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Comfortable Wading shoes?

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JohnP

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I came into some Chota wading boots at a super deep discount and bought 2 pairs (1 went to my son). I like those alot for FW (felt soles).

 

The absolute best I ever had were Danner River Grippers, but they unfortunately went out of production. They lasted me more than 10 yrs of heavy use. Alot of people miss them.

 

Did you go Upstate and how was it if you did?

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1 hour ago, JohnP said:

Is there anything you like?

 

i’ve got these SIMMs Boots

 

basically Frankenstein boots

 

two days of wearing them in trout streams and my feet are killing me.

 

maybe I’ll just buy some converse high tops 

There's no right answer. What works for me isn't necessarily going to work for you. This is what I wear. Light water shoes for sand flats, boots for jetty rocks. I also have another pair that I keep up in Quebec that I wear with waders. My issue is durability. If I get a full year of fishing out of them I count myself lucky. The bottom pic is a pair of simms flats boots after 18 months of wear.

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"Talent does what it can, genius does what it has to"
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4 hours ago, patchyfog said:

I came into some Chota wading boots at a super deep discount and bought 2 pairs (1 went to my son). I like those alot for FW (felt soles).

 

The absolute best I ever had were Danner River Grippers, but they unfortunately went out of production. They lasted me more than 10 yrs of heavy use. Alot of people miss them.

 

Did you go Upstate and how was it if you did?

 

First time trout fishing in almost 30 years

 

i actually caught fish. Wonders never cease 

 

but man my feet hurt

 

i like to walk to sections that don’t get hit so hard, but that’s hard to do if the walk is dreadful.

 

maybe these

 

 

 

 

8072811F-BB41-4799-A53F-595F113B1146.jpeg

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I guess we have to assume you're talking wading boots over stocking foot waders. I have been using Simms  Freestone boots for a number of years with my stocking  foot waders and have never had an issue and I use the same boots for Trout or salt. 

The Tug Is The Drug

P1060161avrs.JPG.4cfec72f29b8d59afe85d0e7a9d85266.JPG

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30 mins ago, bonefishdick said:

I guess we have to assume you're talking wading boots over stocking foot waders. I have been using Simms  Freestone boots for a number of years with my stocking  foot waders and have never had an issue and I use the same boots for Trout or salt. 

I need to get a pair with lug soles. Felt stinks for some purposes. I will buy cheap ones for that. Not cheap ones for slippery situations though. Support gets important too.

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I don't do felt, I guess most of the boots today have the Vibram sole. If I am going to do a lot of river wading I just take a use my variable speed drill with a nut driver and screw in about 10 Ice Kutter screws in each boot. They have a very sharp edge and work great for few weeks. They are made for dirt bikes that race on ice in the winter.

The Tug Is The Drug

P1060161avrs.JPG.4cfec72f29b8d59afe85d0e7a9d85266.JPG

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2 hours ago, JohnP said:

 

First time trout fishing in almost 30 years

 

i actually caught fish. Wonders never cease 

 

but man my feet hurt

 

i like to walk to sections that don’t get hit so hard, but that’s hard to do if the walk is dreadful.

 

maybe these

 

 

 

 

8072811F-BB41-4799-A53F-595F113B1146.jpeg

friend of mine had those,said they were very comfortable but no traction on stream algae covered rocks....maybe add some aluminum star cleats?

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25 mins ago, slip n slide said:

Just a thought....a loosely laced boot will wear you out walking and wading.Snugly laced works best for me,esp if there's a lot of walking.

 

‘They were laced tight 

 

I felt like Herman Munster 

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Have you considered changing the insole?  

Also, with Simms boots if you put the wrong studs (i.e., the ones meant for felt) into Vibram soles you get pressure points.

Finally, with Simms you normally need boots 1 size larger than your normal street shoe size. 

Then again, none of the above changes how heavy the damn things are.

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I’d suggest taking your waders and socks with you if you decide to visit a shop to try on some boots.

If weight is a concern, Simms posts the pair weight on their website. I believe that is based on a pair of size 10’s, at least it used to be.

I wear Simms but have friends that swear by their Korkers. I tried them when they first hit the market. Great customer service but after two pairs failed quickly, I gave up on them.

Maybe their quality has improved since then.

SF

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4 hours ago, JohnP said:

 

‘They were laced tight 

 

I felt like Herman Munster 

I feel ya,klunk aint no good.

I have a pair I like made by Adams,roomy toe box but not frankenheavy and comes w/ studs.Taller than most boots so helps keep gravel and sand out too.

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