I am new to Houston, moved here from Indiana 3 weeks ago and ready to try some wade fishing, but I want to get everything I need first. I have two things I am trying to figure out:

1. What shoes do you all wear wade fishing? What is comfortable to wear and offers good protection? Also, do you wear something to protect your legs? I've read several posts on stingrays, and want to make sure I am safe if boots as such are necessary.

2. When wade fishing how do you bring your live bait with you and keep it alive? If I am out wading a shore line, roaming around, will a normal cheap drag bait bucket work if it is not insulated and aerorated? Or, will all the bait die from the heat and lack of oxygen? I see the big bait buckets you can leave on shore, but how do you do it wading out without coming back to shore every time you need new bait?

Thank you for reading and assisting.

I wear a pair of hodgman boots just under the knee. Rayguard makes some too, not as easy to walk in, but acceptable. If you wear jeans, any of the zip up wading boots will work also. Whatever you choose, they have to be secure, poot mud will suck something loose right off your foot.

Use a LONG stringer, 15'. And make sure you can get it off you in a hurry.

No advice on bait buckets, we don't use bait.

I live in Dallas, but get down to Galveston at least 2-3 times a year to fish. I am 100% walk in and wade, whether it is in surf or in the bay. Personally I don't wear ray guards, but I generally have to learn lessons the hard way. I use the neoprene booties from Academy. You need the tight fit, and a tough rubber bottom for walking over rocks or oyster beds. And some protection on your ankles is good to have also.

For bait, get a trolling bait bucket. Tie it to your fanny pack or wading belt with about 20' of paracord and drag it behind you. The water is constantly turned over through the holes in the lid so it stays aerated and the right temp. Just like your stringer, a mass of shrimp or finger mullet can attract some unwanted attention, so keep your cord long. It can also attract some curious reds, so don't be afraid to pitch a hook by it from time to time.

This type of bucket has to stay in the water though. So if you end up going out to the jetties, take a piece of PVC or a stake to tie it off.

One piece of advise I'll add is to go as minimalist as possible, with all of your gear.

You can always add stuff later as you figure out what you need. But don't go to the store now and buy everything you think you may want. You'll end up with $400 worth of junk in your garage that you maybe used once.

I jump off the scooter with a tethered net, 15’ stringer on my wade belt. Plastic bag with four jig heads and ten plastics.
A pair of hemodtats with side cutters and I’m gone.

If someone ever wears me out slinging meat I might reconsider but it’s not happened yet.
Hook one massive ray on that shrimp and you’ll reconsider your approach.

Okay, two of you said no live bait, what kind of plastics do you use? And, what size jig heads? Any recommended colors? Fishing soft plastics bouncing off the bottom like a weightless fluke or what?

I have plenty of freshwater experience, but all up north. I have no experience ocean fishing. Just spoke with a couple of people lately using shrimp and having good luck so that was where I planned to start.

I basically use just a few baits.
Plastics are all rigged on Oldham 1/8 oz screw lock heads.
Hoagies super minnow in pumpkin/chartreuse or white/chartreuse. That's for stained/trout green water. Steady retrieve with small twitches every once in a while.
Clearer water gets Norton sand eel, tequila/chartreuse or super clear water baffin magic. Work it just like a bass assasin.
Spook type topwater
1/2 oz gold weedless spoon if the redfish are in the slop.
Don't overthink saltwater fish, don't over work your baits, and keep your feet shuffling.
We catch trout, reds and flounder on all of those baits.
My neighbor catches as much or shamefully sometimes more, and all he uses is a plum norton bull minnow. Period.

Hands down Barts Bay Armor

For wading. Simms Zip-it II boots with neoprene socks. They have better arch support than the other boots out there that I have put on. Hookset wading belt which is the best constructed and stays up at waist line the best. Just went from stringer to the Foreverlast Fish Tote bag. I won’t be going back to stringer. It’s super nice. Keeps them Alive. You could cull or release if you want. Net is a EGO net. A number of good nets out there. Simms sling pack to carry tackle.

Keep it fairly simple.

For bait wading use the Frabill bait bucket.

Hardly ever use bait when wading. Mostly out of the boat.

Most often throwing plastics like a Down South Burner Shad. If I threw one color it would be Chicken of the Sea. For jig heads 1/16, 1/8, 1/4 and 3/8. Probably throw 1/4 the most. Dependent on fall rate. Light heads over grass on the south Texas coast.

Tide moving, water quality and bait are key. Also where they are in the water column. Bottom, mid or upper. Some times they want it dead slow on the bottom other times jigged or just reeled. Try different cadence and let them tell you how they want it. Don’t wade through fish. If you get bit work that area good before moving on. The more stealthy you wade and the longer you cast the bigger the fish. Trout school. When things are right you can catch a bunch our of a area the size of a swimming pool.

I don’t wear Sting Ray protection.None of the guys I wade with do. Not that comfortable. Shuffle feet. So far no one has been hit....knock on wood.

Good placebo start is beach front when water is decent color and wind is manageable. First thing at day break. There are three cuts with sandbars as you wade out. First thing they maybe in first cut. Then they move out. It’s mostly a dawn to 9am thing.