few years ago, hooked a steelhead, on it's first run, it launched in the air. It landed in a tree. The end. LMAO. We catch a handful of smallies in certain waters too. Once I even caught a largemouth in a creek, which is very unusual.
Tennessee Boy reply :
On 10/18/2018 at 12:59 AM, Scott F said:There are advantages to fishing going upstream against the current to be sure, but to totally pass on fishing downstream in my opinion, is a mistake. As most guys who fish rivers in kayaks or canoes do, they put in or paddle upstream, and float back downstream.
We would typically fish about half a mile an hour. We could walk back to the truck much faster and would often cut across a cow pasture or two. Only fishing while wading upstream allowed us to maximize the time we spent fishing the pattern that worked best for us.
Catt reply :
We don't have Smallmouth down here but we do have a lot of Spotted Bass.
I wade fish Toro Creek below Toledo Bend, it's crystal clear, cold, hard bottom with nice current.
Probably my second favorite way to bass fish!
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Tennessee Boy reply :
@Catt That's some beautiful water. There's just something about fishing a stream that's good for the soul.
Otter17 reply :
On 10/18/2018 at 2:22 AM, Catt said:We don't have Smallmouth down here but we do have a lot of Spotted Bass.
I wade fish Toro Creek below Toledo Bend, it's crystal clear, cold, hard bottom with nice current.
Probably my second favorite way to bass fish!
Beautiful water there!
islandbass reply :
On 10/17/2018 at 1:31 AM, B-Dozer said:You know what they say about fly fishing.
Once you try it, you're hooked ????
Indeed. That's why I'm afraid to try it. My conventional gear might be turned into glorified dust collectors.
With regard to the video, I can't believe someone was filming me without my permission.
trouttracker reply :
If I'm planning on fishing in both directions before getting out, I will usually opt to wade upstream on the way out since it will be much easier (energy-wise) to wade back downstream.
buzzbaiter83 reply :
Upstream for me when possible, although I’ve done it both ways. We always took 2 trucks. Parked one where we wanted to get out, drove the other and parked it where we started. I’ve even waded upstream with my kayak tied to my waist and floated back down to the truck when finished. Most of the time, if I’m alone, I fish my way back down though.
Otter17 reply :
Those are 2 dang SOLID ideas there buzzbaiter83! Thanks for sharing those!
J Francho reply :
On 10/19/2018 at 10:18 AM, buzzbaiter83 said:Upstream for me when possible, although I’ve done it both ways. We always took 2 trucks. Parked one where we wanted to get out, drove the other and parked it where we started. I’ve even waded upstream with my kayak tied to my waist and floated back down to the truck when finished. Most of the time, if I’m alone, I fish my way back down though.
Really common practice up here on the Salmon river with the float boat guides. Easier, since it's usually a guide and two clients.
Harold Scoggins reply :
On 10/17/2018 at 1:31 AM, B-Dozer said:You know what they say about fly fishing.
Once you try it, you're hooked ????
Still on the bucket list. If I told my wife I needed a another rod/reel, I'd be in the dog house for sure.
J Francho reply :
On 10/19/2018 at 10:55 PM, Harold Scoggins said:Still on the bucket list. If I told my wife I needed a another rod/reel, I'd be in the dog house for sure.
This is my good friend, Eric's company. We've known each other since the third grade, were in boy scouts together. I gave him his first pole and a small box of lures. Led to this. Take a look, really reasonable gear. Call them, and you will probably get his wife Heidi or him on the phone directly.
https://www.amazon.com/stores/node/13180987011?_encoding=UTF8&field-lbr_brands_browse-bin=Wild Water&ref_=w_bl_hsx_s_lg_web_13180987011
Fairtax4me reply :
I tend to have better catch rate fishing upstream. Making a long cast and bringing the lure back with current or across current produces well for me. It’s also a lot easier to walk back downstream after you’ve fished a half day (or all day)!
I try to remember places where I may have missed a fish or spots that look promising that I stumbled upon it but didn’t cast there. Hit those spots on the way back, or fish areas where I had followers or saw other fish chasing while one was hooked.
fishwizzard reply :
On 10/17/2018 at 10:36 PM, Catt said:
I'm aint gonna wade a mile up stream & then walk back to the truck.
I'm gonna fish my way back!
But see, it takes me a few hours to wade that mile, but only 15-20 min to walk back. I like to wade upstream and then if I have not pushed my time limit/daylight to the max, I will hike back on land and try to hit a few of the more productive spots on the way back. I don't think I have the self control to move fast enough upstream to allow for much fishing on the way back.
I also feel like I am way less sure of my footing when wading downstream, even when just crossing water when hiking my preference is to cross on a upstream diagonal.
Also, if you want to see some more insanely good casting and some really beautiful creeks, check this guy out. It's also all in japanese and this guy uses casting rods to throw small cranks to trout.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrQAtakEbQa-YZ6zmESV92w
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