As an angler, I am a minimalist. I rarely stray from maybe 10 different flies, if waders aren’t necessary, I won’t wear them, and I’ll often hit the water without a pack or just leave it somewhere on the river to retrieve later. (Hear that, thieves?!)
However, one gear item I always try to have with me is my net. And the net is not so much for landing fish but protecting the fish I do land. A netted fish is a fish that can be landed and released more quickly — especially when fishing solo (which is the case the majority of the time for me).
When I got the new Patagonia Wading Support Belt, I was on the fence about whether I would find value in it. Frankly, I rarely give much thought to wading belts at all. But I ended up loving this wading belt so much, that I now plan to always use it — even when traveling to distant waters and having the need to pack as little as possible.
The Patagonia Wading Support Belt offers great back support which is very helpful for me, as I have an artificial hip and need to be careful about wading and hiking with my hip and back. But I think that even without the hip issues, this support will likely feel good for anyone. And what’s especially nice is that the best has a net sleeve, so I can walk and wade without having to carry a net. Very nice.
To learn more about the Patagonia Wading Support Belt, please click here.
– Tim Harden
Disclosure: Patagonia is in a professional relationship with the The Venturing Angler. Though potentially benefiting from this relationship, we do not post what we do not believe to be true. To read more, click here.