Tried three or four models years back as I get pretty aggressive at fly fishing for steelhead usually going within an inch or so of ones armpits. When wading that deep, it's really quite hard to fall over. Four inch deep water is a little scary, as it does hurt when one hits bottom there.
When fishing, I let the cast swing to a dangle, take two steps, cast and swing, and repeat. Found them to be a pain in the ass with loops of fly line getting entangled, taking extra time to clear line and retrieve the staff before moving, and just switching the rod to the off hand to handle the staff takes even more time. Also, the tip frequently gets stuck in cracks and crevices and landing a real sporting fish midstream can get a bit more interesting.
I'm also old and know precisely where I can and cannot go in the rivers we frequent. If one does go in, then one has both a tethered stick and 10+ ft fly rod to handle while swimming ashore. So when fishing, absolutely not. If tackling a rapid stretch in an attempt to get across a stream though, I will look for a stick, but will not have line in the water during those intervals.
I don't use cleats, but do wear boots with fabric soles that bite into algae covered stones etc.
Last edited by 1minute; 03/21/21.
