New Trends in Wading Boots

[Kevin]

There have been a lot of technological advances in wading boot construction in the past few years. If you have not purchased a new pair in several years, you are in for some significant surprises. Now that we are starting to get some more wadable water this is a subject that we need to consider.

 

The big change is that felt soles are slowly disappearing from the shops. The agent for this change has been didymo, the invasive alga that has infected the White and Norfork over the past few years. Once introduced to a stream, there is no known way to eradicate it. Only one cell of didymo is required to start a colony and felt soles are considered to be the most likely culprit in the spread of the alga. Felt is porous and difficult to clean. Because of this several states have outlawed felt soles. As of March 31, 2012, it will be illegal to wear felt soles in Missouri. Will Arkansas be next?

 

The most common replacement is Vibram, a tough, well wearing rubber sole that has been used on hiking boots for decades. It is much easier to clean and doesn’t absorb water like the old felt soles. The felts were popular with waders because it gripped rocks well and provided sure footing in streams. The vibram soles do not grip the bottom as well as the felts did and are a bit more difficult to wade in, particularly on bed rock.

 

To increase their traction, most if not all manufacturers offer metal screw in studs. Most look like one quarter inch sheet metal screws. In reality, they are carbide covered and much more durable that the sheet metal screws. They can be easily screwed in and removed if necessary.  One manufacturer, Simms, is making star cleats. These are specialized cleats that have three carbide arms radiating from a central axis. They are designed to fit between the lugs in their vibram soles and provide eight times the gripping surface of the regular screw in studs.

 

The problem with cleated soles is that they are great in the water but are a disaster in the boat. It is not so much that they will scratch the floor of the boat but they provide no traction on fiberglass. It is more like wearing a pair of ice skates and possibly the best way to fall in a boat that I know of. Many guides and anglers put rubber mats or indoor/outdoor carpet on the floor of their boats to overcome this problem. Orvis has a pair of slippers that fit over the studded boots to provide traction for studded boots on boat floors.

 

One manufacturer, Korkers, has developed a creative solution to this problem. They have designed a wading boot that has changeable soles. They make a variety of sole options, felt, studded felt, Vibram and studded Vibram. You can easily change from one to another. I had a client that wore felt soles in my boat. When we arrived at a remote section of the river that we were going to wade, he changed to studded Vibram soles. It took a couple of minutes. This will probably be my next pair of boots.

 

In addition to changing over to Vibram soles, most manufacturers are also changing the materials used to construct their boots. They are changing over to rubber toe caps and heel counters. This not only provides more foot protection but the material is easier to clean and does not absorb water. The other materials used in the boot construction are synthetic fabrics that are also waterproof and easy to clean.

 

The other big change in wading boot design is the elimination of bootlaces. Boots laces can be difficult to secure by some anglers, particularly on cold days with frozen fingers. The laces have been replaced by the BOA system, a technology originally designed for ski boots. The BOA system uses an aircraft quality stainless steel cable that is tightened by a small ratchet. To loosen the cable, you just push a button on the ratchet. While this is not a problem that I have, I can see a lot of anglers that will embrace it. The down side would be that if the steel cable broke, when you were on stream, it would be difficult to repair in the field. Simms does make a BOA repair kit.

 

All of these changes come at a cost. If you haven’t shopped for wading boots lately you may be in for some sticker shock. Most of the boots with these features are in the $150.00 to $200.00 price range.

 

Wading boots are getting better. There are a lot of options out there that can help us protect our streams and make wading safer and easier for us.