My Cautionary Wade-Fishing Tale

By Captain Larry Miller

Sharing Important Safety Lessons to My Fellow Anglers

I’ve been fishing since I was 11, and as a USCG and Texas Parks and Wildlife-licensed Texas fishing guide with my own charter business, Fishin All the Time Guide Service, I thought I’d seen and experienced it all. But as they say, never assume you know everything about anything because it’s bound to bite you back in the face. Or hit you in the leg, as was the case with me.

It happened only just recently. I was on my day off on a sunny July day. That day, the weather conditions and water temperature were beckoning me back to the water. My buddy and I decided it was the perfect opportunity to explore that new place we’d been scouting for weeks. 

For a while, it seemed like we’d made the right decision. We were catching oversized reds, and trophy trout left and right, having such a great time, patting ourselves on the back for discovering a great place to wade fish in. And then things began to take a turn for the worst.

We didn’t know it yet. All we knew was that my friend had just hooked a huge beautiful trout and was eager to land it. I walked over to him to assist him in his massive fish when lo and behold, out of nowhere, I was hit in my mid-calf by a stingray that just happened to swim by. I remember just freezing on the spot there as I realized what had just literally hit me. Any wading angler knows you should shuffle your feet while wading to avoid being hit by a sting ray but experiencing it firsthand had me completely baffled. 

After that split-second of bafflement, the pain came in an instant. It was excruciating, and I immediately lost the use of my entire leg. Thank God my friend was there and had the presence of mind to drag me back to the boat and get me in.

In the boat, things went from bad to worse. The blood would not stop pouring out of my leg. We had to make do with a rag and use it as a tourniquet because we had nothing else to use on hand. We then contacted the boat ramp, told them what happened, and asked them to get the EMS to meet us at the ramp. The ride back to the boat ramp took only 30 minutes, but it felt like an eternity for someone in so much pain, losing so much blood. Halfway through our boat ride back, I seemed to have passed out. I have no recollection of this, but apparently, my friend had to stop the boat so he could give me sternal rubs to bring me back to consciousness. According to my friend, I was out for about 30 seconds, so the pain must’ve been too much for me to handle.

When we returned to the ramp, the EMS took over and transferred me as quickly as possible to the hospital in Corpus Christi. They took me to the ER, where I was immediately made to get an X-ray to make sure that no sting ray barb pieces had been left behind in my leg. 

Meanwhile, the pain in my leg seemed to be taking over my entire being. Safe to say, it’s the worst pain I’ve experienced in my whole life, bar none. No amount of pain medication could ease the pain, even just a tiny bit. The only thing that helped somewhat, believe it or not, was putting my leg in a bucket of the hottest water that the health professionals could get me. 

Upon cleaning the wound and seeing the X-ray, they informed me that the barb was stuck deep in my leg and had ripped it out, leaving damage about an inch wide and 1 1/2 inches deep. The wound continued to bleed for three days nonstop. It turned my foot purple, making my ankle swell so much that it looked like it had disappeared altogether. But that wasn’t the worst part. The worst was that the pain radiated to my groin area. Those three days were filled with so much agony that I wouldn’t wish such an experience on even my worst enemy.

The experience was a big teachable moment for me as a recreational angler and fishing guide. Now I make sure to teach my family and clients how important it is to have all the proper equipment and preparation no matter what type of fishing they do, wherever they go in the United States, and whether they're wade fishing or fly fishing, or ice fishing. I keep reminding myself, as a recreational angler, the same thing. Specifically, ray guards and life vests are a must when wade fishing. And when driving your boat, wearing a kill switch band (which is required by law) and keeping your life vest on could be your lifesaver.

Another significant point my wife keeps reminding me is never to wade fish alone. I was so lucky I had my buddy there when that sting ray hit me. “What if you were alone? He had to drag you to the boat. You could have drowned before you could make it to the boat. What if you were driving and passed out and fell off the boat?” my wife said shortly after the incident. And she’s right. And now I make sure to tell her who I’m going with and give her their contact information in case of emergencies. 

Safety is my top priority when fishing and doing my job as a professional fishing guide with my charter business, Fishin' All The Time Guide Service out here in Rockport, Texas. Fishing is a great outdoor activity, but there’s so much outside our control in the waters. It’s important to always be on top of things to enjoy our time angling for our favorites fully.

Book a fishing trip with us if you want a fun, comfortable, and safe fishing experience here in the beautiful Aransas Bay. Let’s have fun filling your bucket with all the legendary fish species in this part of Texas, from Copano Bay to Baffin Bay. Check my website and Facebook for more information on the different trips we offer, our regular fishing report, and more.