RedBeard Posted January 2, 2014 Posted January 2, 2014 Hey all, My dad is just getting into fly fishing and he's shopping for wading boots with the best grip available. My siblings and I got him a setup for the big 6-0 last year after he tagged along on a few fishing days with me. He will mostly be fishing the bow and probably a few lakes in k-country. he wont be doing much hiking as mom likes to come and read while we fish, so we usually pick a close-to-parking spot. He has a torn ACL and uses a brace so stability in the ankle probably wouldn't hurt. We've been out shopping, but I wanted to see if any of you have good first hand experiences with a certain boot. Korkers are appealing to him due to the interchangeable soles, but does anyone actually change out their soles? Korkers also seem to have the highest ankle support.. how about aluminum studded felt? Anyway.. thanks for the help! -Steve Quote
murray Posted January 2, 2014 Posted January 2, 2014 Steve, I use the Korker boot, have for years. You'll get lots of opinions on this and for the most part, it will reflect what the individuals use themselves. As for the type of soles, I started with the felts as I felt that they gave me the best grip. Last winter Iswitched over to the studded rubber soles and haven't gone back. The grip you get is excellant. I do go back to the felt soles when I am on my pontoon or other boats, the studs rais hell onthe floorboards and most guys won't let you ne3 their boat with studs on, rightly so in my opinion. The studs really help on the ice shelves. Murray Quote
ÜberFly Posted January 2, 2014 Posted January 2, 2014 I just switched over from a pair of (orginal) Korker Guides with Boa lacing to the Patagonia Ultralights (which I will be putting on some Simms Hardbite studs). With the Korkers, I switched between all but the original rubber quite often. I used the studded felt and bolted rubber (I say bolted as that's what the winter studs look like - big bolts LoL), most of the time. Loved those soles!! That being said, check out the Simms Hardbite Studs or Hardcleats! Also Patagonia makes a pretty beefy crampon, but the pricepoint sux!! Quote
hydroman Posted January 3, 2014 Posted January 3, 2014 I find my felt sole Simms to be the most effective on the rocks such as the Bow and Oldman during the spring and summer and my studded Patagonia to be more effective during the winter and late fall when the ground is wet/frost. Just my opinion. Quote
Roast Posted January 3, 2014 Posted January 3, 2014 Though I have not tried them, I have heard great thing about the patagonia rock grip wading boots. They have aluminum bars which are suppose to really grip. Quote
Rapman Posted January 4, 2014 Posted January 4, 2014 I had a pair of Korker Metalheads. Loved the light weight but found they weren't great for ankle support. Used the felt soles almost exclusively. The Boa lacing system was just ok. I found it was good for the footbox, but didn't tighten enough higher up the boot to provide support. Went to a pair of Simms Guides (felt) - great support, super comfortable, grippy soles, but very heavy, especially when wet. If you're not doing a lot of walking, these would be a great boot. Just got a pair of Patagonia ultralights for Xmas. Haven't been on the water yet, but walking around the house found them to be very supportive and extremely light. Being on the far side of 50 myself, I would suggest getting him a decent collapsible wading staff as well. He'll appreciate it - believe me. 1 Quote
RedBeard Posted January 6, 2014 Author Posted January 6, 2014 Thanks everyone! I will pass on this information to my Dad! Some good boots and a wading staff are what I will recommend! Quote
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