How To Repair Leaking Fishing Waders

by Dan Levy

How to repair leaking fishing waders

There are many different kinds of wader’s leaks: the torn crotch leak, the barbwire leak, the abrasion leak, the falling down on sharp rocks leak and worse of all – the hiding leak. For all the visible leaks, it is very easy to epair a leaking fishing wader. Most fishing waders come with a repair kit to be used once you notice a leaking, so use it in the following way:

• Make sure that you marked the entire leaking area. There is nothing more annoying than fixing what you thought was leaking only to find your socks wet again on your next visit to the lake
• The area you’re about to repair must be clean and dry
• For the patch to adhere effectively, avoid any loose debris, grease or oil
• You can stick a patch on the inside or the outside of the wader
• Patch should overlap tear by at least 1 cm in all directions
• Remove the release paper from the back of the patch, lay the wader on a smooth flat surface and apply patch using finger pressure (adhesive side down)
• Rub patch surface in a circular motion from the center out covering the entire patch area
• The durability of the patch can be enhanced by applying heat and moderate pressure. Use a clean iron and set to medium heat. Press with moderate pressure in a circular motion for 30 seconds
• The wader can be used immediately; however, the adhesive will continue to strengthen over the next 12 to 24 hours

When the leak in your fishing wader is caused by a small hole - the barbwire leak or the notorious hiding leak, the easiest way that I’ve found to fix the leak is a product called “aqua seal”. “Aqua seal” is a kind of a liquid patch that you simply spread over the area in need of a patch and let it dry. It works great and is the in cases of small holes it’s better than using the patch.

Trying to repair leaking fishing waders becomes a real challenge when you’re facing the hiding leak.

You are busy fishing, and suddenly realize that your socks are all wet. When you examine your fishing wader carefully, you cannot detect anything that could cause the leak.

So, how do I detect the invisible leaks?

There are a few ways I found useful:

• Put a low pressure air hose (e.g. a blower side of a vacuum cleaner) into the waders and tie it off at the chest opening. Turn on the vacuum and blow up the waders like a balloon. Rub the waders with soapy water and look for bubbles. Anywhere you get bubbles you have a leak. Mark the leaking spots, wait for the waders to dry and apply the “Aqua seal” or patch. (Remember use a low air pressure for not damaging the wader)
• If you don’t have that kind of a vacuum cleaner, fill the wader’s legs with water (one leg at a time), and rub each leg with soapy water. The rest is the same as the vacuum cleaner technique
• Take the waders into a darkened room along with a flashlight and a marker. Insert the flashlight into the wader legs and run it back and forth over the boot and leg. If you see a light coming out at one point, this is a leaking point. Mark the hole / holes and apply the patch over the marked area
• The following technique works well on breathable waders, but will not work for neoprene waders: Turn your waders inside out and let them dry completely. Put some rubbing alcohol in a spray bottle and spray the area you suspect to be leaking. If you see lingering dark spots as the alcohol evaporates off; you’ve found your pinhole leaks. That kind of holes are best fixed using the “Aqua seal”

Remember that although it’s not complicated to repair leaking fishing waders, the best way is to avoid the leaking in the first place.

Following this great and simple tip helps to prevent leaky waders:

When you get back home from fishing, make sure you store your waders hanged upside down to dry out. Just leave it hanging that way until they’re needed again. This is true for both neoprene and breathable waders. This prevents folds which are potential weak points and also allows the air to get inside the wader, to help prevents mold.

You are welcome to visit my Blog for Fishing tricks and tips, Fishing tackle reviews and more at http://www.fishingtreats.com/.

Happy fishing :-)

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