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 ?
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
I know the rubber soled boots are relatively new but do any of you who currently own them have an idea of how long the soles will last compared to felt with moderate to heavy use.
i have the korkers and they are great. the rubbr studded soles do look extreme but they stick like glue on any kind of bottom. only problem witht he lorkers is the sizing. they are a true medium width and you have to go at least 1 size usuall 2 sizes longer. but the construction is top notch and the soles stay on. i’ve had mine for 2 yrs. be mindful of people selling the old style, these did not have as good a sole and frequently fell off.
I guess you guys don’t remember the old days 30+ years ago when those of us short of funds, glued indoor/outdoor carpet to the bottom of our boots to keep from sliping on rocks. That material was mostly rubber and plastic and it worked rather well. Now that we are older and can afford it the felt bottom boots work great. However, the next pair of wading boots I buy will most likely be the new vibram soles in the interest of retarding the transfer of organisms from one watershed to another!
On the subject of using a staff, after getting the camp award for the most “wader swims”, three in one season, I finally got a staff! I hate to say it, but the older I get the more I’m cautious about my legs/knees, and the inconvience of a staff is outweighted by the increased mobility in the water! And that leads to more fish!! G.
I have a pair of the new Orvis boots with rubber soles. They come with studs and I’ve used them several times. They’re much better than felt on dry land (especially on snow and muddy banks) so far just as good as felt in the river. Of course, I haven’t tried them on the slick rocks of summertime but so far I’m very impressed.
Hello Kerry, I’ve got a pair of rubber soles from LL Bean and the tops are shot but at the same time the soles are still good. They are the first generation of ‘River Treads’ as i believe Bean called them. I always called them ‘Bots Dots’ if you know what those are. The many small round ‘bumps’ on the bottom of the soles were hemispherical to start with and now some of them are flat. But I’m talking about 12 years of fairly heavy use including Upper McCloud and Pit Rivers not to mention many trips on the N. Umpqua. If i had to describe the soles regarding longevity i’d call them ‘very tough’. Oh, i hike a lot also and on the Upper Sac and that was railroad riprap a lot of the time. If i had to use a word to describe how they are in snotty rock water, I’d have to say they’re marginal but then i won’t so much as step in the river with any boot without a wading staff. As to how my Beans grip on the dry rocks when doing some serious mountaineering to get to the ‘best’ water, i’d give them an A+ but i’m very careful once the rocks are wet or even if the bottoms of the boots are just wet and especially if there is moss on the rocks. I still use them in summer for wet wading or in winter with my breathable bibs. Now i’m thinking the vibrams but i know they’re a softer compound so not sure how they’d hold up to riprap and a lot of hiking and so on. Hope this gives you an idea.
Cheers,
MontanaMoose
The book says that wading in the river I fish is rated moderate- dangerous. It is. Seems like every year someone makes the newspaper. I use my felt soles with studs and feel relatively secure, but not always. I can negotiate my way to a great spot only to make a few casts and feel the need to move again. Trying to retrace my steps never works. The slots and channels and rocks really make the current very unpredictable. I really hope that they never ban felt on my river, and that companies will continue to offer it. If forced to switch, I think I would begin with a boot that has been “siped”.
Gary with a wading staff