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Cleaning Felt Soles
This last weekend I bought a new pair of wading boots. Felt soles because I couldn't find lug soles at the discounted price. My question is, what solution do most of you use to clean your felt soles after wading, and how do you apply it? I know that the banning of felt soles is just around the corner, so when that happens I can take my boots to the shoe repair and have the felt ground off and some lug soles attached.
Thanks Ahead,
:?:
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Try the links here. geared towards NZMS, not didymo
http://www.flyline.com/environmental/nzms/
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I found this link on didymo and now I'm concerned about the effect of bleach on wading boots & breathable waders.
Any input, anybody?
http://www.epa.gov/region8/water/did...ct%20sheet.pdf
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If your concern is Didymo, soaking them for 5-10 minutes in a 5% salt solution will disinfect your shoes without ruining them, (If you have a water softening system, the brine tank would do nicely! ;)), as will freezing them overnight or soaking them for 30 minutes in a solution of HOT water, kept around 115 degrees and dish detergent.
Bleach may be the only answer against other critters but I'm no biologist. I'm also no chemist either but I guarantee you bleach will eventually ruin your shoes & waders.
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I soke my felt soles in pine-sole diluted in water. I don't know if this is the best way to go, but so far my soles look fine.
Randy
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There are multiple invasives species that can be transported by wading gear. Dydimo, New Zealand Mud Snails, Zebra Mussels, Whirling disease spores, etc can all hitch hick on waders and wading boots not to mention our boats, flies, wading staffs, etc.
First of all, there is no single decontamination method that kills all invasives. Secondly decontamination with some chemicals actually shorten the life of waders and wading boots. Download this State of California DFG study on methods of decontaminating for New Zealand Mud Snails to see the damage done to waders and boots.
http://nrm.dfg.ca.gov/FileHandler.ashx?DocumentID=3867
In January or 2007, the EPA and The Federation of Fly Fishers published a white paper on Dydymo. The white paper says:
"While decontamination will not destroy all invasive species, cleaning procedures minimize the possibility of spread. These simple treatments effectively destroy D. geminata algal cells (Kilroy 2005):" The white paper then goes on to recommend a 2% solution of bleach. Clorox is a 6% solution so a 2% solution 2 parts water to 1 part Clorox. Try putting just a drop of that on a pair of blue jeans and see what happens.
http://www.epa.gov/region8/water/did...Jan%202007.pdf
So the both the California Dept of Fish and Game and the EPA recommend what I consider to be harsh chemicals. They also admit that there is no single magic treatment for all invasives.
Since chemicals destroy gear, I wondered what Patagonia and Simms recommended. Patagonia is the most ecologically minded of the wader manufacturers and Simms is the best known manufacturer. Here is what they wrote back.
Patagonia wrote:
"This is a very good question and one that comes up often. Our suggestion that has been agreed by all the resource folks we work with all over the West - National Parks, Forest Service, fish and game, universities, etc is to Clean, Inspect and Dry your gear after use. Remove all particulate matter, brush if you can, then rinse them and let them dry. Drying is a difficult part since anglers may be fishing for a week or so and moving to different watersheds. So do the best one can. I found that buying a brush and those flip top Rubbermaid containers cost $20. And I place boots and waders in the water (top between the flip top) and rinse as I dry to and from river. The brush I use when getting out of water to remove particulate matter. This is a great, inexpensive and handy way to reduce this threat. Think like a saltwater angler as you have to rinse all your gear well after use.
Using chemicals can create damage to gear. And we do not know long term issues with water, insects, hatch etc. using chemicals. This was the best method.
I asked Simms if there was one treatment that would kill all invasives. Here is an email I got from Simms on treatment of their Waders and Boots:
"I wouldn't do more than a 4:1 ratio water:bleach. This will not void a warranty. From everything I have learned is that there is no one cleaner that can or will kill all of the different types of ANS. A little bit of cleaner will not hurt the bottom of your boots and a little bleach (or a detergent with bleach for colors) will not hurt your waders every once in a while. Currently though the two most important things are 1. Being aware and cautious of the problem, and 2. Rinsing your gear with fresh water after every use and letting completely dry before using again - especially if in a different water.
I hope this has helped you and please let me know if you have any questions. "
Thanks,
Simms Fishing Products
PO Box 3645
Bozeman, MT 59772-3645
Direct-dial 406-585-3557
Fax 406-585-3562
Patagonia recommends water only with scrubbing to minimize secondary contamination of the river ecosystem with chemicals. Simms recommends a 4:1 ratio of water to bleach which is half the concentration recommended by the EPA to kill Dydimo. They say it will not hurt your waders "every once in a while." But what about every time you go to different areas?
You need to choose what you want to kill and then use that decontamination protocol, realizing that any chemical treatment may shorten the life of your equipment.
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It sounds to me like a complete drying is the best and least harmful method of stopping the spread of all the nasties. Until I get a definitive answer from the manufacturer of breathable waders, I think I'll just make sure that I just completely dry them out.
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Drying works for Dydimo but not for the spore phase of Whirling Disease. WD spores last for years in the dry state.
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We use a solution of SparQuat 256 to sterilize our wading gear at work. Mix up a batch in a sealable tub at the office, and clean the gear with it after each use. The CO Division of Wildlife has info on the mixes, as do many other state game agencies.
"Our findings suggest that the current recommendation (5-min application of 50% Formula 409) is not sufficient; half of the snails survived this treatment in our study. In contrast, a 10-min exposure to 100% Formula 409 or to a Sparquat 256 solution of at least 3.1% resulted in 100% snail mortality. In addition to its effectiveness in controlling New Zealand mudsnails, Sparquat 256 has also proven useful as a disinfectant for whirling disease spores and other fish pathogens." -- Application of Household Disinfectants to Control New Zealand Mudsnails, North American Journal of Fisheries Management 2008; 28: 1172-1176 doi: 10.1577/M07-028.1
DG