Saltwater fishermen- help with choosing gift please!

I want to get Bob a pair of ray guards. The thing is, he loves loves loves his current neoprene waters with the attached boot. So a wading boot/ray guard combo is out of the question.

I've never actually seen a pair of ray guards being used, but I'm trying to figure out if they can be used well over the "boot" of regular waders.

I'd like to find something he could put on for wading in the saltwater flats and bays, and then slip off if he wants to to walk up onto a pier.

Is there such an animal? And if so, any recommendations?

Thanks for any help!

I found something that looks like it might work: http://dev.itechlabs.com/windriver/StingRayGaiters.asp

The thing I'm trying to figure out is if I got an XL if it would work over the rubber boot of his waders. It has buckets, so it shouldn't scoot up. But I can't decide if it would work over the attached boots of the waders.

That's probably going to be your only option if Bob's waders have the rubber boots instead of the neoprene "booties". I think these would definitely work over the boots otherwise judging by what I've read on some of the saltwater forums, freshwater guy here but I do wade a lot.

I don't think those will work with bootfoot waders. Does he need the waders when he is in stingray territory? The only times I have worn anything to keep rays off of me has been warm water stuff with no waders.

I looked at your profile. They have stingrays in upper Michigan??

I guess the fishing is not done there, especially in the winter.

I don't know how you would go about getting the measurements, but the site asks for calf measurements. You obviously can't have him put on the waders while you measure around his legs.

Do you have a friend about the same size as your husband that could put on the waders for a measurement? It looks like the straps would have a fair amount of adjustment.

mb82 said:

I don't think those will work with bootfoot waders. Does he need the waders when he is in stingray territory? The only times I have worn anything to keep rays off of me has been warm water stuff with no waders.

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This quote from the mfgr leads me to believe that they will work...

"Ultralight StringrayProof Wading Gaiters are specially designed to provide lower leg protection against stingray attacks. They fit over wading boots and can be worn with or without waders"

Dang!! I didn't know what ray guards were till I checked out your link.
We don't have those sort of critters on the Washington coast. Actually not much to worry about in wading depth of water around here!
Unless a salmon runs up between your feet while being chased by a sealion. That would leave a mark.

Not sure what kind of fishing he does. Fly-fisherman, spin , bait, pier ,or all kinds. Try simms fishing.com .

Bob is very very thin, especially in the legs- but the "boot" waders are a set size in the boot, so I can measure the boot. But I was thinking an extra large because it's pretty big. I wish he did like stocking foot waders, and then he could use wading boots for wherever he is (and then have a pair of wading boots with ray guards). But he loves his old waders with the boots, and he would not like a new pair. (I thought of that already).

We don't have much saltwater in Michigan but we spend two months of the winter in the Gulf coast in Texas. It's too cold to go wader-less, though, unlike in the spring/summer.

I never knew that was a problem. What do people do on the swimming beaches??

jgln said:

I never knew that was a problem. What do people do on the swimming beaches??

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Sting Rays aren't generally hanging around in the white sand. They burrow in the mucky/sandy bottoms and you only have an issue if you step right on them. You can shuffle your feet (what we've been doing), but even so you can stumble or something and step on one.

Yooper said:

Sting Rays aren't generally hanging around in the white sand. They burrow in the mucky/sandy bottoms and you only have an issue if you step right on them. You can shuffle your feet (what we've been doing), but even so you can stumble or something and step on one.

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I saltwater fish too here in New Jersey. We have rays too in the warm summer months, I guess they migrate north when it gets really warm south of here. They are Bull Nose rays. I have had landed several while trying to catch other prey. Now that the thrill of landing such a big thing has passed they are now kind of a nusance due to how long they take to land. Only other option is cut the line. Some are close to 4' across!

Does he fish at night? Early morning? Dusk? If he doesn't have something like this he might like it. One of the best things I got for fishing at night. There are many models, brands, just giving you a visual. Much less than the gift you were thinking of though, maybe in addition to? Then again if he wades I am assuming he doesn't do that in the dark? Seems unsafe.

http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&ke...ting&hvadid=1694135987&ref=pd_sl_8umypf8f1n_e

When I go to Florida to fish with my relatives they make fun of me for wearing those black zip up booties. I can't imagine the torture I would get if I wore those things. They tell me stories about fisherman getting stabbed by rays and they even said a guy got his leg broken by one. I got stuck in the hand once and that hurt like hell for a week. For some reason they would rather get stabbed than get caught wearing the booties.