when sliding always try to get up as high as possible, if there is a spot. what i do sometimes is make my bait up, and put it in a zip lock bag. i wade in. get my line in behind the breaker and then i walk a bit out till about just under waist depth. i clip my slider on my line and slide it in from there.
when i slide i time 5-8 minutes, for my bait to go down.