Sticky rubber soles
Sticky rubber soles on wading boots are on the rise in popularity. The benefits include good traction on most surfaces, minimal water weight gain, lower potential for spreading stream born disease and optional "screw in" capability. I've been wearing sticky rubber boots for a few years now and can attest to the merits, especially in the salt or where snow is involved. Felt gets caked with snow in seconds and rubber doesn't. Here's a shot of a stud "screw in" pattern that I've used for slippery situations. The studs shown are 6 X 3/8" sheet metal screws. It's critical that you determine what length screw works best on your particular boot, otherwise the screw point may penetrate the insole. It's amazing how good the grip is and how few studs are really required with this method. When you're done with the studs, unscrew them and you can barely tell they were there. What are your experiences with sticky rubber soles?
16 comments:
Here in the Pacific NW where stream bottoms are typically moss and algae covered boulders, nothing works better than studded felt. -NS in OR.
I have two pairs of studded Aquastealth boots. Simms, LL Bean. I love 'em. Guides with fiberglass driftboats hate 'em.
Rubber soles are better for hiking and busting brush to get to a secret spot on the Sky or the Hoh or the Grande Rhonde. Felt is slippery in mud. You will slip and fall on that river bank trail.
I can see the advantage of removeable studs. BTW, look for aluminum screws -- the softer metal will grip better.
kIf I had only one wading shoe bottom to use it would be the sticky rubber in the star tread. Nothing is better for Great Lakes steelhead fishing, whether you are doing hike-n-wade or in a boat.
I have put many miles on mine and they are still hanging tough. I have used the aluminum sheet metal screws on really nasty bottoms and it works great. 5 on each shoe and you are good to go.
The many advantages of this sole allow it to outperform felt in most any situation.
Un-studded rubber soles are a nightmare on the mossy freestone rivers of Northern California (Upper Sacramento, McCloud, Pit, etc).
Bring your insurance card.
Nothing grips better than studded felt on round, moss-covered rocks. I'm test flying studded rubber (I'm guessing they get 80% of the grip that studded felt does) because how much hiking I do along railroad tracks; the sharp rocks demolish felt soles quickly.
I'll probably keep using studded rubber, but not because they grip better. In my rivers, they don't...
Adding studs to my felt sole wading boots was a drastic improvement to my ability to stay securely attached to the riverbed.
Who knows how many times they saved me from a major wipe out on the river or even clamoring up a ridge. I wouldn't go without them.
My question is do you think the steel studs scraping the rocks up and down our rivers will eventually make an obvious scar on the landscape?
Are we actually doing harm to our favorite places by wearing these types of boots?
I don't know about you all, but I notice the scrapes on some freestone rivers out here in the west when I'm fishing and my conscious kicks in a bit telling me I should think of something else to use.
There has to be a better solution.
Thanks to you all for the replies. There are obviously pros and cons with any sole choice. It's just good that there are choices. The one comment that has me thinking deeper is that of studs doing harm. I've heard fisherman describe seeing stud scaring on popular sections of streams and rivers. I don't know if this harm is just visual or if it effects the biology. A gut check tells me that it's probably both at some level. Look for further posts on this subtopic. Keep the conversations going.
Scraping rocks doesn't seem to be a big problem on the rivers that I fish. Hell, spawning beds are like large scarification areas anyway.
But I'll bet that studs make more noise underwater. I wonder if I would catch more fish without them. Hmmm?
Rubber soles were developed to deal with whirling disease out west. Because felt holds water (and pathogens) the theory was that a pair of boots could cross-contaminate other river systems.
I had a guide in Norway say that studs can be heard by atlantic salmon from very far away. He also felt that once an angler stepped in the water that the fish could smell the anglers presence too. His saying was "feet on the rocks, line in the water".
Your question is a good one Bert. Do studs scare the fish and would we catch more without them?
OK, one last comment about rubber soled wading boots, we now have whirling disease in Maryland.
It's not always about product performance in a traditional sense.
Invasive species are becoming more troubling everyday. We all need to help....and make sacrifices based on what we learn.
Infectious diseases are becoming a real issue in Atlantic Canada and Norway in particular. I spent a month bumming around the salmon rivers of Norway two years ago. Mandatory disinfection of all fishing tackle and wading gear is required when you move from one river to the next. The angler receives a certificate upon completion of disinfection, and a heavy fine is levied if the angler fishes without said certificate.
For 2007, I hear that the rivers of the Gaspe' Peninsula in Quebec will require disinfection to guard against the spread of Didymo Geminata, which is now a reality on many of their rivers. The local ZECs (river management organizations) discourage the use of felt soles.
I just purchased a pair of the Patagonia Rivermaster Wading Shoes with Sticky Rubber soles. Most diseases like Gyro Salaris and Didymo Geminata are particularly susceptible to transmission via felt soles.
I'm not sure how to rationalize the use of studded soles--especially the hard-core Korker type--as they conflict with a "Leave No Trace" ethic.
The use of studded soles is certainly better than breaking one's neck or drowning. Nonetheless, I don't want to leave a trail of fresh stud marks when I fish, nor do I wish to end up in the drink. The ideal sole will depend on the rivers you fish. So far, the perfect solution eludes us.
I'm working on it.
Cheers, topher browne
Love my Rivermasters with Sticky Rubber...they do better than anything in slippery rivers like the Roaring Fork near Aspen before runoff (maximum algae coverage)...
Thanks for joining the conversation Sinjin. I'd be interested in seeing some pix of your stickies in action on the Roaring Fork.
I started using sticky rubber boots about six months ago. It basically comes down to good stewardship of our rivers. If using rubber soles instead of felt is going to significantly decrease the chance of cross-contaminating rivers with didymo, then I'll take a few falls in exchange and call it a more than fair trade.
I've often said to my fishing companions that the sticky rubber soles are going to be the death of me. On rivers with large, smooth rocks, they just don't hold. It must be something about the geology of the Appalachians, but the smooth rocks that are larger than my foot make a roller skating experience on the river. Studs offer no advantages in this area, and are even more dangerous on these rocks.
It's my understanding that felt soles are one of the most difficult areas to decontaminate in a wading boot. If, as a whole, the fly fishing community is going to take the didymo issue seriously, we're going to need to eliminate felt, or make the process of decontaminating felt quick and painless. I think you'll find that most fishermen are unwilling to ditch felt for safety reasons, so how do you create something that can compete with felt's gripping power in rivers, while eliminating felt's contamination potential?
My suggestion - use sticky rubber/aquastealth boots with replaceable felt studs. Just like the golf industry views soft spikes as a replaceable item, we might have to pick the lesser of two evils. Going into a river with a didymo problem? Pull off your felt studs after you're done, and either dispose of them properly, or find an effective, quick way of sterilizing them, without having to deal with spores hiding deep in the layers of traditional felt soles. A thin felt stud with a perforated base will dry out a lot more quickly than thick felt soles, and should also be more easy for sterilizers to penetrate.
If a felt stud is an avenue worth investigating, we'll have to weigh the economic and environmental costs of either contaminating rivers, or making and using a felt stud with a disposable design. Which has the greater environmental cost? I'd be inclined to go with contamination being the greater evil. Will felt studs eliminate the problem? No, we'll still have to make sure the rest of the boot is dried/decontaminated.
Hopefully this will be some food for thought and spark an idea that might be more realistic.
EP,
Do you have any idea how the screws grip in comparison to a pair of carbide Korkers? I can't imagine the grip is as good, but I'm wondering if you (or anyone) have any firsthand experience.
Also, how do you deal with getting the screws out after a session or two on the ledges? I tried swapping out the Korkers friction fit studs for some stainless screws with nylon locknuts last season and I rounded off the screws to the point that they needed to be cut off after a couple of outings.
I can't comment on the comparrison Matt. I've used regular 3/8" #6 machine screws and they've provided excellent grip. I haven't tried them on every surface so my guess is that there are still limitations....just like carbide points. Note that others have suggested softer metal screws which may provided better bite than harder metals but softer metal will wear and deflect faster.
I've had no issues removing the screws after a weeks use but I'm sure removal can get tricky after a few months of continuous wear...and potentially impossible after a season.
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