SE Regional Opening Day - Game On

April 3 marks the opening of trout season for fifteen counties in Southeastern Pennsylvania.

All waters in Adams, Berks, Bucks, Chester, Cumberland, Dauphin, Delaware, Franklin, Juniata, Lancaster, Lebanon, Lehigh, Montgomery, Northampton, Perry, Philadelphia, Schuylkill and York counties are open for regular trout fishing season.

All streams in this region are now open for fishing 24 hours a day, creel limits of 5 combined species and a minimum of seven inches. Different rules and regulations apply for other Special Regulation Areas. Please consult with the Summary of PA Fishing Laws and Regulations, distributed by the PFBC for details about regulations on Pennsylvania.

The regular season for the remaining counties is April 17.

 

I went to rubber soles two years ago with no problems at all. I bought the "Simms" Guide Boots with "Vibram" soles and installed the carbide tipped "Hardbite" studs. IMO they are great. Just as good as felt with studs.

 

Agreed, went Vibram sole with Hardbite studs. Simms wading boot quality is questionable and their service stinks when they need repaired in the first few months of ownership. I like the soles (when they stay on) and studs (though they are outrageously priced and should be included with the outrageously priced boot to begin with!).

 

I have 2 pair that I wear a lot. My "regular" pair is felt with cleats. My 2nd pair, which gets worn more on outings with significant hiking, are a rubber/felt combo. This pair does much better on land than the felt/cleat combo.

I'm not opposed to the new-fangled "sticky" rubbers, in fact I support it. They just haven't come in my price range yet. I've yet to spend over $50 on a pair of wading boots, and don't plan to anytime soon. All I've found in that price range is felt or hard rubber, and hard rubber is unacceptably slippery on wet rocks.

I don't think the "sticky" rubber soles will come into wide use and threaten to replace felt in the market until the price becomes reasonable.

 

I selected felt soled studs because I am still a little new to the studded rubber but I am liknimalot.

They are Greys Premiums form Hardy, $100. for studded rubber is pretty good in my book.

 

Studded felt provides the best traction from what I have experienced. Until I have that kind of confidence in rubber, environment be damned, I'll be wearing felt.

 

I choose rubber soled-cleated as well. Simms customer service is decent when it comes to the wader line..The boots carry a limited one year warranty, for defects, and are made in China. The riversheds are decent enough, but hardy worth $180.00, imo..

 

I still use my Orvis Brogues felt/studs. I like studs all the time.

 

I love the ability to replace worn studs.

 

I have 3 pairs of simms rubber with studs.
1.]A 6 year old pair of guides, IMHO the best that I have used. The studs have barely worn but the leather uppers are almost worn out. They have seen it all and have worn like iron. they are sized one size big for winter wear.(I wish they still made these even with the leather problems
2.]Rivershead about 2 years old, old style rubber bottom with suds. Nice to hike in warm months and light.
3.]Just picked up a pair of freestones for winter steelhead, they are sized a size bigger for socks.
I have fond rubber works very well on the Lake Erie Tribs and very good to good on other streams in NWPA. Have to watch out for slanted rocks( angles >45*) on streams like Oil or your going to swim. I find they work well but I am also not a small light guy so the studs due bite in.
Before these I had a pair of studded felt and they lasted about 2 years.

 

I have both types.

I like felt the best. It gives better traction, unquestionably. And I've never felt the need for studs with felt. (Rubber soles without studs aren't just inferior, they're practically worthless. At least the ones I've tried.)

But I do think that the environment comes first, and I don't want to be the one who spreads an invasives infestation to a new stream.

So I have more than one pair of felt soled boots/hip waders, and unless I'm fishing the same water, I wait at least a week before using the same pair twice. Unfortunately, I don't get to fish as much as many of you.

I'll switch to nothing but cleated rubber soles if I have to.

Ultimately, I think the answer is to have several pairs of boots, because even rubber soled boots can spread tiny diatoms like didymo. They just clean easier because the soles dry faster, that's all.

Given the amounts of money I spend on other fly fishing gear, I don't think it's excessive to spend money for a few extra pairs of boots.

I've read about some boots that have removable felt soles, which would be perhaps the best solution of all, if the manufacturer would sell the boots with a few extra soles included. Felt soles can be completely soaked in salt water (NOT chlorine bleach!), they dry faster, they can even be put in the freezer (if you're a hermit, or insane and don't care who knows it) to kill any traces of infestation.

Ultimately, controlling the spread of invasives comes down to everyone being very conscientious about cleaning all of their gear between streams and between uses. Rubber-soled boots aren't going to solve the problem all by themselves.

 

I picked up a pair of used Patagonia studdd felts a couple of years ago and knew there was no going back to boots without studs. I do think the metal grinding may alert fish to my presence, but the stumbling around without the studs probably does also! :-D

I received a pair of Orvis Riverguard Ultralight rubber studded for Christmas, so even though I checked "felted w/cleats" I can't be entirely sure of my poll selection until I give these pups a tryout.

John

 

I just got a pair of Simms with Vibram soles and added the carbide pellet studs. Top notch! Spent a whole day wading the LJ and never once slipped. The grip afforded by this combination far exceeded what I had come to expect based on my previous felt w/stud boots.

:-D :-D :-D

Kev

 

This info comes at a good time as I need a new pair of boots. :-o

 

Dear Board,

I have both studded felt and studded Aquastealth boots.

Studded felt offer the best traction for me hands down.

Regards,

Tim Murphy 🙂

 

http://www.tunyc.org/didymo.html

 

Merry Christmas Dave. Here's to a rippin' 2013!

 

Merry Christmas to our host, our moderators, our sponsors, and all the characters who make PaFlyFish a great place to hang out. Love the photo Dave, it really is a wonderful life!

God bless you, every one,

Greg

 

Thanks, and Merry Christmas to you Dave, and to all

 

ahh... the save the bank scene, love it. For as long as I can remember.