HEAVY wading boots

[randyflycaster]

I'm not sure, but I think the new line of Korkers are not cut wide. The felt on my old Korkers wore out. I wanted to buy new felt soles, but I learned the new Korker soles will not work on my old boots. Instead, I bought a set of Rock Treads and put them on my Korker rubber soles.

Having used both steel and aluminum studs, I think aluminum, which is softer than steel, provides the best traction other than felt.

I am not sure why you want a light weight boot. To me, the weight of the boot is not that important, unless you are going to do a lot of hiking. I also feel that wading boots are important. A fall in the river can be very, very serious; that's why my next pair of boots, in spite of the cost, will be the Patagonia with aluminum studs built in. (These boots, I believe, are cut wide.)

BTW, if you go the Rock Treads route, I recommend that you use Gorilla glue before you screw them in.

Randy

[Longs for Cutts]

SIMMS makes their Intruder boots with integrated gravel guards. Per pair they're like 2.6lbs. I bought them intending to use them only for hike-in trips but I use them all the time. These are now my go-to wet wading boot. Oversized, they'd go over waders fine. Their Freestone is also light. Super-light are the Riprap Shoe, but they're like low-cut tennis shoes and so don't offer any ankle support.

[BobNevins]

Thanks for the recommendations! Will keep these in mind.

[lastchance]

Yesterday I saw some brand new Chota's at a fly shop as light as sneakers. As far as width goes I don't know, but they're light.

[randyflycaster]

Falling in a river can be a very serious, even fatal, event. When I buy my next pair of wading boots I will be most concerned with traction, not weight. I would probably stay with felt, except that I am concerned that Montana will soon ban felt. If not felt, then aluminum. I always look to save money on reels, but not on wading boots.

My two cents,

Randy

[tedshuck]

Falling in a river can be a very serious, even fatal, event. When I buy my next pair of wading boots I will be most concerned with traction, not weight. I would probably stay with felt, except that I am concerned that Montana will soon ban felt. If not felt, then aluminum. I always look to save money on reels, but not on wading boots.

My two cents,

Randy

I have been facing this challenge for the last few years. I noticed over the last 5 years or so, that my wading ability has not been as good as before. Part of the steady decline of getting old. I have always been pretty active, bicycling, hiking, etc..., so I figured it was inevitable.

My first approach was to get a wading staff. This helped when I got into deeper or faster water. I then started looking for boots with better soles. I thought I had the answer with the Patagonia Foot Tractor boots. These have amazing traction on slimy and uneven rocks. They are not so good on dry rock, especially dry rock with a dusting of silt. On a guided trip, I used some loaner boots that worked really well for me, Simms G3 boots with a Vibram sole.

I think the best all-around option out there is the Simms G3 Vibram boot with the aluminum studs. I use only 5 studs per boot, two on the heel and 3 on the forefoot. The rubber sole gives great traction on dry rock and good traction on clean wet rock. The aluminum studs cut through enough of the slime on rocks, so that they work much better than the soles without the studs. The aluminum studs don't skid on smooth rock the way that tungsten studs do. These are the best boots I have used.

This has only been part of the fix for me. The other part is an exercise program to improve leg strength and balance. Nothing exotic here, just the exercises I have always hated doing, but I can no longer avoid if I want to keep fishing streams. Squats, lunges, core work. Add some single-leg balance work to simulate wading and do this for an hour-long session three days a week. This exercise program has improved my wading confidence a LOT. Nobody is too old to benefit from this sort of program. I feel like I should be able to fish rivers for another 10-15 years, if I keep this up.

Hope this is of some help,
Ted

[Silver Creek]

Falling in a river can be a very serious, even fatal, event. When I buy my next pair of wading boots I will be most concerned with traction, not weight. I would probably stay with felt, except that I am concerned that Montana will soon ban felt. If not felt, then aluminum. I always look to save money on reels, but not on wading boots.

My two cents,

Randy

The felt sole ban came in after Max Bothwell, a research scientist for Environment Canada, wrote an influential article that linked angler's felt soled boots to dydimo spread. Since dydimo is a one celled organism that is easily carried in felt, the reasoning was that banning felt was a way to cut down on transfer of dydimo. Other invasive organisms like zebra mussels, New Zealand mud snails, etc can be transferred by boots but a felt has no different affinity since these organisms are visible on the felt soles just as they are on rubber soles are are removed by washing.

Here is his original article, On the Boots of Fishermen:

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/232833850_On_the_Boots_of_Fishermen_The_History_of _Didymo_Blooms_on_Vancouver_Island_British_Columbi a

He now believes that dydimo has been in North American waters and that it is a change in water chemistry, specifically lower phosphorus levels that has caused dydimo blooms.

Read the article in American Angler, July-August, 2013, pp 8-9.

"'I no longer believe the problem is North American streams is the result of it (dydimo) being moved around.' ?. Scientists are now convinced that dydimo lives in many streams, but blooms only when the water has far less than the normal amount of phosphorus?? The most damaging dydimo episode in the US seems to have been on Rapid Creek in South Dakota, where a six-mile bloom dramatically impacted a blue ribbon brown trout fishery. In 2007 and 2008, Bothwell and other scientists added phosphorus to sections of Rapid Creek. Sure enough, the dydimo mats shrank"

He published his findings in Freshwater Biology (2012) 57, 641?653 in an article titled:

http://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_...rdb5422748.pdf

"The blooms were present only in rivers where average dissolved P was very low. Didymo in higher nutrient waters had higher cell division rates, shorter stalks, and did not form blooms.

?. the blooms are caused by low nutrients in the overlying water, which promotes excessive stalk production. Subsequent surveys, experiments and observations in New Zealand have all been consistent with low nutrients (specifically low P) driving the blooms."

http://sciblogs.co.nz/waiology/2012/...-in-nz-rivers/

I think this recent discovery makes more sense than the old theory that all of a sudden dydimo sprang up due to anglers boots when anglers have been using these same rivers for over a century with no dydimo blooms.

What is causing the dydimo blooms, I surmise, is the current trend of reducing phosphorus in detergents and lawn fertilizer. So as we get rid of phosphorus to prevent algae blooms we get dydimo blooms.

Ever wonder why NZ has such a problem with dydimo? They have lots of crystal clear streams and rivers with low phosphorus because there is little runoff from agriculture and lawns.

So dydimo is not spread by boots. Therefore the main reason to ban felt soled boots is no longer valid.

As to the concern that Montana will ban felt soles, this was already been proposed and died in committee. The reason, I suspect, is that the proposed law would have allowed state and federal employees to continue to use felt soles while banning them for the public. This places the safety of state and federal employees at a higher standard than the general public.

The states that I know of that have banned felt soles have an exclusion for federal workers and state workers. These states know that rubber soles are more dangerous than felt and forcing emergency and state workers to use felt places these workers at risk for injury and death.

So there an exception for State and Federal Employees:

Vermont has banned felt boots but if you investigate the law, it exempt state and federal employees. They can continue to wear felt.

"Sec. 1. 10 V.S.A. ? 4616 is added to read: ? 4616. FELT-SOLED BOOTS AND WADERS; USE PROHIBITED

It is unlawful to use external felt-soled boots or external felt-soled waders in the waters of Vermont, except that a state or federal employee or emergency personnel, including fire, law enforcement, and EMT personnel, may use external felt-soled boots or external felt-soled waders in the discharge of official duties."

http://www.leg.state.vt.us/docs/2010...ssed/H-488.pdf


The proposed Montana law does the same. I have read that the reason this died in committee was because government employees wanted the security of felt soles and lawmakers could not agree that this was fair to the public.

"NEW SECTION. Section 2. Use of felt-soled boots and waders prohibited.

(1) A person may not use external felt-soled boots or external felt-soled waders in the waters of the state.

(2) The possession of external felt-soled boots or external felt-soled waders on the banks or shores of a stream or lake or in a boat, raft, canoe, or other water vessel is prima facie evidence that the person or persons in whose possession the boots or waders are found were using the boots or waders in the waters of the state.

(3) The provisions of this section do not apply to a state or federal employee or emergency personnel, including fire, law enforcement, and emergency medical technicians, using external felt-soled boots or external felt-soled waders when acting within the scope of duty."

https://leg.mt.gov/bills/2011/BillHtml/SB0230.htm


https://leg.mt.gov/bills/2011/sb0299/SB0230_1.pdf

[randyflycaster]

So what is the bottom line: Is Montana going to ban felt for anglers, in spite of the recent rescearch?

What about other states?

Randy

[BigA]

Orvis is selling ultralight wading boots. They have receptacles for studs.