wading boot advice

[outsider]

If balance is truly the issue, I have 2 suggestions:

1) use a wading staff. For several years I used a Swissgear hiking staff that I bought at K-Mart for $14. It never failed me. Once I locked it into position, it never moved.

2) buy boots that have good ankle support. I prefer studded boots so I don't slip on mud banks.

This system has worked well for me, and I have many physical issues, like 5 vertebrae fused and bolted together, low body mass, and not much strength in my legs. Hope this helps you.

 

[afishinado]

Chaz wrote:

fisherboy3 wrote:
I have vibram soles on my wading boots. I put a 10 pack of simms hardbite studs and i have no slipping problems. IMO felt shouldnt really be used if you travel a lot. A few streams do have didymo, and even some have IPN, which are both caused mainly because of anglers traveling to "dirty" waters then fishing their home waters.
Good studs in rubber and a wading staff should be fine.

Current thought has debunked the angler moving didymo around as well as other invasive pests. Most are moved by unclean boats and other means.

When talking to everyone with the above opinion, when I look down, they are all wearing felt soled wading boots.

???How do you explain New Zealand Mud snails in Spring Creek???

 

[sandfly]

ducks and geese move eggs of fish, frogs, all sorts of things. how do minnows get into a new pond or sunfish, or bass, eggs are sticky so are snail eggs. they migrate and spread all kings of stuff including didymo. have watched ducks swimming in the west branch and then they fly off west toward the Susquehanna watershed which isn't far from the deposit area. any pond or lake that is connected to a stream and has water fowl can pass these on to the stream.

 

[greenghost]

...

 

[krayfish2]

To answer Tom's question, a careless fisherman waded from the Tongiriro to Spring Creek. You think they might have fallen off but nope.

 

[fisherboy3]

Afish,

Honestly no one will ever know. Someone who fished NZ, that lives in PA then fished spring creek? Just saying that felt has been known to move invasive species from one body of water to another. Why has felt been banned in a few states already? Because its proven to absorb said species above....and if people dont take care of their boots after fishing said waters, (which in all reality most probably dont), then there it goes. But it is also true that birds do move the species as well. I was hinting towards dont get felt if you fish many streams and travel alot.- Kev

 

[SBecker]

I don't care what anybody says.... rubber sucks. I wade enough dangerous waters that I am going to wear felt with studs. I fish all over and carry an extra set of boots if I decide to do the Spring Penns trip. I spray my boots with a bleach mixture and let them dry in the sun.

You know vibram boots have shoe laces and fabric that can carry crap too?

 

[gfen]

afishinado wrote:
???How do you explain New Zealand Mud snails in Spring Creek???

Magnets!

 

[geebee]

there was a study that came out a few weeks ago that showed that most rivers have didymo - this was after they found didymo fossils in the Delaware.

it seems didymo sprouts whenever the level of nitrogen falls in a stream, the spreading is the plant trying to gather more nitrogen.

they think in all places where didymo is found except NZ that its a natural occurrence. as there was no previous evidence there they are pretty certain that WAS spread by anglers.

http://www.fondriest.com/news/didymo-study-disputes-assumptions-spread-control-rock-snot-algae.htm

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11252451

it doesn't mean that you shouldn't clean your boots though. felt imho is probably fine to use after all.

cheers

Mark

 

[dryflyguy]

I currently have 3 pair of wading boots - 1 pair has studded aqua soles, and 2 have plain felts.
The aqua soles are OK on smaller, easier wading streams like spring creek. But on a large, rocky stream - like the yough or lehigh rivers - they're practically useless IMO.

The way I see it, even after fishing an infected stream with rubber soled boots - I still wouldn't want to chance fishing somewhere else with them without cleaning them thoroughly too. As others have mentioned - invasives could still hitchhike in the fabric, or laces.

I even switch to my backup waders when moving from an infected stream to another - I'm sure invasives can travel up under the gravel guards

 

[robkonowitch]

So are you saying that felt is better as long as you clean them?

 

[dryflyguy]

robkonowitch wrote:
So are you saying that felt is better as long as you clean them?

For traction, yes.
I also find them more comfortable on my feet. I get heel pain from a condition called plantar fasciatis. And nothing beats plain felt soles for easing that while wading big rocky streams all day.

To clean them - I soak them in bleach water for an hour. Then rinse thoroughly and allow them to dry out in the sun

 

[SBecker]

Yes, and if anybody says differently they are lying. Smaller streams with low gradient, lower flow, spring creeks Vibrams will be fine. You switch over to boulders, high flow, high gradient streams you will quickly see that plain Vibrams blow. They are ooook with studs in them.

 

[JohnPowers]

Speaking of Invasives...everyone remember when you could walk the entire pool at the first game lands on the WB on the bank? That knotweed is hateful stuff.