Ban applies to fishermen only. Who else wears felt-sole boots? Clammers?
Regards,
Scott
Buy Simms and Vibram stock.
I bet TU did!
Gonna be some really reasonably priced felt soled boots out there pretty soon. Hey, why not buy a few pairs, scrape the felt off, then have your cobbler install vibram soles on them…just sayin’.
Cheers,
MontanaMoose
That’s an idea. Simms wants $44 for a pair of the Vibram soles (installation is extra). Probably wouldn’t be cost-effective for the pair of Freestones I have, but get a good deal on some Guides and then you’re talking.
Regards,
Scott
They banned felt soles here in NZ at the start of last season, ban applies to fishermen only, so if you are guiding, rafting or kayaking felt soles are o.k. Makes no sense to me.
All the best.
Mike
I’m with you Mike; Still have splinters in my fingers from scratching my head over that one. Jax
It’s the politically correct thing to do now. Barbless hooks and nylon nets are old news.
I hate to see felt soles going the way of the dinosaur, but it is difficult to hold back a tidal wave once everyone jumps on board.
However, if you really think of it, felt soles are getting a bad wrap. So you buy some of the less effective replacements. That really won’t stop the transportation of unwanted species.
The next time you take your waders off think about what you are doing. Do you remove the laces, open up the eyelet strips and scrub out all those tight little places where unwanted hitchhikers can hide? Do you turn your boots inside out (don’t try it, you can’t) and clean out the inside? Nope, you don’t, and neither do I.
The only really safe answer is to require everyone who is not living in the area in question to only use brand new boots. That can get expensive and naturally they won’t do that, although I was under the impression that if you fly to OZ then you had to use new equipment.
I am afraid that the reality is simply that as long as we like to flitter about enjoying the great outdoors, we will transport unwanted species with us. Sometimes it may be something that is harmless, like your fishing buddy, but sometimes it may be something that in a few years will destroy a river or lake system.
A few years ago I got a group together and ten of us took off for two days of fishing on the Missouri River in Montana, then two days of fishing on the North Platte River in Wyoming, then two more days of fishing on the Big Hole River back in Montana. Ten people, 20 shoes, that is how these unwanted species will leapfrog their way around our country.
Larry —sagefisher—
This felt sole thing has all the political correctness of any good tree hugger. I would think it is better than any marketing campaign that has come up for boot sales. Most of these boot have shoe laces, they have the fabric in the boot itself. Just because your sole doesn’t transfer ditty snott as well the rest of the boot can. Do I think it minimizes the transfer? Perhaps by a small percentage. If we were really concerned about this we would be dipping our boots after each body of water in a sterilization solution.
People want to feel good about doing something to help the environment, but some of these laws are just silly.
By the way there are some great deals right now on felt bottom boots. Simms has closed out there line already and I found some G3 boots for $89. They don’t have any good size selection left at that vendor or I would have bought those.
Felt plus studs are still better than the latest wiz bang vibrams with studs for traction. If you look at real test they talk about how good they are, but they still don’t match. The only thing the new vibrams are good for is snow, felt is terrible in snow.
OK, done with rant.
Maybe so, but the makers of wading boots have to love it!
Why don’t some one just invent a spray or something that you sprayed down your boots with once you leave the water so that it would kill all bacteria and hitchhikers while they were stored. That way when you start a new trip out you would be sterilized for any stream. Or are the boot companies secretly got people pushing this so that more people will have to buy new boots more often?
1 cup bleach, 9 cups water that is the ratio for restaurants for wiping down the service tables in the kitchen. As for felt soles, I switch over to ScotchGuard Pad for the bottom of my wading boots years ago, I wear slip-overs (in Minnesota we call them rubbers) for walking from and to the stream from the parking area, then remove them for standing in the water. I get home, I place my boots in a large bucket with the above ratio of bleach and water. So what exactly is the problem? ~Parnelli
Oh be VERY careful suggesting bleach. :shock: It’s murder on your gear …and it’s not as effective as other chemical options that are far less destructive to your gear and or environment.
Here is a long list of suggestions,
http://lelandflyfishingoutfitters.blogspot.com/2010/02/scrub-wipe-rinse-and-hope-like-hell-it.html
(some of the suggestions (Freezing in particular) on this blog have since been proven ineffective in controlling some of the invasives.)
After doing a considerable amount of research of my own, online and looking into all the research studies available out there… For cleaning WADERS AND BOOTS, I’d opt for or suggest the Copper Sulfate, Formula 409 Antibacterial and sunlight (best non chemical solution) as the best alternatives…and this goes for rubber souls as well as felts. Truth is, this is not a boot soul and felt problem. It’s waders, boots, fishing gloves, float tubes, boats, motors (BAIT BUCKETS) etc. Simply eliminating felt isn’t going to be fix the problem.
Other web sites that may help you make an informed choice
http://www.stopans.org/Science_of_felt.php
Good study here:
:tieone:
I am not sure how I feel about this. Bans are usaly knee jerk reactions to a problem. The ban is in place now and all we can do is wait and see if this was the solution.
Let’s just ban humans from the woods.
There, that fixes everything!
Oh wait! That’s what the Sierra Clubbers want!
And then roads, and then highways, oh and of course those jets!
I sterilize my pontoon boat between trips. You wash it down, and let it dry for a week.
Kills all them potential hitch hikers.
Balls!
What this does for Alaska…is 10’s of thousands of pairs of waders are instantly useless and need to be replaced by as many fisherman…while a relative handfull of folks feel better about themselves. I for one do not buy it.
It’s insane if you ask me. I’m waiting for the reports on how, once this ban took place all the rivers and streams suddenly cleared of all invasive specie. If anybody actually believes that the felt ban will make a bit of difference, I have some land in the everglades with an excellent trout stream running through it for sale:^)
The Alsaka deal is done and I can’t change that. What I would have prefered to do is by education and I feel that would have been more effective. I’ve said this before, your wading boots are more than soles. You usually have shoe strings and cordura side pannels or some other material that can still transfer. If you want to feel good buy the rubber soles if you want to actually stop the transfer you still need to do more.
Here is a link about the different ways to stop the transfer: http://www.tunyc.org/didymo.html
It says the following:
"If you are moving items between waterways, you must Check, Clean, Dry.
CHECK: Before you leave a river or lake, check items and leave debris at site. If you find any later, treat and put in rubbish. Do not wash down drains.
CLEAN: There are several ways to kill didymo. Choose the most practical treatment for your situation which will not adversely affect your gear.
- Non-absorbent items
- Detergent: soak or spray all surfaces for at least one minute in 5% dishwashing detergent or nappy cleaner (two large cups or 500 mls with water added to make 10 litres); OR
- Bleach: soak or spray all surfaces for at least one minute in 2% household bleach (one small cup or 200 mls with water added to make 10 litres); OR
- Hot water: soak for at least one minute in very hot
water kept above 60 ?C (hotter than most tap water) or for at least 20 minutes in hot water kept above 45 ?C (uncomfortable to touch). - Absorbent items require longer soaking times to allow thorough saturation. For example, felt-soled waders require:
- Hot water: soak for at least 40 minutes in hot water kept above 45 ?C; OR
- Hot water plus detergent: soak for 30 minutes in hot water kept above 45 ?C containing 5% dishwashing detergent or nappy cleaner; OR
- Freezing any item until solid will also kill didymo.
DRY: Drying will kill didymo, but slightly moist didymo can survive for months. To ensure didymo cells are dead by drying, the item must be completely dry to the touch, inside and out, then left dry for at least another 48 hours before use.
If cleaning or drying is not practical, restrict equipment to a single waterway.
NOTE: The thicker and denser the absorbent material, the better it will be at holding moisture (and live cells), the slower it will be to dry out and the more difficult it will be to soak completely with cleaning solutions.
When cleaning gear, we recommend that you: - Soak absorbent items for longer than specified to ensure thorough saturation of the material with the cleaning agent
- Follow manufacturer’s safety instructions when using cleaning products
- Dispose of cleaning waste well away from waterways.
Cleaning options:
The standard decontamination treatments are included in the Check Clean Dry message above. Further information is available in a table comparing the effectiveness of methods and products tested on didymo survival, published in the Didymo Survival Study Report. This table includes information on using reduced concentrations of decontamination products for longer soaking times to suit high volume commercial users who wish to soak gear overnight at less expense to themselves, their business and the environment. - Table of Didymo Survival Results - May 07
<http://www.biosecurity.govt.nz/files/pests-diseases/plants/didymo/didymo-survival-results-table-may-07.pdf>
(186 Kb)
Unless otherwise stated, all dilutions are given as volume of cleaning product/volume of total water (v/v). For example, a 5% solution is made by mixing 50 ml of product with water added to make 1000 mls (1 litre) total.
The table below describes in more depth how to clean specific items. Unless stated otherwise (such as for felt-soled waders and boots), all of the decontamination options are effective on all items, provided that absorbent items are thoroughly soaked.
Felt-soled waders and boots
Fishing footwear containing absorbent material, such as felt-soled waders and boots, poses a high risk of didymo transfer-these items are likely to come into direct physical contact with didymo cells (e.g., stepping on or brushing against algal mats), and the moisture retained in these goods helps cell survival.
Choose one of the following treatments specific to felt-soled waders and boots:
Hot water: If hot water alone is used, careful attention is needed to ensure the temperature of the water is maintained at no less that 45 ?C for 40 minutes to ensure the interior of the felt reaches a sufficient temperature to kill all cells;
OR
Hot water and detergent: The entire felt sole and boot needs to be completely immersed for 30 minutes in hot tap water kept above 45 ?C (uncomfortably hot to touch) containing 5% dishwashing detergent or nappy cleaner;
OR
Freeze until solid: The time required until the boot is frozen solid will vary depending upon the grade of material, how much moisture it contains and the efficiency of the freezer. Freezing overnight should work in most instances.
Drying: Relying on ambient drying as a stand-alone treatment for decontaminating highly absorbent risk goods such as felt-soled waders and boots is not recommended in situations where use between waterways is frequent (daily, weekly or even monthly). Drying should only be relied upon as a decontamination treatment if great care is taken to actively and completely dry the felt (such as by using a heat source where temperatures around the felt are assured of reaching 30 ?C). Once the felt appears dry, complete dryness must be confirmed by a tactile inspection of the felt pile to the base of the fibres. Once completely dry, items must remain dry for at least 48 hours before use in another waterway.
These instructions for decontaminating felt soled waders and boots can be used for other absorbent materials.
If you do not want to decontaminate your gear, you should restrict use to a single waterway.
Rich Kirn
Fisheries Biologist
Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department"
Irradiation station ?
MontanaMoose
From the Orvis site on the sale page: “Note that rubber soles do not release an angler from the responsibility to clean, inspect, and dry all wading gear between watersheds. Rubber is much easier to clean and dries quicker than felt but it is not a panacea.”
I’m concerned that many people will say to themselves, “I have the latest greatest soles so I don’t have to worry about invasive species transfer” I think the new soles are going to cause more transfer because people THINK that they are stopping the transfer by wearing them when this is a false sense of security.
the ban is a joke…nobody is even going to try to change gear…I have lived and fished there much of my life and still have my house there…1st of all there is NO invasive species to transfere…also I can promise that fish and game dont care and have much bigger issues…I can just picture my buddies out 40 miles from the nearest hwy hoping the fish and game dept dont come hunting them down…you can do whatever you want to up there and nobody cares or says anything … I have never even seen a officer in the woods in all my yrs there and I started fishing there in 73…when they tell the eskimos that the same critters are transfered from the mukluks and force a ban I will believe it then but not until…