Conspiracy Theory
Wearing felt on the river is the only thing that comes close to traction on a slippery river bead. Everything else is playing catch up. The need for something that is better for the environment has greatly excelled past the research and development to replace felt (if there ever was one). But felt is a known carrier of bugs and stuff so the knee jerked and the ban (in areas) was implemented. So the manufactures of wading boots stopped the felt soles and went with the latest and greatest umm no wait I got it the latest and greatest umm rubber and screw studs or just studs and sent fly fishermen out to have an open competition of the best imitation of Charley Brown kicking a football. So when the latest retiree of the law firm of Dowe, Screwum, & Howe went on his first trip to the water in his early retirement came in first in the Charley Brown contest (and he didn’t even know he was entered) while floating down the river (if he was in the river competition and not the parking lot competition) he had time to contemplate how he was going to get those guys at (Manufacture’s Name Here)
Felt is just safer to use and nothing replacing it has come close enough to warrant a compromise and in closing was there any development and research done before the knee jerked and the foot slipped and Charley went past horizontal arms whirling fast enough to support himself against gravity till he realizes it was futile, corrects to horizontal and drops for a perfect 10.
Or if you don’t like that one someone from (Manufacture’s Name Here) got a day off and went fishing and entered a Charley Brown contest and when he washed ashore or woke up and thought holy cow we could get sued.