Wading Boots

[Susquehanna]

Ok folks here is the deal, I need a new pair of wading boots. The considerations I am applying to this endeavor are as follows:

Lightweight

Must excel at ankle support (these will be used on large rivers)

No studs or felt (only want a rubber bottom, I use a korkers over boot for my studs)

Must be lace up (hate the BOA system style, call me old fashioned)

MUST NOT BE SIMMS! I hate Simms and virtually every product I have ever owned from them has fallen apart in one season.

So far in my researching wading boots I have come up with these options as viable but have never used any of these. Any experience? Any suggestions?

Korkers:
Buckskin w/kling on sole
Greenback w/kling on sole
Redside 2 w/kling on sole

Orvis:
Andros Flats Hiker Fishing Boots
I consider these because they look like they have a ton of ankle support and look to be great wet wading boots. I dont use waders so I feel as though these might be a good option.

Encounter w/rubber sole
Clearwater w/rubber

 

[bigjohn58]

Wow not sure what to say after you had bad luck with Simms products holding up...

I will say this I am not a fan of the Simms G3 boots (the Gore-Tex waders cannot be beat however!). I have a pair and they hurt my ankle somewhat. I guess I got used to them. Also their alumabite cleats are junk. Kept tearing right out of the boots. At least they replaced the boots under warranty.

If I were you I'd go with Korkers. That's what I wish I would have tried. You can get rid of those over boot style studs and just get a couple pairs of their bottom replacements for whatever style you like.

 

[steveo27]

I have a pair of Orvis Access boots that I like. Lightweight and comfortable which is nice since I do a lot of hiking. The sole are Vibrams. Ive beat the **** outta them fro a year now and they are just starting to wear.

 

[ryansheehan]

Love korkers, interchangeable soles are great. Ive had 6 or 7 pairs but they have all been boa, never an issue by the way. Have you ever tried the boa, you could be a convert!

 

[Susquehanna]

6 or 7 pairs in how long?
Obviously if you fish 200 a days a year they are going to wear out fairly fast, but if you have had 6 or 7 pairs in 7 years only doing under 50 trips a year, that's not very good.
I am leaning towards Korkers but I am trying to get an idea on how well they are crafted.

 

[dryflyguy]

Last spring, I bought a pair of patagonia ultra light wading boots.
And after using them for a whole season now, am quite happy with how they performed. They are very light and comfortable - while still providing good support. No wear issues yet - and I expect them to easily last a few more seasons

 

[ryansheehan]

Susquehanna wrote:
6 or 7 pairs in how long?
Obviously if you fish 200 a days a year they are going to wear out fairly fast, but if you have had 6 or 7 pairs in 7 years only doing under 50 trips a year, that's not very good.
I am leaning towards Korkers but I am trying to get an idea on how well they are crafted.

It's more about where I fish, the savage and north branch absolutely destroy boots if you do alot of wading. I've had orvis, bean, simms boots and the korkers have been the best by far. If I only fished breeches, spring, gunpowder, etc I would get hundreds of trips out of them. On the savage and north branch 75 trips is pretty darn good for me.

 

[Susquehanna]

Thank You.
I was hoping to figure out one that might last longer. I mainly fish large river systems, mostly the Susquehanna, and that river is down right terrible on wading boots in certain sections. So I suppose 1 year or 2 might be average. I'm fairly certain that the lower end ($99) korkers are going to last just as long as the upper end korkers ($99+).
Guess I'm just going to have to roll with the punches. I appreciate the responses. Ill look into Patagonia too.

 

[Dave_W]

Susquehanna wrote:
I was hoping to figure out one that might last longer. I mainly fish large river systems, mostly the Susquehanna, and that river is down right terrible on wading boots in certain sections.

While I can't offer much specific wisdom on wading boots, I too am a Susky above Harrisburg wader and agree it is brutal on boots (far worse than any trout stream I'm familiar with).

Frankly, I like my separate, strap over Korkers cleats (never wade the Susky without cleats!) in part because I think they extend the life of my wading boots. Sure, they're clunky and a PITA to get into, but I would imagine that they will outlive the best designed integral cleated soles on any wading boots. I'd hold on to those cleats just in case.

Regarding your actual question, the grapevine seems to be that Korkers wading shoes with the interchangeable soles have improved a lot over the years. I'd likely go with those - just don't have personal experience with how long they last. I do have, and still use, an old pair of the early Korkers with removable soles. However, they sometimes throw their soles and this pair has been reeatedly repaired with large quantities of glue and screws.

 

[Susquehanna]

While I can't offer much specific wisdom on wading boots, I too am a Susky above Harrisburg wader and agree it is brutal on boots (far worse than any trout stream I'm familiar with). Frankly, I like my separate, strap over Korkers cleats (never wade the Susky without cleats!) in part because I think they extend the life of my wading boots. Sure, they're clunky and a PITA to get into, but I would imagine that they will outlive the best designed integral cleated soles on any wading boots. I'd hold on to those cleats just in case. Regarding your actual question, the grapevine seems to be that Korkers wading shoes with the interchangeable soles have improved a lot over the years. I'd likely go with those - just don't have personal experience with how long they last. I do have, and still use, an old pair of the early Korkers with removable soles. However, they sometimes throw their soles and this pair has been reeatedly repaired with large quantities of glue and screws.

I too love my strap over Korker cleats and feel they also extend the life of boots. I cant even imagine wading the Susquehanna without them, actually I can, but do not want to remember.:lol:

Korkers are likely what I am going with.

 

[salvelinusfontinalis]

+1 on the over cleats.
I would NEVER recommend not using them on the Susquehanna.

 

[ryansheehan]

I have a sole korkers make called studded rubber that I use for the north branch, which I'm convinced is the slickest river in the country. The durability is not great but there is nothing else that comes close when you need traction. The carbide tips will dig into anything under water. I save them for use in tough rivers or flows and they are a game changer. I wish they would last a little longer but not falling is worth the money.

 

[henrydavid]

I'm on my 2nd pair of Korkers with the inter-changing soles. I'm pretty sure my tendency to bush wack had something to do with the demise of the 1st pair, however I did read online from an employee of Dick's Sporting Goods that they had a pair for demonstration that was used to show how to change the soles and that pair came apart at the seams after repeatedly changing the soles.

I think if you are constantly changing soles while wearing them you are more likely to wear them out. I did this quite often and I believe it put too much stress on the stitchings from boot to sole.
With my new pair I carefully change soles before I put the boot on.

Sad part of it was both boots blew out during a weekend excursion and before I even realized it the bootys on my Simms were ruined.

I'm curious what sections of the Susky are so terrible for wading, I wade the North Branch albeit during the late summer and low levels but haven't found it to be bad at all. Nothing like the Lehigh above the gorge for instance.

 

[bigjohn58]

I used to wade the Susquehanna (West Branch) but no longer since I own a kayak. The kayak has been a game changer for me!

 

[krayfish2]

Henry David,

I'm guessing from Selinsgrove south to almost York is pretty similar in bottom and tough walking. The section from Liverpool to below Falmouth in Middletown is ankle breaking / leg breaking stuff. Fished it since early 80's and wading it results in sore groin, sore feet bloodied ankles and shins. I don't think I've ever taken someone wading there that hasn't fallen. By fallen, I mean a dozen spills or more.

Footing is similar to the Lehigh but the rocks are flatter and sharper. No bueno. Lol

 

[Susquehanna]

I own a kayak also but I do like to get out of it and fish/stretch my legs. I still prefer wade fishing to kayak fishing but it is just too hard to access may spots just by wading.

Krayfish touched on the reasons why wading certain sections of the Susquehanna is down right dangerous. There are more reasons but simply put, I have waded all over Pennsylvania and nothing even comes close to how leg breaking it can be. You can compare other large river systems but the rock ledge/boulder terrain on this river is just brutal.

I do like carbide studs but I do not like the Korkers sole with them. I'd much prefer the over shoe. Mine look like this:

I appreciate the input, I ended up ordering the Korkers Buckskin.
Ill let you guys know if they fall apart or last the season ;-)

 

[ryansheehan]

I use a stud pattern with the smaller studs like that most of the time, its called the vibrum studded. Those work pretty well most of the time, the studs on the studded rubber are much bigger and dig in better imo.

 

[ryansheehan]

henrydavid wrote:
I'm curious what sections of the Susky are so terrible for wading, I wade the North Branch albeit during the late summer and low levels but haven't found it to be bad at all. Nothing like the Lehigh above the gorge for instance.

Where on the north branch are you fishing? Slick, round rocks the size of a Volkswagen bug are a pain at any level. Never seen anyone wade that river gracefully.

 

[somersetian]

All I'm going to say is I go the high end used ebay route over the brand new lesser quality buy in store route every time. Like with any hobby theres tons of people out there that get into fly fishing for a season and then hang it up and sell all their top end gear.