Why Wade Fishing Is Still the Best Way to Chase Trout

Drift boats have their place, but nothing beats being in the water.

Wade fishing the Frying Pan River. | photo by Jasper Taback

Drift boats have revolutionized the trout fishing game – no question about it. Floating a river gives you shots at more fish, and it allows access to fish you could never reach on your own two feet. It offers serious advantages, but it hasn’t completely supplanted wade fishing. Head to any well-known trout river, and you’ll still see anglers in the water – here’s why. 

No Rush

When you wade, you don’t see nearly as much water as you would from a drift boat – but you get much more time to pick apart the water that you do see. It’s hard to feel like you’re really decoding a riffle or run when you float past it. If you’re wading, you can make as many casts as you want, without feeling like there’s a shot clock. 

Freedom to Move

If you’re fishing from a drift boat, you’re pretty committed to fishing that river – once you put the boat in, you’re floating it down to the take-out, no matter how long that float is. If you’re wading, you can decide that you want to check out a different stretch of river upstream, or a different river altogether. 

Spontaneous Trips 

If you can pick out a day to float with a friend and bring both of your vehicles for the shuttle, that’s great. But what about when you have a free hour or two and you want to fish? There’s no time for getting the boat, the trailer, and a friend together and ready to go. When wading, a pair of waders and a rod, and you're all set. 

Presentation Practice

When you float a river, both you and your fly move at the pace of the current. When you’re wade fishing, your fly moves with the current but is tethered to a stationary object: you. To get a natural drift, you have to learn to manipulate your fly line to limit the drag on the fly. 

No matter how you choose to fly fish, presentation is everything – and wade fishing makes you figure it out a whole lot faster. 

Get to Know the Water

If your goal is to rack up numbers of fish brought to the net, your best bet is to fish from a drift boat – most of the time, covering more water yields more fish. But if you want to learn a river and experience it fully, there’s nothing like being in the water. 

You’ll likely catch fewer fish, but the fish that you do land, you will have earned. You can only move so fast when you’re wading – it forces you to slow down and be thoughtful in your approach. If you want to experience the minutiae of trout fishing that make it so rewarding, it pays to get in the water.