Wading boot advice

[1 nut in the water]

Ok, after 40 years of fishing in tennis shoes I think it is time to invest in some wading boots before I break something or take another unintended swim.
Any good/bad experiences with certain boots and since I am always wading on rock I believe I want felt? I also do a lot of walking /bushwacking so are felt durable for the commute to the honey hole?
Real life experience would be great to hear..........

 

[plumb2fish]

I use cheap felt sole boots...but I really want to see the pics of this weekend's steelhead....

 

[steelie_killa]

U should look into some korkers with interchangable soles...through my exp. Ive fallen on my ass a few times walking on mossy rocks...whats nice about them is that u can change from felt to spikes or vice versa. But they r kinda spendy tho

 

[TimberTodd]

I have a pair of Korkers with the interchangeable soles and love them.

 

[FishFinger]

I also have a pair of Korkers with the combo felt/stud interchangable soles. They are great on the river bank but murder on hard wood floors.

 

[bran_man]

Yup korker metalhead model is a great one! Haven't fished too many rivers that have hardwood floors Sooo can't really speak on that part... Lol

 

[Steeliekiller]

Don't get the caddis boots. They are a total pile of well you know. I uses them 4 times an the side blew out. I went back to my ol trusty v cabelas boot. I've been using them for four years now an can't give em up. Thinkin I may get the korkers tho just cause my felt on its last leg.

 

[Combat Chuck]

Another vote for Korkers... although the plastic soles are nearly worthless where I fish. I do use them when I walk a lot or am in the driftboat to save wear on the felt.

 

[bass]

I have a pair of Simms wading boots that I bought in 1998 and they are still going strong. They have felt soles with small carbide studs (look like studded tires). The felt is kind of worn away to the backing material but the studs are still rock solid. These are amazing boots.

I also have a pair of cheaper Hoffman boots with plain felt bottoms. The felt soles fell off after about 4 years. I re-felted them this fall and so far that seems to be holding up well. I use those boots in my kayak (I don't want to poke holes with the carbide studs of my Simms). For comfort and support I like these almost as much as the Simms.

Thus, I have not real brand preference but the one thing I would recommend is getting bottoms have the felt with the little studs. This holds much better than felt alone (based on fishing with friends with felt soled boots).

Best of luck.

 

[troutmasta]

Ive had the same fishermans 59.99 felt bottoms for like 5 years. they still rock but look more like Teva Sandles now

Maybe I should look at some Korkers......

 

[everett464]

My first pair of wading boots were a pair of chucks with carpet glued to the bottom. They worked, kinda.

Bottom line up front - look for a boot with an MSRP of $100-200. You will save money in the long run, unless you are wading 2 or 3 times per year. You can find closeouts that will get you down under 100 on a very good boot.

I think the construction of the Simms boots is a bit better than Korkers. Rubber with studs is good most of the time. Felt if you're in a boat a lot, or want the absolute most stable ride. Korkers allows you to go back and forth if you want/need to, which is an advantage.

Felt is harder to clean, and raises some questions about invasive species transfer. There is controversy here, and I don't know the right answer. I wear studded rubber, just to be safe.

 

[1 nut in the water]

well since i fish well over 100 times a year I want something very durable and not sure if something with interchangable soles is what I want as I can see losing soles.......
nothing worse than a lost soul!!

 

[SmallStreams]

Korkers.

I hate tying and retying laces, so the ski-binding lace of the Korkers was my reason to get them. The felt soles do okay hiking as long as you don't try hiking up & down mud slopes... that's an instant fall-on-your-keyster maneuver with felt soles! Swapping soles works, but that is a seldom-used bonus compared to never tying shoelaces.

For summer fishing (May to end of Sep), I've been using wading shoes instead of recycled tennis shoes. Think they are Simms. Had high hopes for the screw-in studs, but the sole is really too thin for the studs. Fabric has begun falling apart after 3-4 years. Do like the speed-laces despite the plastic tips having come off.

 

[HereFishy]

I've also heard nothing but good things about korkers. I have a pair of Allen felt bottom boots. They're ok for the price. They were 79 at BiMart. My only complaint is that after about an hour in the water, something expands. I don't know if it's the laces or the material that the boots are made of. But I CAN NOT re-tie them tight enough. Mainly due to the fact that the 4 "hooks" on the top of the boots (the ones you run the laces around) are made of soft plastic. They'll flex and straiten out WELL before you have the laces tight enough. I think my right boot might actually be ruined solely because of this issue. And I've only worn them 3 times if you count when I tried them on at the store.

 

[cddunn]

Korkers.

The felt soles do okay hiking as long as you don't try hiking up & down mud slopes... that's an instant fall-on-your-keyster maneuver with felt soles!

Word!

 

[lilsalmon]

yep....Korkers

 

[meluvtrout]

Whatever you do, don't buy cheaper Korkers with mesh sides. They used to be called CrossCurrent now I believe are called Redsides. They don't last as much as the higher end boots. I have an older one in size 11 if you'd like to give it a try. I also have a pair of Simms StreamTreads and pair of Korkers Metalheads. I think both are very durable boots. Especially the Simms were really comfortable in AK, during hikes and long day trips. Ankle support in both boots are much better than Redsides. Metalheads come with Boa Lace technology. Easier to get in and out of the boots without dealing with laces.

Metalheads are discontinued ( are called WhiteHorse now) so watch for Fisherman's Warehouse sales coming up soon...

 

[hobster]

I'll have to check out Korkers when my Cabellas ultralight junk falls apart this winter. I've had them one season and they are falling apart quickly, I've heard a lot of bad things about them. I have the lugs for winter and I use my trusty ol Redingtons with felt in the summer, they have lasted many years and I glued the felt on once and its held so far. All I recommend is lugs for the winter, too many spills with felt in the mud!

 

[waco]

I used Korkers Metalhead about a year ago and didn't last me very long, (7 months) but I hike a lot. Now I have Simms Freestone http://www.simmsfishing.com/shop/footwear/freestone-boot-felt.html and I love them, very comfortable and still going strong after 1 year!! (first time I'm having wading boots that last more than a year!! And if you don't want to deal with shoe laces here is what you need!! http://www.simmsfishing.com/shop/footwear/rivertek-boa-boot-felt.html

 

[HereFishy]

Simms boots....... Sold... Sounds like exactly what I'm looking for in a wader boot after my experience with the Allen boots. They will be ordered tomorrow morning. Expect a report in the near future. Thanks waco..