Wrist strap on Wading Staff?

[Herkileez]

I'm wondering how many actually use the wrist strap on their wading staff. I never use one, or even have one on my own staff.
I'm interested in opinions.
( I may modify my Riverstick design accordingly)

 

[doublespey]

Don't use it on mine . . . either in the holster folded, hanging free in the current, or in my hand.

 

[fatbillybob]

No but I have a retractable lanyard on my staff. When speycasting that's when I must manage the most line like 5 or so 10ft loops. I can position the staff behind dangled by the lanyard and then cast without tangling it. I do not think anything good could come of a wrist lanyard. Being attached to stuff comes at a cost.

When skiing I never use pole straps either. A friend ended up with shoulder surgery when his basket caught when we were skiing trees. It wasn't pretty. You really don't want to be attached to anything unless the reward out weighs the risk.

 

[SurfnFish]

retractable waist lanyard only

 

[Brute]

retractable waist lanyard only

That’s what I do…

 

[Zak]

I don't use a wrist strap. I like using a lenth of plastic-coated clothesline for a staff leash. Fly hooks don't get caught in it and when I slide my hand down it to find my staff it doesn't give my rope burn.

 

[Herkileez]

I don't use a wrist strap. I like using a lenth of plastic-coated clothesline for a staff leash. Fly hooks don't get caught in it and when I slide my hand down it to find my staff it doesn't give my rope burn.

I use a Boomerang scuba retractor (14 oz tension) to keep the grip at my hip...out of the way, but handy on short notice.

 

[Salmo_g]

No wrist strap for me either. Unlike trekking poles where using the wrist straps improves the leverage of my hiking stride, a wrist strap on my wading staff would just be too inconvenient. I grab the staff after casting and mending and use it while making a couple downstream steps, or while wading into position, or crossing a stream. Then I let it go until the next steps. Inserting my hand through the strap and then grabbing the staff takes too much extra time, and that increased stability just isn't needed for the purpose of wading a few downstream steps. My wading staff is attached to a retractable cord that I clip to my wader strap.

 

[_WW_]

Big loop that I go over one shoulder with.

 

[Haggis57]

I use a Boomerang scuba retractor (14 oz tension) to keep the grip at my hip...out of the way, but handy on short notice.

I use the same 14oz retractor to keep my Folstaf at the hip in the same position.

 

[Otter]

I didn’t use the wrist strap when I still fished, but I use it when using my staff walking around town or hiking. Hanging my staff off my wrist frees up both hands. Handy when taking photos. Or, coffee in one hand, scone in the other! Also, if I don’t use the strap, I sometimes forget my staff if I’ve leaned it against something.

 

[greenriver]

would the boomerang work with a net?

 

[Herkileez]

would the boomerang work with a net?

I'm sure it would. The extreme duty one has 14 oz pull tension and a lock button.

 

[goinoregon]

i use the retractable lanyard, and find it very handy.

 

[Jaydub]

Hi Herkileez, I have one of your staffs that I won as a prize on another site. I love almost everything about it. The one thing I would change is the wrist strap. I like using a wrist strap if I'm moving more than a couple of steps. But it should come out of the top of the grip instead of the bottom. That would allow you to run your hand up through it first, like you would with any ski or trekking pole, greatly increasing grip and leverage.

Just my 2 cents.

 

[clarki]

I use the strap sometimes..,but not all the time.

I have yet to have the staff grip slip out of my hand during a wade, but that possibility is always in the back of my mind. So even though I use a retractor, I use the wrist strap during a dicey wade as an additional bit of security so that the staff grip remains close to my hand in the event I lose my handhold.

Admittedly, on a dicey wade, esp if I’m a bit nervous about it, putting my hand through the strap is also a mental thing. It serves a “game on” function and helps to focus me.

 

[Herkileez]

Hi Herkileez, I have one of your staffs that I won as a prize on another site. I love almost everything about it. The one thing I would change is the wrist strap. I like using a wrist strap if I'm moving more than a couple of steps. But it should come out of the top of the grip instead of the bottom. That would allow you to run your hand up through it first, like you would with any ski or trekking pole, greatly increasing grip and leverage.

Just my 2 cents.

Thanks for your suggestion Jaydub...I may have to do some tinkering.....

 

[Brian Miller]

I have said this before...
I learned a long time ago that a properly adjusted and worn wrist strap significantly reduces forearm and muscle fatigue when when using an ice axe, trekking-ski poles, or a wading staff for support.

My orthopedic surgeon recommended using a hiking staff to reduce the shock to my artificial hip so it can outlast me. A good wading staff length for me is about 6" - 8" longer than my optimum hiking pole height.

I use the waist retractor tether but also use the top of grip wrist strap for wading and a paracord wrist strap for support when hiking.This configuration gives me both and works great.