Korker Wading Shoes
I am ordering my first pair of wading shoes. My old waders were the boot foot style. I am looking at purchasing via mail a pair of Korker Wading shoes. These are the ones with the exchangeable bottoms (felt to cleat). Do any of you know anything about them? Also, I normally wear a size 11 shoe. Should I go a size up to include the neoprene foot in my new waders?
I have the Korkers with the interchangeable soles.I bought size 11 boots and i wear size 11 shoes, fits perfect.Held up through the first season fine ... only had a problem with the souls sliding out once as the shoe over flexed letting the soles pop out.Id buy them again .
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The more time I spend around people the more I like my dog.
Mike
Regarding the fit of the shoes over the stocking feet, it depends on the waders. With my old neoprene waders, I could wear the same size I usually wear (11). However, a few years ago I purchased a set of Cabela's Dry Plus waders, and had to go up a size in my wading shoes in order to get a comfortable fit. I think they changed the stocking foot design a year or so later because of this problem. I have had a pair of Korkers for the last two years, with the rubber hiking sole, felt sole, and studded felt soles. They are as comfortable as a pair of hiking boots. You can get pretty good traction, but I will mention that the design doesn't allow the felt soles to extend all the way out to the edge like on a regular felt sole shoe. There is a hard rubber border all the way around except at the very back of the heel. Some of the surfaces we wade on are precariously slick, and if you ever slip even a little, the slip can turn into an unstoppable slide. The rubber edges can cause you to slip. I just returned from the Lower Mountain Fork River in southeastern Oklahoma, which has many rocks with a surface equivalent to glass coated in graphite lubricant. I only fell once, gratefully in shallow water, but my wet denim shirt sleeves were pretty cool for a while. Thus, while I like the convenience of interchangeable soles, I probably won't buy another pair when these finally wear out.
Larry Compton
I've had a pair for a couple of years and really like them - primarily because I fish in different places and find changing the soles to be an advantage. It's kind of like having a radial arm saw - does an adequate job on a lot of things - but if you're going to do just one thing (or one thing a lot), it's better to buy the tool for that specific job......
I wear the same size shoe as my wader size.
These are the very best wading shoes on the market in my opinion. I've had mine for over 2 years now and I've never had one of the soles slip out. It is so great to be able to wear the lug sole in the drift boat and in less than 1 minute swap them out for the Carbide studded soles for walking around on the rocks. Why anyone would want any other wading shoe is beyond me. I just bought another pair so now my wife has the right wading shoes as well
I wear a size 11 sneaker but went with a 12 in these and they fit perfectly with my Simms waders.
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Jeff - AKA Dr. Fish
If it has fins and swims than I must chase it!
I'd have to agree with Larry Compton's assessment of the Korkers. I'm looking to replace my Chotas, and looked at the Korkers and came to the same conclusion he stated. Also, the felt soles stand proud of the rubber edges by about 1/4", and I feel that this is begging for a sprained ankle in some of the waters that I wade. Since the central part of the sole doesn't extend to the outside edges, and stands away from the edges, it essentially leaves the sides of the sole unsupported. I didn't buy Korkers, altho I like the idea of being able to change soles.
I just wanted to ask why one would consider wearing felt when carbide studded soles are available for these wading shoes? The studded soles are superior to the felt in every way. In the past couple years, I have used the studded soles wading absolutely treacherous waters, even jumping and running over nasty rocks chasing fish and I have yet to lose my footing and fall. My buddies are always commenting on how impressed they are with the grip of my wading shoes and walk without issue and they slip/slide all over the place.
Felt is dangerous especially if one is walking in mud or in snow and the studded soles do well on both of those surfaces.
I still say these are the best thing going.
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Jeff - AKA Dr. Fish
If it has fins and swims than I must chase it!
Been using Korkers for 2.5 years now. Still going strong and a size 11 fit my size 11 4E foot even with 5MM neo wadders on.
I was lucky and got a pair right from the owners at a fish-in a few years back for much less then retail when they were still trying to make a name for their product. I still use the same felt soles they came with and have not upgraded to studds.
If traction on slick rocks is your main objective, I'd go with the studded rubber, not the studded aquastealth. I didn't know there was a difference, but talked to Korkers the other day and the studded rubber has the replaceable studs, and has 14 of them on the sole, as opposed to the 9 on the studded aquastealth. Can't comment on the size, as mine are the same size as my street shoes, but I'm a woman. One consideration, though, it makes a lot of difference if you wear heavy socks or not.
In reply to Dr. Fish's comments about the overall superiority of the carbide studded soles: Yes, they are pretty good, but apparently there is a lot of variation in river bottoms. I mentioned the Lower Mountain Fork River in my post, which in my opinion is one of the slickest places I have ever waded. Usually when wading the Mountain Fork, I am wearing the carbide studded felts, and at best they are only marginally better than the plain felt soles, and on some surfaces not even as good. As long as there is a little moss or algae on the rock surface, the studs help gain a little better grip. However, this is a tailwater stream and many of the rocks are flat sloping ledge rock, and even the studs can feel like ball bearings at times. I haven't found any sole material to be the best in all situations.
Larry Compton
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