Gear needs for wade fishing are pretty minimal, whether you’re setting out on a remote beach like this angler or taking a quick stroll away from an anchored boat, like this redfish angler.
August 11, 2025
By Frank Sargeant
Wade fishing is a surprisingly effective way to catch big flats fish, including some that you’re likely to miss when fishing by boat, even if you’ve got a fly-weight carbon fiber flats skiff or a kayak to get you there.
Masters of the art like D.O.A. founder Mark Nichols and legendary west-coast guide Geoff Page spend more time out of the boat than in when conditions are right, and both of them catch fish that most of us only dream about, sometimes in ankle-deep water.
Both of them follow similar tactics to find and catch big fish, following basic guidelines of this nearly lost art they shared with me over multiple fishing trips.
The biggest seatrout are often taken by stealthy wade fishermen. Choose Your Spot Based on Conditions When you’re wading, you can’t pick up and run five miles to the next spot like you can in a boat. So it’s best to study your choice of fishing locations more carefully before you get in the water.
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That means you look at the wind (you want it behind you if possible), the tide (you want it moving) and the bait distribution (the more, the better) to chose where you’ll first step into the water on any given day. If you don’t already know the water well, study Google Earth and combine it with free coastal online depth charts to select areas that are likely to produce.
Where to Look for Fish Inshore gamefish frequently move to stay where the food is and also to stay away from areas where predators can have an easy shot at them. So the basic mantra is “skinny water early, deeper water late.” At first light, both trout and reds may be up in ankle-deep water looking for bait around oyster bars, creek mouths and points, and snook will still be hanging around lighted docks and bridges or prowling up under the mangroves. (Bonefish and permit are a whole other world, so we’ll leave them for another time.)
Study where and when to pinpoint where you plan to wade-fish. Once the sun is high, the trout may move to the sloughs, holes and the outside of the flats, while reds are more likely to be around docks, in holes and in runouts through the outer bar. Snook like any shaded area, or they may simply drop off to the nearest deep water nearby. The process reverses at sundown, so choose your fishing locations accordingly.
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Look for areas where wind pushes tide around a point. (Fish with the wind when you can—longer casts will let you cover more water.) If a spot looks likely on the map but when you get there it’s muddy or has no flow, choose another location. Some places fish great on a north wind, some on a west wind—and this changes with a rising or falling tide. Going to the wrong spot for the conditions cuts chances for success.
The Right Lures Less is more when it comes to lure choice when wading. Spend more time casting, less time changing lures and usually you’ll catch more fish—and besides, it’s a pain to be loaded down with tackle when you’re wading. It’s often more about getting where they are than precisely matching the hatch.
If you don’t know the general area where fish are located, use a lure that can be fished fast like a Savage Gear Pulse Tail Mullet or other swimbait, weedless spoon, Chatterbait or a walk-the-dog topwater like Rapala’s Skitter V, SPRO Walking Haint or Yo-Zuri 3DB Pencil Popper. Once you’re on fish, it often pays to switch to lures that can be fished slowly like the DOA Shrimp, DOA Bait Buster or Berkley Gulp Saltwater Shrimp. The MirrOdine, LiveTarget Scaled Sardine and Yo-Zuri 3D Minnow are hard to beat as twitchbaits.
Lure color usually does not matter much—opt for the natural shades, white, pearl, bone for baitfish, tan/brown for shrimp imitations and you won’t go wrong. It’s more about getting where they are than having the perfect color.
Quality footwear and long-casting spinning tackle are priorities in Florida. Playing Wind and Tide, and Looking for Clues A location like a slough through the outer bar surrounded by 10 acres of grassy flats is likely to be red hot on a falling tide, so plan to get to these spots as the tide goes out—allowing plenty of time for a long slog because wading is always slow. On a dead low, ponds, holes and undercut mangrove banks left behind in an otherwise shallow flat can be hotspots, while on the rise, fish will first travel in through cuts in the outer bar, then spread out across the grass in many areas.
Keep your eyes open for natural clues—jumping mullet, a baitfish “rainstorm”, diving birds—even a single blue heron on an oyster bar—can be clues that you’re in a fishy area. Watch the shoreline as you approach, too—lots of fiddler crabs scuttling for the marsh grass means a likely hot spot as the tide rises.
A soft-plastic shrimp fooled this nice redfish. Tips For More Fish Don’t be so eager to where you think the “great” spot is that you bypass fish you could have caught. At times, just at dawn, trout and reds run along shorelines and oyster bars gulping down baby pinfish and finger mullet in water less than a foot deep. Anywhere you see a swirl, see a bait jump or hear a “pop,” give it a cast or two just to check.
Second, if you can hear yourself wading, you’re probably going too fast. The big advantage of wadefishing, in addition to a minimal low profile, is that it’s noiseless if you go slowly. Catch the fish that are there rather than rushing to catch the fish you hope are on the other side of the flat. You’ll sometimes catch fish almost at your rod tip if you take your time and fish out each cast when you’re in a fishy zone.
Consider bottom conditions where you wade. There are some areas like the marly mud and grass around some of the islands in Pine Island Sound, for example, where you’ll sink up to your knees in mud. The black water creeks of northeast Florida also have notoriously difficult bottom. Wading in this water is exhausting to the point of being dangerous. Stick to areas with firm bottom and you’ll enjoy your day a lot more.
When you can, follow the wheel tracks, sandy edges or oyster bars. (Those wheel tracks, incidentally, are fish highways at low tide—I’ve caught many a nice red and trout by twitching a topwater over them.)
Last but not least, never forget the stingray shuffle. They’re everywhere as long as the water is above 70 degrees. Go slow and slide your feet and you’ll rarely have a problem. I have scooted dozens out from under me and never been stuck, though a friend who jumped out of my boat landed right on top of one—and we wound up in the emergency room.
Wading boots and waders (winter) or quick-dry shorts (most of year) anchor some of the basic gear for Florida saltwater wade-fishing. Gearing Up for Wadefishing Your basic 7-foot medium action spinning rod and 3000 size reel with 10- or 15-pound test braid is all you need for most flats action. My current favorite wading rod is a Shimano GLF medium action, which gives me a wide range of lure-weight choices for whatever they want on a given day. I like the Abu Garcia Revo reels for their light weight and smooth drag.
Use a 15-pound-test fluoro leader for trout, 15-20 for reds and 25 if you suspect big snook or baby tarpon are around. I like to make the leader a bit longer than the rod, so that I’ve got a couple wraps on the spool for easier casting. Also, it allows you to cut off multiple lures and still have plenty of leader left.
Carrying a second rod is tempting so you can have two lures ready to go, but I’ve always found it’s way more trouble than it’s worth—the second rod is constantly in the way.
I do carry an extra spool for the reel, though, pre-loaded with braid, so that if I get a really bad tangle that requires cutting away a lot of line, I’m not handicapped the rest of the day. (You can avoid a lot of tangles, BTW, if you close your bail manually, and of course glance at the spool regularly to make sure no tentacles are reaching out to cause trouble.)
If you wade in winter—and in some areas this can be a super time to find hidden potholes loaded with fish—you’ll need waders. Opt for the lightweight breathable models—they’re warm enough for Florida most of the time, and on really cold days you can wear long underwear under them to keep you warm.
You don’t need $800 waders for Florida—FroggToggs makes a number of good ones for moderate prices—I particularly like the Hellbender Pro models, which have a couple watertight pockets for keys, wallet and phone. They’re light enough for easy packing, too.
For the warmer months you’ll wade wet, but you still need good flats booties to protect your feet from oysters and other sharps. Here, the cheapest ones are not so good—if they don’t have good arch support, you’ll tire quickly. Simms Zipit Flats Booties have hard rubber soles that stand up to shell. Whatever model you use, wear a mid-height sock to make it more comfortable for long wear—and fold the top down over the top of your bootie so that sand stays out. (Forget wading in sneakers or sandals—sand and shell will drive you nuts.)
At the end of the day, give the zippers on your wading stuff a light silicone spray after rinsing with fresh water—they’ll work much easier next time.
Ankle-high booties protect feet. In ray country, might shuffle, instead of step, to avoid encounters. Other Stuff You’ll Want You’ll want the usual long-billed cap/visor and quality polarized glasses like those from Bajio, of course. Hang them on Cablz retainers to make sure they don’t fall in the water.A fishing vest or sling pack is helpful to tote your gear—Bass Pro Shops has a wide variety. And it’s not a bad idea to wear an ultra-light sunblocking hoody shirt like those from Magellan—surprisingly only $30—if you don’t want to be lubing up repeatedly with sunblock lotion.If you fish around the mangroves or marshes, high DEET bug repellant is an absolute must for any exposed skin. (Wash your hands thoroughly after applying—I think it repels fish, too.)Carry a pair of forceps for hook removals, of course, and the very handy Boomerang line snippers for re-rigging. A short fillet knife worn on your belt will come in handy, even if you don’t clean any fish.I often carry my lures in discarded pill bottles—the 6-inchers will hold a couple of topwaters and a couple of twitchbaits.Put your phone , keys and wallet in a Ziplocs if your waders or vest do not have a watertight compartment. (Don’t omit this step—sooner or later you will fall down.)If your hands are not tough —as with most of us weekenders—a pair of fishing gloves like those from Fish Monkey will do away with a lot of cuts and scrapes, and also make it a lot easier to put the lip lock on a snook.A couple of energy bars and a couple bottles of water and you’re good to go. The water is the heaviest thing you’ll carry—drink plenty before you go and you won’t get dehydrated.If you intend to keep a few fish, carry a long stringer with a float. This lets the fish get away from you a bit, just in case a shark happens along. In almost 50 years of wadefishing, I only ever had one take an interest in me, but it can happen, especially along the beach or the outer edge of the flats.This article was featured in the July issue of Florida Sportsman magazine. Click to subscribe .
