this is mostly for rivers but theres three types of waters for the most part when it comes to wet wading.
one is slippery with mostly smooth stones and slick veg growing on the rocks. definitely wear some old boots or shoes at least or youll beat your feet up everytime your foot slips and smacks into another rock or log etc.. ask me how i know
the ideal one for wetwading is mostly solid ground but will contain rough rocks. i find these a lot in faster water. the speed stops slippery plants from clinging to the rock surfaces i think. in this youll be fine wading with sandals. you just need something covering your sole because sharp stuff...
the one i hate the most is mud and silt. can be up to your knee(or worse) in some spots. definitely stay on shore in these stretches if you dont have something on your legs. unless you dont mind that feeling lol
but its not worth it, imo, as youll kick up huge clouds of poop and thats not good in most cases
obviously theres more types and combination of these but i find them to be the most common scenerios. and i wet wade quite a bit
one thing to consider is shore vegetation too. waders can really take the hastle out of worrying about things like poison ivy, giant hogweed or just simple itchy thorn bushes and other minor nuisances. even some bugs like fire ants or whatever. its not only good for water.
but dont think "can i wetwade here?" the answer is always yes. just depends how dirty or wet or sore you want to get
edit: damnit. that feeling when you realize you replied to an old post.. /facepalm