New boots for 2021

[kenny007]

New boots needed for 2021 after my Freestones are almost goosed. I have repaired the sole twice throughout the season and they seem to be holding out well enough and should manage another few months out of them come the new season. They have served me well and have no complaints as they are 4 seasons in.

Interested in the new G3's however I would have prefered the older model but can't seem to find an outlet that stock them.

Any recommendations, good points and bad.

Thanks, Kenny

 

[Lamson v10]

I'll be purchasing a new pair myself for the new season most probably the new G4's, if their half as good as the old G4 model I'll be more than happy

 

[kenny007]

I had a look at the G4's (vibram) but unsure the the inserts in the sole are for Simms studs only which are over priced IMO. There is no way on this earth will i ever have felt again, almost cost me my life !

 

[The flying Scotsman]

I had a look at the G4's (vibram) but unsure the the inserts in the sole are for Simms studs only which are over priced IMO. There is no way on this earth will i ever have felt again, almost cost me my life !

Surprising im exactly the opposite. Vibram are dangerous in the water.
Felt and studs everytime.
Also recommend the simms flyweights if you do a lot if walking in them. I got the start of season and they are great.
Also supatrax studs. Expensive but worth every penny

 

[Rrrr]

The headwaters boa seem like a well made boot so far. I prefer them to my old rivertek boas.


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[mc andy]

Surprising im exactly the opposite. Vibram are dangerous in the water.
Felt and studs everytime.
Also recommend the simms flyweights if you do a lot if walking in them. I got the start of season and they are great.
Also supatrax studs. Expensive but worth every penny

Yip fully agree, wading boots are for wading, slip in the water you'll drown, slip on the mud! You'll get muddy.

 

[Andrew B]

I had a look at the G4's (vibram) but unsure the the inserts in the sole are for Simms studs only which are over priced IMO. There is no way on this earth will i ever have felt again, almost cost me my life !

Felt whilst good in the river are not good on wet grass. I knew a guy who now lives in South Africa. He fished all around the world from Tierra Del Fuego to New Zealand and USA and he swore by those boots that you can change soles on

 

[Rrrr]

Amyone ever considerd wearing 1 vibram and one felt ? Best / worst of both worlds depending how you look at at.

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[porteouz]

I had a look at the G4's (vibram) but unsure the the inserts in the sole are for Simms studs only which are over priced IMO. There is no way on this earth will i ever have felt again, almost cost me my life !

If you haven't tried vibram I'd suggest you do before shelling out. I have both vibram and felt and the vibram are terrible. Soon as you hit rocks you are skating. Felt plus studs for me every time unless you mostly fish rivers with sandy / muddy bottoms

 

[happy days]

Vibram soles with supatracks studs 3000B, £24.30 for thirty, like limpets on slippy rocks, can't recommend them enough

 

[NEbody]

I think felt and Vibram are differently but equally lethal without studs and I’m another fan of Supatracks.

 

[happy days]

Felts are great on rocks but even with studs are like skis on mud.

 

[Lamson v10]

I've wore vibram and supatrack studs for years for my trout, grayling and salmon fishing and have yet to take a dip because of lack of grip, as happy days above say's their like limpets on rocks

 

[budge]

Amyone ever considerd wearing 1 vibram and one felt ? Best / worst of both worlds depending how you look at at.

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My kind of thinking, hop to the river on one leg then fish like a heron on the other
I've had 2 falls this year after slipping on felt soles, once on grass after a hard frost and once on a muddy slope (cost me a broken rod) I'm still tempted to try a pair of vibram soles next as they work fine on my walking boots and I managed for years without felt. I wonder what happened to the stuff they used to use on the old rubber waders ? It was like a spongey rubber with little studs moulded in.

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[Rrrr]

My kind of thinking, hop to the river on one leg then fish like a heron on the other
I've had 2 falls this year after slipping on felt soles, once on grass after a hard frost and once on a muddy slope (cost me a broken rod) I'm still tempted to try a pair of vibram soles next as they work fine on my walking boots and I managed for years without felt. I wonder what happened to the stuff they used to use on the old rubber waders ? It was like a spongey rubber with little studs moulded in.

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Thats why i moved to vibram soles. I do a ton of walking around the banks on the coquet and was slipping and sliding all over on some of the goat tracks down to the river in felt soles.
I moved back to the ocean pvc waders with the rubber studed soles near the end of the season as my breathables were all leaking and was suprised how well they grip too.


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[Robb76]

Always had Simms boots which other than general wear and tear I haven't any problems. That said I bought the latest G3 Vibram soles as I do a lot of walking and found they wore very quickly on the toe crease (again nothing major). Had some vouchers for John Norris and not really needing any gear I took a punt and bought a pair of Orvis Pro boots and these have been superb, very comfy and well made, they have the Michelin sole which you can add studs but I have never found it necessary. Worn these a lot all season and they still look relatively new.

 

[Mattytree]

Mix of both really for me depending on the fishing and conditions but mostly felt g3s.
Supatracks are definitely the best studs I’ve found by far Compared to any makes!
my only problem with studs is how much noise they make against stone, if you can hear them out the water screeching against rocks it’s a fair bet a fish miles in all directions is going too.

 

[nickolas]

Have had boa’s since they arrived(I’m getting on a bit so the body doesn’t bend as it once did) I’m on my fourth pair,but they do a lot fishing. Always bought with felt and inserted the small rock climbing studs ( stupa tracks) best for most situations except mud. The newest pair, I thought I would try vibram, used once , now plucking up the courage to strip the rubber off and replace with felt and studs. If you do a lot of muddy bank walking maybe the aluminium tracks or rubber/vibram or if you are bug conscious .

 

[Andrew B]

Thats why i moved to vibram soles. I do a ton of walking around the banks on the coquet and was slipping and sliding all over on some of the goat tracks down to the river in felt soles.
I moved back to the ocean pvc waders with the rubber studed soles near the end of the season as my breathables were all leaking and was suprised how well they grip too.


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Conspiracy theory number 33 finding a pair of breathable waders that don’t leak after one outing.

 

[MCXFisher]

Fishing the Ure involves plenty of walking, including some steep slopes, so felt is out of the question, even though it would be a good choice for the wading conditions.
My current boots are the Vision Musta with the Michelin soles, into which I've screwed 14 tungsten studs per boot in the pre-formed points. They provide excellent underwater grip and are extremely comfortable over long distances: probably the best boots I've ever had, although it's too soon to know their durability. The add-in tungstens work better than Vision's previous generation embedded point studs.

 

[Rennie]

I have two pairs of Simms boots, both Headwater models.One the std. Headwater boot with Vibram sole in which I have both Simms studs and cleats.These are my general purpose all wading considerations boot.Just entered their 3rd year now and I like them a lot.The second pair again Headwaters, but these are the Boa felt's.I studded the heel and the toe of each boot with the Kold Kutter studs and the grip was amazing!, but the studs wore flat in a weeks fishing on the Tay!.The boots will be re- studded in all honesty with SupaTrack Ice studs.
The Boa boots whilst still relatively new bode well for durability and longevity.
With what I paid for each pair of boot's I'm about on par with a pair of G4's, but I can tailor the boots to my wading need's, well at least I have that choice even if I pick the wrong pair!.
Felts seem to be so much quieter and make complete sense for Sea Trout at night! as indeed they do for Salar in low water!
Both boots are sturdy and give the foot and ankle protection that I require and both will keep me upright.They're both neoprene lined too which gives comfort and added warm in colder waters.
I always think that cost alone is the wrong criteria for choosing wading boots!.
Happy wading, Pedro.

 

[kenny007]

If you haven't tried vibram I'd suggest you do before shelling out. I have both vibram and felt and the vibram are terrible. Soon as you hit rocks you are skating. Felt plus studs for me every time unless you mostly fish rivers with sandy / muddy bottoms

Im on my 2nd pair of vibram soled boots and will never go for felt again and there are 2 reasons. 1. I stepped onto a very large rock that was covered in moss and the first thing to hit the ground was the back of my head. I had to lie in the water incapacitated for about 30 minuets till i came too enough to get up. 2. I've had various felt soled boots and everytime the sole has came off through time. Vibram for me !

 

[happy days]

My first pair of boots were felt, too dangerous IMO, I don’t think the needle points of supertraks studs are going to scare any fish when wading carefully

 

[kenny007]

I've wore vibram and supatrack studs for years for my trout, grayling and salmon fishing and have yet to take a dip because of lack of grip, as happy days above say's their like limpets on rocks

My current Freestone Vibram boots have a mixture of Simms cleats and studs on each sole and i have never had an issue of slipping either in the water or walking on wet grassy bankings etc. Mud is mud regardless whats on your feet, you will still slip and slide all over the place.

 

[Andrew B]

Im on my 2nd pair of vibram soled boots and will never go for felt again and there are 2 reasons. 1. I stepped onto a very large rock that was covered in moss and the first thing to hit the ground was the back of my head. I had to lie in the water incapacitated for about 30 minuets till i came too enough to get up. 2. I've had various felt soled boots and everytime the sole has came off through time. Vibram for me !

Wasn’t sure wether to like this message or not lol. That must of been terrifying as you can drown in just inches of water.