Wading boots

[Tribal16]

I have finally decided to upgrade my wading boots.. I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions? I was looking at the Simms Headwater boots. They are in my price range($150-$200). Assume i will buy a package of star cleats for 40$ with any simms boots. I was also looking at korkers but am kind of hesitant because of what happend to Daves boots


Any suggestions would be great!

 

[waco]

I just got the Korkers Metalhead wadding boots and the first month I hated them i slip so many times with them, I didn't feel comfortable, didn't trust them, but now I love my korkers, I don't slip anymore!! I guess you have to kind of losing up the sole!! Now I can see the difference in a high quality boots and the other ones I owned!!!

 

[Irishrover]

Tribal........I have Korkers and they are OK, but I've seen two pair that fell apart on people. Simms might be the way to go. My next pair will not be Korkers.

 

[Tribal16]

I was planning on heading to the welches fly shop and trying some of them on. I think i'm going to get the headwaters and just put the starcleats on it. They cost 40$. Unless someone can change my mind lol

Do starcleats alone provide enough traction? Or do i need to install the studs as well?

p.s Thanks for the advice

 

[jawjacker]

I pre ordered the Korker metalheads and got um two weeks before they were released last december and have been rocking um hard ever since. I can't say enough good things about um and I have gone through my share of wading boots. From what I understand korkers carry an outstanding warranty and the company stands behind their products & will get ya fixed up and running in no time if something tragic should happen. I have not personally delt with a warranty claim through Korkers but I have through Simms and they exceeded all my expectations and then some and I was very impressed. The two features that sold me on the paticular model was the interchangeable soles and cable laces. I have heard rumors lately about felt soles becomming illegal in Oregon soon. So having the option to easily change out treads is covenient. I find that I get the best traction wearing cleats not felt but it is nice to be able to switch out the cleats incase there is an open seat on a boat & I want to wear my waders. Simms or Korkers you decide either way you can't go wrong.

 

[lilsalmon]

Korkers are good....just not the Redsides. They are not meant for river fishing. In fact, going to post a review on them cuz they refuse to replace Dave's. Oh, they are replacing the felt that peeled away but I have yet to recieve them. My Korkers are great (same one's Irishrover has).

 

[ninja2010]

i was gonna get the korkers metalhead but they didn't have them in my size at the flyshop. so don at river city sold me his personal pair of chrome at a discounted price. they are reeeeaaal niiiiice. no issues so far, and very comfortable - in and out of the water. i think these 3rd generation korkers are a vast improvement from their earlier ones.

i use the felt soles and screwed in sheet metal screws at strategic points to get awesome traction.

 

[skunk]

Korkers are the only ones I've tried so they get my vote. Not saying others arent' good, just the ones I like.

 

[Tribal16]

Do the korkers interchangeable soles do well in deep mud? or do they come off?

 

[jawjacker]

Do the korkers interchangeable soles do well in deep mud? or do they come off?

Come to think of it I had 1 of my soles get suctioned off in some deep mud when I was bobber fishing tide water. The sole dangled by the back snap that secures the whole deal and I just snapped it back on no biggy. I don't typically wade in deep mud if I can avoide it and from that point on I just wore rubber boots down there. My waders are more set up for freestone and bedrock not duck hunting sludge pits

 

[FlyBum]

I've had a pair of Korkers Chromes for the last three months now, and they are the best by far. I had Korkers last top-end pair of boots and they lasted and held up really well for all the rigors of fishing over 100+ days a year! I was able to squeze 2 and 1/2 seasons out of them with 3 sole replacements and laces. The Chromes with the boa lace system and better upper boot material are by far the lightest and most comfortable. The sole covering the entire boot bottom gives a better more solid anchor point while wading.

The thing about felt getting the boot (banned)..... not gonna happen! Simms was a major advocate for this ban and as there marketing ploy to move towards sticky rubber has taken a dive they will now go back to producing felt soled boots. HA! They really made a mistake trying to legislate for this ban and be "on top of" the switch but as their sales have dropped off they are now going back on their word! Schmucks, when it comes to this issue. There other stuff is great (waders) but me personally will be sold on the studded felt Korkers Chrome. Maybe studded rubber in the snow, but Korkers is an Oregon company!!! and the ability to replace or switch out soles instead of buying a whole new boot or paying big bucks for a resole will have me a customer for a long time to come!

 

[OnTheFly]

Korkers are good....just not the Redsides. They are not meant for river fishing. In fact, going to post a review on them cuz they refuse to replace Dave's. Oh, they are replacing the felt that peeled away but I have yet to recieve them. My Korkers are great (same one's Irishrover has).

I'm confused.

 

[lilsalmon]

I'm confused.

Me too...not really. So, Cody has Redsides and they look brand new. Cody fishes in rivers and ponds, but the majority of time in ponds and lakes, correct? Well, we fish the majority of the time in streams and rivers. After looking at Cody's nice wader boots and Dave's beatup ones I came to the conclusion that they are best used in ponds and lakes and not the rocky and much more harsh water and the rocks and hiking over rocks, etc. That was my own observation. I no way intend to make viewers here assume I am a professional wader boot person.

 

[GDBrown]

I must be real cheap! I have a pair of seven year old canvas Remington boots with felt soles that do me just fine. Granted I don't hike for miles before getting in the water but I have always liked the felt soles when I'm on the slimy rock of the river I fish. I have tried a pair of boots with cleats but found that I slipped more with them than felt. Maybe I just needed more time to get use to them but I don't fish 100 days a year like some of you so I just keep my boots clean and the muck out of the felt and they do me just fine. I guess if I fished more days and hiked more between holes I would invest in better boots but for now I'm good.

 

[OnTheFly]

Me too...not really. So, Cody has Redsides and they look brand new. Cody fishes in rivers and ponds, but the majority of time in ponds and lakes, correct? Well, we fish the majority of the time in streams and rivers. After looking at Cody's nice wader boots and Dave's beatup ones I came to the conclusion that they are best used in ponds and lakes and not the rocky and much more harsh water and the rocks and hiking over rocks, etc. That was my own observation. I no way intend to make viewers here assume I am a professional wader boot person.

I'll have a better opinion of these boots after we have spent as many hours standing in river water as Dave.

 

[JeannaJigs]

I roll with a pair of korkers (can't remember what model, haha Rose might know, she picked them up for me for a bargain! They're the pretty black ones. Yes. They're pretty) They've held up to a shirt ton of abuse. I am cruel, cruel, cruel to my boots during the winter. I have the felt with carbide studs, and they have saved my life. I've used nothing but felt and studs for the last 5 years or so....I've used some cheaper boots that I picked up at bimart, and they usually last about...just the winter season and then they are in the garbage can. Glad I finally put out a few extra dolla's and got a quality pair. It's also really nice to be able to swap out to just the plain ol' rubber soles when I'm in someone elses boat and know I won't be getting out to do some wading, i.e. when I use my waders as raingear on the columbia etc. The steel laces are funkin' awesome, quick and easy, I'm fishing before anyone else even has their boots laced up. I've heard good things also about the customer service from korkers directly, although I have had no experience myself with such yet.

 

[bigsteel]

the korker redsides were great for a couple months but they started falling apart way too soon IMO,the felt on both boots has fallen off,i have had to glue them back on,and most of the stitching is falling apart,I really like the design and they are comfy I just think korkers were aholes about not replacing them,telling us it was not a manufacture defect,thats what peepeed me off,kind of like he was calling me a liar.Maybe I just got a bad pair,but the company should stand behind their product

 

[steelhead_stalkers]

I have the new Korkers Chrome boots and so far they are amazing boots. My last pair of korkers (Streamborn) lasted three years of heavy use. We cover miles and miles of river every time out and they worked just fine. I had to replace the felt soles once over that time. I love the boa lace system, its so much nicer on cold days when you do not want to sit there and lace up in the snow. A few twists and you are off to first hole everyone! :lol:

 

[jimmy]

Korkers are good.... They are not meant for river fishing. I

I'm confused.

Just a quick two cents on this, as far as I know studded logging boots are known as 'corkers', wading boots are either felt or felt & studs. I call em corkers (korkers) too, along with everyone else, but my loggin buddies have made fun of the fishing version of studded boots.

from top to bottom: strap-on corkers, studded felt, felt, bottom is how you lace the corker onto your boot.



I won't even get into aluminum cleats, aluminum cleated felt, or aluminum cleated 'over your felt boot' rubber boots.

I just saw some confusion and thought I'd add info to the 'boot-thread'

 

[JeannaJigs]

Korkers are a brand of wading boots for fishing and other water sports.