Northwest Fishing Reports

I have neoprene waders. They smell bad. I air them out after every trip, but I think that a couple weeks ago I went to a river that had something funky in the water. I rinse them out and they still smelled. I tried to use soap and water and that didn't work. Says hand wash only, so I'm at a loss. Anybody have this problem before, and if so, how did you solve it? It's kinda nasty, like a low funk, not like a rotten gross smell, just a funy wet one.

Soap and water is all I ever have used. My wadders have a slight funk to then from all the fish guts and blood over the past twoo years....(mainly last year). What kind of soap are you using and how much? The smell on mine you can jsut barely smell

Maybe try and soak them in the bath tub with some Pine Sol poured into the tub. Can't hurt.

I used clothes soap, the liquid kind. I was debating on soaking them in the bath tub overnight, but skeptical as to whether or not my wife would like that idea, but I think I'm gonna have to give that a try. They just dried out from the second time of washing and the funk is still there. PIne sol always smells nice.

use ivory soap

Haha, I had a similar (although more extreme) experience 2 years ago. I loaned my buddy a pair of ghetto waders to borrow for the weekend and we went down to the meat hole on the Samish. Caught a bunch of fish the first day and took them home and cleaned 'em, threw the guts in the back of my buddies F150 with some other garbage heading to the dump. We didn't realize until the next morning we had thrown the garbage into the truck ON TOP of the loaner waders, and my buddy had to grab them and take them with us down to the river that morning. At that point the waders had spent about 18 hours under fish guts and household trash and had sat out in the August SUN in Bellingham. They STUNK! and I mean B A D. It was pretty funny the reactions he got from people down there, he would creep up behind them and just start fanning out the waders until they would exclaim, "oh man, what the hell is THAT?". Between that and his morning long DRY HEAVING from the STINK we all had a really healthy laugh about it.

After that morning we took them home and used a heavy bristle brush and some sort of simple green soap stuff and a TON of hose water to clean them, then we hung them to dry before going to sleep. The next day when we went to use them they smelled WORSE than before because now they smelled like rotten CRAP and simple green/flowers..... it was a PUTRID smell. He only made it about an hour into that morning before going back to the truck and taking them off. He also had to THROW AWAY his pants and T-shirt he was wearing due to the everlasting odor.

I think something about the porous nature of Neoprene that makes them impossible to DE-FUNK. We threw the waders away that afternoon.

Aaaaaaaaaaaaah, hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha! That's a great story, although it doesn't lend itself to hope. :P

laundry soap doesn't work nearly as well and a bar fo soap and I mean soak your waders down and scrub them with that bar of soap. if you have a stiff bristle brush not a metal one but plastic type brush use that to work the soap down into the waders. If will take a lot rising to get the soap out but it should get most of the funk out

Not to be rude or insulting but perhaps its the feet going in the boots? Athletes foot can be horrendous.Id try some shoe powder in all your shoes or even a anti-fungal spray like Tenactin.If its athletes foot smell then getting the funk out takes time.Vinager would be my best guess on ridding the funk.

Maybe the funk will cover the human scent and you'll get more hookups!:cheers:

Take em to the laundrymat (or if your brave, do it at home - my wife would KILL ME ) and run em through the washing machine with little or no soap. They say hand wash only, but I would at least try it before trashing em.

Or maybe lay them out on a tarp, pour a box of baking soda over em, and leave em overnight - baking soda is supposed to be good for eliminating odors.

Neoprene stinks when it gets wet and used alot. Scuba divers figured out how to fix this along time ago.... Go to any scuba dive shop and pick up some Mirazene wetsuit stink remover.... Works great... add about 2 cap fulls to a tub of water large enough to submerge your waders in. Soak your waders in it for about 10 minutes. DO NOT RINSE!
Hang to dry.

Trust me. After a couple of dives in a wetsuit that you just hang to dry.... wow... it stinks so bad its unbearable. This stuff kicks its butt!


Cory-

Here is a link...

http://www.nytro.com/index.cfm/product/ ... leProducts

50 bucks at walmart. Buy some new ones. Its a sure fire way to get the funk out. But I dont like neoprene waders at all. I look at ebay and usually spend between 40-75 and find deals on breathables.

If you don't have a dive shop nearby, use Woolite. Put them in the tub and hand aggitate then let them soak for awhile. Scrub dirt with a nylon brush. Rinse well.

Woolite is really gentle and mildly scented. Worked great for my wetsuit.

flinginpooh wrote:50 bucks at walmart. Buy some new ones. Its a sure fire way to get the funk out. But I dont like neoprene waders at all. I look at ebay and usually spend between 40-75 and find deals on breathables.

I don't like breathables in sub zero December - February Steelhead temps!

Smell inside from the feet;

use a Bounce dryer sheet and leave it in there at all times, if it comes out when you take your foot out, put it back in. Put in a new sheet as the smell comes back or the old sheet is torn, dirty, or worn out.

For neoprene, I'll second the Mirazene endorsement. My goto deodorizer for most anything else, is baking soda. It will remove the funk/stink from just about anything. Either add some to your wash or dissolve some in water and let the item soak for a while, rinse thoroughly and the smell should be gone. Works great on your boat/fishing rags, dog's collars, athletic shoes/inserts, the inside of your mini fridge in which you keep your bait, etc.

Matt wrote:

flinginpooh wrote:50 bucks at walmart. Buy some new ones. Its a sure fire way to get the funk out. But I dont like neoprene waders at all. I look at ebay and usually spend between 40-75 and find deals on breathables.

I don't like breathables in sub zero December - February Steelhead temps!

What is your technique in sub-zero temps for Steel? Or do you mean sub-freezing?

jens wrote:

Matt wrote:

flinginpooh wrote:50 bucks at walmart. Buy some new ones. Its a sure fire way to get the funk out. But I dont like neoprene waders at all. I look at ebay and usually spend between 40-75 and find deals on breathables.

I don't like breathables in sub zero December - February Steelhead temps!

What is your technique in sub-zero temps for Steel? Or do you mean sub-freezing?

He's speaking centigrade!

jens wrote:

Matt wrote:

flinginpooh wrote:50 bucks at walmart. Buy some new ones. Its a sure fire way to get the funk out. But I dont like neoprene waders at all. I look at ebay and usually spend between 40-75 and find deals on breathables.

I don't like breathables in sub zero December - February Steelhead temps!

What is your technique in sub-zero temps for Steel? Or do you mean sub-freezing?

LOL ya let's hope that's celsius...
Good feedback on this thread.

So if we are talking about waders and they'll be puttin' scent in the water why not try borax? We use it to cure eggs.

Who knows, maybe the fish will start rubbing up against your waders nate and soon you will be captain of the hole hookin' fish off the rod tip! If nothing else, those trout at the Tilt will love U...

Matt wrote:

flinginpooh wrote:50 bucks at walmart. Buy some new ones. Its a sure fire way to get the funk out. But I dont like neoprene waders at all. I look at ebay and usually spend between 40-75 and find deals on breathables.

I don't like breathables in sub zero December - February Steelhead temps!

I use a pair of cabelas fleece wader liners. I fish for winter steel and love it. Ive fished for steel and had it start snowing on many occasions. Last year at bluecreek Late Dec it started snowing on me. Also last day for chum at the skok was snowing. That was the only times last year it snowed. But I can put more layers in them also if need be because they are looser on my body. And as far as comfort in the summer. I wear a pair of shorts and if it gets too hot Ill even rip the shirt off and fish. I use to think neoprene when I was younger was the way to go. Im getting a lil older and like to be comfortable.

Oh and dont forget to double up on wool socks in the winter.