Repairing Waders

 

After a recent fishing trip to Rim Shoals, I sat down at a picnic table at the walk-in access, to remove my waders. As I peeled them off, I noticed that my left leg was damp. It was definitely more moisture than would be created by perspiration. My socks are usually a bit damp. I think that is from being surrounded by the neoprene booties attached to my waders. I wear breathable waders and my slacks are usually pretty dry under my waders, on all but the absolute hottest days. On this day, the left leg of my slacks was soaking wet in a large area near my knee. It was all too obvious that I had a leak in my waders.

I have a back up pair. As a working guide, I have to be ready to go fishing at the last minute. Waders are very expensive. After my fly rod, my waders are the most expensive piece of fishing equipment that I own. In addition, they are the shortest lived piece of major fishing equipment that I own. My wading staff is over twenty five years old, my favorite fly rod is almost twenty but my waders are only five years old, which is incredibly old for a set of waders. One of the reasons that mine have lasted so long is that, when I spring a leak, I take the time to properly repair them at home.

The hardest part of the process is to locate the leak. A long gash is pretty easy to find. It is the tiny pin pricks that elude us. Look at where your clothing becomes wet to give you a clue. If your socks are soaked it may be the neoprene booties that contain the leak.  In this case my left pants leg was soaked indicating that the leak was in the breathable material. The secret is to turn the waders inside out. I then take an alcohol swab and wipe it over the suspected area. The leak will appear as a dark spot. This trick does not work so well in the neoprene booties. To locate a leak there, I hang the waders and fill the affected bootie with water. I carefully note the location of any leaks.

I turn the waders inside out and repair the leak from the inside so that the repairs do not show. Most good waders come with a small repair kit. This usually consists of a small tube of Aquaseal and a few patches. Aquaseal is basically the same stuff as Shoe Goo or Plumbers Goop. The idea is to daub a small amount on the leak. The larger tears require the use of the patches.

The problem is that Aquaseal takes twenty fours to cure before you can use your waders. That is a whole day. There is an additive called Cotol that can be mixed with the Aquaseal that will cut the cure time to four hours. It is available at local fly shops. Better still is a product from Loon Outdoors, UV Wader Repair. This stuff is great! It looks like Aquaseal when you apply it. You just expose it to sunlight and it cures instantly. If you are not near a sunny spot Loon makes a small UV (ultra violet) flash light that gives the perfect light to cure the UV Wader Repair.

I had a client that ripped his waders as we were walking into a remote fishing spot. We walked back to the car and he removed his waders. We applied the UV Wader Repair and exposed it to sunlight. It cured instantly. We were on the stream in five minutes with the leak fixed. I carry a tube and a UV flashlight in my wader bag at all times. It is also available at local fly shops.

I would recommend that you not try to make any repairs to the taped seams of your waders. Most manufacturers will void any warranties if you do anything to the taped seams.

I wear Simms waders and have sent them back to them for repairs. They replaced the neoprene booties under the warranty and repaired several leaks for a nominal charge. It took several weeks to get my waders back but the factory repair extended the life of the waders by three years.

Waders have a big effect on your fishing day. They can keep you dry warm and comfortable. If you spring a leak it can be easily repaired and you can be back on stream.

John Berry