Leaky waders

I'm a hip wader kind of guy, part due to limited budget, and part because they are cheap and do the job. Sure, there is the odd occasion when I could do with an extra 6" of wading depth, but it never gets in the way of a good days fishing. I've been looking at chest waders recently - and I'm not convinced breathables would work out well on the brushy, thorny streams I hang out on. Neoprene may offer greater resilience, but may prove impractical during the warmer months. And as I said, budgets are always limited, so best to make do with what I have.

And what I have is a two year old pair of green, rubber hip waders. They offer good protection when dragging myself through brambles, at least around the legs, they're not too warm in the summer, or too cold during the winter as long as appropriate socks are worn. They also offer good hand warming properties when required, by sliding your hands inside the thigh cuff.

All sounds pretty good, then. But for the leaky right foot...

The right foot has leaked for as long as I can remember, and I don't think I'm imagining it but, the leak is getting worse. So here's the thing. I know the right foot leaks, and I'm aware at the beginning of each fishing trip that it will end with a wet right foot. And yet, it has never got in the way of the fishing, in fact, whilst "in the act" I am largely oblivious to the slow and relentless ingress of water, even during the cooler Autumn months.

Thing is, this leak is not going to miraculously cure itself, and despite numerous attempts, I have yet to identify the source of the leak. So, what to do? I may have to bite the bullet, and get some new waders, but this isn't a priority with only days remaining of the season.

This situation is at status - marginal dilemma; I probably shouldn't wait until this becomes status - crisis although I have no idea what constitutes a wader crisis.

Rest assured, I'll keep you posted.