Wading boots

Paul Arden · Post by **Paul Arden** » Fri Nov 30, 2012 3:29 pm

Hi Guys,

which are the best in wading boots? My William Joseph boots had both soles come off here in Germany. I've hardly used them to be honest. Fortunately I've borrowed some Simms G3, which are good on rocks but - as Bernd will no doubt show :p - virtually impossible on muddy hills.

Still the best I've used I made from a pair of Mendls, but this was a very expensive option!

Cheers, Paul

pyko · Post by **pyko** » Fri Nov 30, 2012 6:03 pm

Paul,

Best boot (bar the previous guide boots), I've had is these.
With the star cleats added to the sole.
Good for hiking & a good compromise for most surfaces.

Dead comfy too.
Al

Michal Duzynski · Post by **Michal Duzynski** » Fri Nov 30, 2012 7:40 pm

Check Korkers mate.
U can change the sole in 30sec, they r light, good drainge, gets dry very quickly.
In Hungary I put my feet in some heavy mud, everything stayed in place.
Cheers
mike

Squish · Post by **Squish** » Fri Nov 30, 2012 11:09 pm

pyko wrote:Paul,

Best boot (bar the previous guide boots), I've had is these.
With the star cleats added to the sole.
Good for hiking & a good compromise for most surfaces.

Dead comfy too.
Al

x 2

jomeder · Post by **jomeder** » Fri Nov 30, 2012 11:45 pm

Hi Paul,

I think the Simms Streamtread soles are fine on muddy surfaces. When I say "fine" I don't mean they're magical and slip free, just that they're as good as anything else I've worn, including hiking boots. I was surprised actually, even the old less aggressive looking Aquastealth sole was good. No problem on steep wet grass hillsides with muddy sections. A couple of weekends ago I was wearing them in a place where you have to negotiate a gorge via steep muddy paths and they were fine there too.

I have Riversheds, I think they're good boots. Very comfortable, first day I wore them I did 10km and they were fine the whole time. The sole is quite stiff but gets a bit softer after some wear. They're still too stiff to drive in though. Possibly all the Vibram soled Simms boots are like that. My old L2s with Aquastealth are a little more flexible and ok to drive in. If the biggest problem I can come up with for fishing boots is that I can't drive in them then they must be doing ok :-). They're still in pretty good shape after a few years, although I haven't worn them a lot the last couple. They were from the first shipment of Streamtread soled boots here, I guess that was 4 years ago. Can't say how they'd stand up to the Arden Thrashing Factor mind you...

Regards,

Jo

Malcolm · Post by **Malcolm** » Fri Nov 30, 2012 11:46 pm

I use two different pairs. First where I can't compromise on grip in the water it's studded Simms Guide boots but even with studs they are hellish on muddy banks and I don't much like walking in them.

When I have to do a lot of walking or contouring muddy banks and can put up with slightly less grip in the water I use "Jalas Cross Control" studded orienteering boots - the ones with the articulated plastic ankle supports. These give decent grip in the water (much better than standard studded rubber waders) and stick to steep vegetation like velcro. Mine are about 5 years old and I've used them at least 100 times and they are still going strong. Not up to studded felt in really tricky wading though.

Shane · Post by **Shane** » Sat Dec 01, 2012 4:51 am

I personally would stay clear of Korkers, a great idea that doesn't work, Ive had 2 pairs other mates who are also guides have also had them and along with many other Tasmanians, the fact is you won't keep the soles in, probably Ok on very flat surfaces. Wear them on rocks, walking over stumps or in thick mud and you will have nothing but grief with them. I love to know how many soles are stuck in the mud at Penstock Lagoon or even Lake Botsford in our Tasmanian Highlands

Shane · Post by **Shane** » Sat Dec 01, 2012 4:53 am

Simms are excellent although I use SnowBee, the SnowBee's are quite serviceable , not great though, they are comfortable but won't last as well as the more expensive boots

Chris Dore · Post by **Chris Dore** » Sat Dec 01, 2012 1:55 pm

The way you fish here in NZ paul, the interchangeable sole korkers wont hack it IMO. For wading boots, simms riversheds: i just got another pair.

Those L2's i gave you, the you gave ronan have been thrashed to bits, but ronans reviving them with a little bit of adhesive. They never die: they just smell that way.

Paul Arden · Post by **Paul Arden** » Sat Dec 01, 2012 10:06 pm

Great thanks guys. How many days on the water are they supposed to last? I may have got thirty from the WJ boots. I would like at least ten times this!

Cheers, Paul

Al Greig · Post by **Al Greig** » Sat Dec 01, 2012 11:14 pm

My Simms Riversheds are now four seasons old. They started life with nineteen long days in NZ, and have had maybe another hundred and twenty days out with variable mileage.

The soles are still pretty good, maybe thanks to the hard-bite studs. Stitching is good, as is the inside of the boot. The black rubber trim around the outside of the boot is disintegrating.
Very good to walk in. I'd buy them again, but they are very expensive in the UK.

ennio · Post by **ennio** » Sun Dec 02, 2012 1:05 am

Again Riversheds: I think you could push 300 days from a pair. I'm heavier than you and got around 200 days from my first pair until the tread started to disappear; uppers are still good enough. They still work with a new set hardbite cleats.

Saulyboy · Post by **Saulyboy** » Sun Dec 02, 2012 2:19 am

Another vote for the Simms Riversheds. I'm into my second season and have done a decent mileage in them. Vibram soled and light enough to wear for a decent hike.
Rubber soles are wearing now, though a regular change of fresh hard bite studs will help preserve them.
I'd stay clear of the Simms cleat studs, hugely expensive and the philips screw will wear before the stud, eventually falling off.

I've owned many many pairs of wading boots, these have so far been the best, though still far from perfect.

Jeroen · Post by **Jeroen** » Sun Dec 02, 2012 6:04 am

Shane wrote:I personally would stay clear of Korkers, a great idea that doesn't work, Ive had 2 pairs other mates who are also guides have also had them and along with many other Tasmanians, the fact is you won't keep the soles in, probably Ok on very flat surfaces. Wear them on rocks, walking over stumps or in thick mud and you will have nothing but grief with them. I love to know how many soles are stuck in the mud at Penstock Lagoon or even Lake Botsford in our Tasmanian Highlands

My first generation Korkers are from 2005 and are still going strong. I mainly use them for sea trout fishing in the Baltic and fairly easy wading, but also for ten or so (sometimes more) days of difficult wading (Scandinavian and alpine freestone rivers) and a fair number of days every year wading dams over here, made of irregular concrete and basalt blocks. I have had the soles come undone on me twice over six years. Both times I was seatrout fishing over a flat service and both times because I 'hadn't secured the soles with the velcro strip on the back.
The new corkers have a different system of fastening the soles to the heel, so I can't comment on that. There are also Korkers with fixed soles.
My Korkers are still in good working order the seams are good and the cordura of the shoe is still looking ok. I'd buy a pair again, if only because of the weight and how quick they dry.
A mate of mine swears by his Simms Guide boots, but if he uses them on the last day or day before last, of the trip, they'll be as wet as when he took them off and they will weight as much as a small family car. Another guy buys a pair of nondescript very cheap (30ish euros) and very light wading boots every year and sometimes gets two seasons out of them.

Cheers,
Jeroen

Peddler · Post by **Peddler** » Sun Dec 02, 2012 6:53 am

I went with the Korkers this spring after wearing out both Chota and Simms Guide boots.
My predicament is that my feet morph during the course of a day’s fishing. Those dogs of mine can swell up and go back down to normal and back several times during a long day on the river. The new Korker Chrome boots have a very slick lacing system that I think was derived from downhill ski boots. They use stainless steel cables to lace the boots and a knob/button gizmo for adjusting the tension on the laces. I just reach down and either pull the knob out to loosen the laces or turn the knob to tighten them. Their Boa lacing system is a great adaptation for wading boots.
The material the boots are made of is the same stuff heavy-duty inflatable rafts are made of. That makes them durable, non-shrinking, very light weight and allows them to dry very quickly. That's a good feature if you worry about spreading invasives to your watersheds.
The fit is just about perfect and the overall support is best in class.
The generation 3 sole mounting system seems quite adequate. Besides have a large tab in front to lock the toe area in and a strong rubber strap to lock the heel area in the soles have ridges around the outer perimeter that snap into receptors on the boot itself. To lose a sole on these would have to involve operator error in my opinion.
Some models come with two soles as seen here: Korker Chrome Link
The rubber Klingon soles are great for walking to a river for traction and to save wear and tear on the felt (studded or not) I use on the river. By having the ability to allow soles to dry out while using other soles again helps keep stuff like rock snot from spreading.
The Chromes ain't your Grandpas wading boots and are light years ahead of Korkers earlier offerings.

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