But do they fit?

Unfortunately no, they do not.

In order to tell this tale of frustration, it will be necessary to go back to the beginning. Some 15 years ago, Barb and I had each bought two pairs of Red Ball ultralight waders. She had cleverly cut and re-sewn them so that they were waist waders rather than chest waders. This was done to prevent either of us from wading too deeply into swift currents.

By taking good care of these waders, turning them inside out after every use and patching the occasional small leak using cotton sheeting and Barge cement, they lasted a long time. Recently, Barb’s sprung a leak that I could not seem to fix and I thought it might be time for new waders for both of us. I have always scorned the idea of breathable waders due to their high price. However, at our advanced age, I thought it might be nice to treat our selves to a pair of these fancy waders. After all, why shouldn’t we spend a bit of our children’s inheritance?

Barb agreed. Let’s go for broke. It seemed like a simple task—go to a reputable fly shop, gulp twice and lay our money down. HA! Live and learn.

We set off for Roscoe, NY to buy our new waders. Surely, there were enough shops in that town to supply us with what we wanted. The folks at the Little Store, the Beaverkill Angler and Catskill Flies, showed Barb every wader they had in a women’s small size. Not one of them came even close to fitting her. The neoprene feet were far too large, the legs hung down in waves and they came up so high she could barely see over the tops of the waders. What had appeared to be a simple task turned into an afternoon of frustration.

Since we had to go down to Westchester County for a doctor’s appointment, we stopped in at the Bedford Sportsman, a fine fly shop located in Bedford Hills, NY. None of their stock fit.

The Anglers Den in Pawling, NY was on the way home so we stopped in there. They showed Barb a pair of Dan Bailey waders and the feet actually fit. Miracle of miracles. However, the legs were way too long and the waders in a women’s small size came up nearly to her chin.

Who does the designing on these waders? I actually considered driving down to Hamburg, PA to Cabela’s in the faint hope that they might have a wader that fit my girl. Before doing that, we decided to try Livingston Manor and Fir Brook Angling Supplies or the Fur, Fin and Feather shop. The lady at Fur, Fin and Feather was very patient, first showing Barb a pair of Hodgman ladies’ waders. Same old problems. She tried a pair of children’s medium breathable waders. Too small. She was able to get into a large size children’s wader but could neither squat nor lift her leg onto a chair. Too tight. It seemed we were bound for the long drive to Cabela’s.

The lady then suggested a pair of Hodgman waist waders in men’s small size. I thought that was a dumb idea. Barb would probably swim in a men’s pair. Nevertheless, she agreed to try them on. A bit tight around the hips, but she wriggled into them. The height was perfect, just below the bust, the legs were not too long, but the neoprene feet were a bit large. She found, however, that she could jam them into her wading boots. I looked on in amazement. The men’s small waist wader fit her fine. Our search was over.

Barb wore them the following evening on the East Branch and declared them the most comfortable waders she had ever worn. A tip to ladies who are not built like fashion models: a pair of small men’s waist waders may be the answer to your prayers.

On Saturday, June 25 the Upper Delaware Chapter held its first chapter fishing outing. What a blast! We have to do this again before the season ends. After our regular business meeting, we all drove up to Downsville and ate our lunch in the little park by the covered bridge. Thirteen members participated in this affair. Our former president, Tommy Brown, took us to a spot on the East Branch where there was enough room for all to fish. We were hardly in the water when the biggest mayfly hatch I have seen in years came off. The air was filled with yellow flies in size 18 and 14. Despite the heavy hatch, no one saw a trout rise. One of our newest members, Evan Lavery, took a 16-inch Brown on a nymph and Michelle Miller took the smallest fish of the day, a five-inch Brown.