So I finally have to break down and get some new boots. I was gonna go with felt again until the finally outlaw them here in Cali. I may try the rubber with studs. One of my buddies was telling me the simms alumabites worked pretty good. What are you guys using and what's the best option out there??
Thanks Cliff. I was checking those out but those price tag scared me away. Maybe I will give them a try. I am really not trusting Simms to hold up anymore after all the complaints. I was looking at some at the shop the other day and some had bad seams between the sole and boot on BRAND NEW boots. Looked like they were thrown together in 5 minutes.
I got into fly fishing a few years back when the "no felt" thing really started becoming a topic. So I've never owned any felt boots. I've got Simms boots with their 'hardbite" cleats. They work really well, but again, I've never worn felt so I can't compare the two.
I bought a pair of Korkers Chrome wading boots with the integrated (not change out) rubber soles for a great price off of Sierra Trading post ($68!). I love the fit and the Boa lacing system - really easy to get on/off. What I didn't like was the lack of grip from the rubber soles. I looked on-line and found cleats but they are SOOO expensive! I decided to try a cheaper route. I went to Home Depot and bought 100 pack of #8 1/2" slot/hex head sheet metal screws. I used my drill/driver and put 14 screws into each boot. I decided to copy the pattern from a Simms photo I found on-line. They really did the trick! Very grippy on the rocks found in PC. I now feel so much more confident in them. $5.60 for 100 vs $20 for 20 (and waiting for the mail to arrive).
Here is my 2 cents. When it comes to felt vs rubber soles it is a mute point. We are all obligated to wash our boots and waders after a day of fishing. If you are properly washing felt or rubber it really does not make a difference when it comes to invasive species.
I prefer a felt studded boot. In my opinion that is the best grip I have ever had on a stream, although I have not tried the bar boots. When it comes to durability I generally get about one year out of pair of boots which is around 150 days on the water between guiding and fishing. I have believe in the quality of simms boots because of products that "tested" in the past.
If you get a pair with the vibram bottom the aluminum star cleat is the best however it wears out faster then the other one.
Working at a fly shop I have seen simms boots returned only after a few uses because they blew out. However, I have also seen the same scenario happen with patagonia equally. There are always a few renegade pairs that end up in the hands of fisherman.
-- Edited by Berryessie on Friday 22nd of March 2013 07:52:37 PM
I've been using simms guide series felt with alumabite studs for several trips now on various rivers, and they are awesome. Bit stiff first two trips but they broke in nicely. I would highly recomend that you don't bother with sheet metal screws, I tried it, I easily wore those things down to nothing within a few days on the water.
I've been looking at a company called kold kutter for boot studs. They make studs for motorcycle ice racing. These may be a good economical alternative to expensive boot studs. I think there like 20 bucks for 250 studs.
I looked at those as well. i could only find the longer studs locally. Would have needed to buy online to get the shorter ones. My screws are holding up ok so far but I'm not on the river enough to say how durable they are. The grip is much better than bare rubber by far.
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