Swamp staff?

K

Kevin Puls

Well-known member
Wading stick, marsh crutch, I don't care what you call it. What do you use?

After taking two unceremonious swims in a marsh yesterday and and crawling on hands and knees in some bad muck using my gun for support on Sunday, I am ready to admit that maybe I need a third leg sometimes.

A typical stick helps, but is there a magic device out there to help keep a walking stick from sinking through the bottom to China?

I have the idea of a small duck bill shaped device similar to the end of my push pole, or a cup like you might find in a ski pole.
 
old bamboo cross country ski poles with the basket removed- good height - light and strong

trouble is they are getting harder to find- not long ago- ski shops had them laying around for the asking

the aluminum ones will work, but lack the panache lol
 
Good morning, Kevin~

I have probably posted on this previously....

Here is part of my assortment:

Wading%20Staffs%20-%20full_zpsmqepsuqa.jpg



I start with a length of closet pole - picked carefully for straightness.


Wading%20Staff%20-%20feet%20closeup_zpsphltxclw.jpg


I mostly use the staff with the copper tip (plumbing cap) - which I made for the rocky river bottoms we hunt late-season. The splayed foot (3 triangles of cypress screwed on and sealed with epoxy) works much better in softer bottoms.


For the worst stuff, I made a 7-footer with a duckbill attachment. (This photo is from the 11-footer I use on my Sneakbox). The 7-footer is also very handy in canoes.

MSF%20Sneakbox%20-%20pushpole%20chock_zpscleytuco.jpg



Each gets several coats of linseed oil - and another after each season, near the warm stove.


Of course, I put a Turk's Head on any handle that isn't moving.....



Wading%20Staffs%20-%20linseed%20oil%202_zps0guicbfg.jpg



All the best,

SJS
 
In the "you probably already have it with you" category, I don't think there is a better marsh staff than a canoe paddle. I often carry one in with me to my walk-in spots. Oars are too long and heavy. Most wading staffs just sink into the mud. But that paddle blade provides a lot more resistance with 5-6 feet of handle.
 
Good morning, Jeff~

I concur! I use a paddle all the time - more for steadying than to keep me from sinking.

Of course, I found a "need" to put a Turk's Head on my paddle - a "drip guard" on the shaft......

All the best,

JS
 
Steve, my next season project is a 10-11 foot "shoving oar" that can take the place of the canoe pole I use in my sculling boat now when in shallow water. My pole is a little too long to stow at 13 feet, but I don't want it any shorter for canoe poling the rest of the year. And it sinks something awful in soft mud, where I think the oar blade will be more resistant. My current 6 foot oars are fine for rowing, but too short to use as a pole.

I have your design specs in a file and ready to go once the season is over here.
 
Sounds like you might already have the answer. Just grab your push pole when going for a marsh stroll. Richmar makes a collapseable one and marsh foot as well as other accessory ends. i have used these for years and they hold up great. Avery use to also make one but the shaft was awkward feeling and didn,t collapse short enough for my taste. just 2 weeks ago while traversing my woody marsh one leg went crotch deep and that push pole is the only way i got out.
 
Steve, where did you get the smaller marsh foot/duck bill? The one I have for my boat is huge, the pole is too thick and heavy and does not float.

I like the triangle as well.

Thanks
 
I never considered a paddle.

Though in many cases I do not have a boat with me so it is not really with me, but there is no reason it cannot be.
 
Piece of 1" PVC whatever length you want, and a PVC Tee , 1 1/2" with the 1" the "T".
Split the 1 1/2 part of the tee lengthwise and solvent weld the 1" pole into the Tee.
I used a 10' setup as a pushpole for a 19' skiff when I fished killies except I used a 2" tee for added resistance to soft mud.
Easy , cheap, and will last longer then you will.
 
the other thing I've used once was Mudders w the ski pole I didn't use them in deep water it was ankle deep to shin deep tops/ It was slop and snow goose eat out. Not to spot burn it was Dennis Creek pot holes for you Jersey guys/ I do like Steve's poles


Phil
 
Kevin

I don't have much to add other than I've made a few mash walking sticks for myself and Thomas over the years and the last incarnation are ones we use all the time during duck season. They were made from black locust and finished with Waterlox. What sets them apart from other walking sticks I made is their profile. The cross sectional view is that of an oval instead of a circle. This makes them "slice" through the water and doesn't wear out your wrist if you have a long way to go in waist deep water. I started with 1 1/2" square stock and used a draw knife, hand plane, and sandpaper until the shape felt good in the hand.

Good luck in finding something that works for you.

Eric
 
I use cross country ski poles as well. I get them from Play it Again Sports up here in AK. I look for the cheap fiberglass ones as they tend to be light and way stronger than they need to be. I leave the plastic baskets on them to spread the load out in the muck. A coat of Krylon camo paint and they are good to go for years of abuse.
 
Eric~

Your story reminds me of a favor walking stick I left behind - never to be seen since. I cut a Shagbark Hickory sapling right here on the farm. It was growing on a hillside so the first few inches of the "trunk" was swollen and curved - a perfect fit for my hand. It tapered to about 3/4-inch. All I did was hang it (vertically) from the rafters while it dried out/cured - then gave it a few coats of linseed oil. (I didn't even bother with a Turk's Head!).

It was not a "swamp stick". Mostly it helped me up and down hills while laden with gunning gear - and wading cobble-bottomed streams. Unfortunately, I just left it behind at the end of a hunt. I can only assume some beaver got a headache trying to make a meal out of it.

Of course, I have yet to discover another sapling like it.

All the best,

SJS
 
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