Wading boots

[flybugpa]

This is not about transporting invasive species. Rubber bottoms or old school felt is what this is about. Sliding on rocks. I do not carry and wont carry a wading staff. Considering the purchase of Patagonia river walkers, or similar product from them . Any experience in the new transition to rubber bottoms area ?

[kglissmeyer]

I received a new pair of Simms Guide boots with the new Vibram soles. I've been out four times since Christmas and have not been able to tell any difference with these soles over my old Simms with felt, with the exception of walking in snow. The old felt would build up a pretty good load of snow as you walked making for a difficult time. The new soles don't have that problem. Truly, I have not noticed a difference between my new rubber soles and the old felt soles. The boots dry quickly and there is not grit or grime as with the felt. I'm glad I've got them, and I won't look back. I fish some pretty slime-covered river bottoms, so I've put them through some challenging tests already with winter on top of that. I do use a wading staff though, so perhaps that makes up for it, but I also used one when wearing the felt and I cannot tell any difference.

Kelly.

[lastchance]

Hi! No matter what kind of boot I have I will always carry a wading staff. Mine has saved me plenty of times, plus sometimes I use it get flies out of low hanging branches.
Bruce

[John_N]

I've rolled my eyes many a time in the past when a poster has said he/she wasn't interested in hearing about ___, only to get responses that tried to talk them into _____, but I guess I'm about to make a hypocrite of myself. With all due respect, I would strongly encourage you to reconsider your position on wading staffs, regardless of which type of sole you wear. I'm not what I would consider an "old" man by any means and am in perfectly good physical shape, so I'm not the kind of person that I would have considered a candidate for a wading staff in the past. Many years back, my wife and kids got me one as a father's day present I think, not being fly fishers themselves but probably deducing that it was one of the few things their fly fishing obsessed father didn't already have. Not wanting to offend them, I kept it and put it on my wading belt, figuring quietly that it would probably never see the light of day. Having eventually tried it, it's the kind of thing I can't imagine being without now. In my case, it still only gets used a small percentage of time, but when circumstances are even the least bit challenging, it provides a level of security and improvement that I could not hope to gain otherwise. I've had enough different wading boots over the years to where I'm comfortable that I've arrived at the best gripping soles I'm likely to find, but I'm also sure that none can come close to eliminating the benefit of a wading staff at certain times.

[fishin' fool]

I have both felt with studs and the vibram soled boots. I think that the vibram boots are good. I have yet to put studs in them, but I think that I will be doing this. With that said, if I'm on a river with a slick bottom and higher water, especially in cold or cool weather, I have my felt soled boots on. I simply have better grip. I don't feel my feet slip nearly as much, and I feel as though I gain purchase with each step better than the rubber soles. Again, we'll see if there is a difference once I put some studs in the rubber bottoms. I will also say that if you're fishing out of a boat or hole hoping via an automobile on a regular basis the rubber bottoms are much nicer. Less water and dirt carried along into the boat or truck. I also like them better streamside as well as in the snow.
On the subject of wading staffs, I always have mine with me. If you have one that folds up, you don't even notice it. It has saved me at least a couple of times now.

[wizard]

I recently bought a new pair a wading boots from Cabelas with the Vibram soles. I put cleats on myself and they are awesome and rediculously comfortable boots. They were only $79 on sale, now just need to see how they wear.

[Gnu Bee Flyer]

As for having a wading staff, if I had been using one on the slippery rocks of the Lochsa River at the Idaho fish in I probably wouldn't have fallen on the rocks and broken my arm. Thus cutting my Fish-in short by 3 days.

Nuff said.

[jrgocards]

I've got a pair of Simms Guide Boots with vibram soles and I like them a lot, but I would recommend adding cleats to them. They provide a lot better traction with the cleats. I have never carried a wading staff, but it sound's like I should. Most of the time I fish fairly slow water, but not always.

JR

[luckie88]

Have you seen the Korkers? They have interchangeable soles, great support and no need to buy new boots when the soles where just 20 - 30 for new soles. Just think you could get one for each river, but at Silver Creek they have boot washing stations at each entry point changed regularly, to keep invasive species out. They're great boots but the studded rubber soles seem more for logging than fishing. The Simms Vibram studs could be great but I've never used the Vibram on the river, only for mountain climbing and rock climbing. But it gets two thumbs up from me.

[Hoochman]

I second the Korkers idea. I have a pair with their Kling On sole (rubber like Simms Vibram) and felt sole. I also have a pair of Simms Guides in their Vibram. The Vibram is super slick on our rives around here. I added cleats which helped on everything but bare, dry rocks where they sound like fingernails on a chalkboard as I slide around. Only advantage I saw in the rubber soles was hiking in; better traction in mud, leaves, etc. But I'm 90% in the water here and sometimes in a drift boat (which means I have to take the cleats out of my Simms if I want to ride in the boat), so I usually just wear the Korkers.

I don't carry a wading staff, probably should.