Simms To Reintroduce Felt Soles In 2012

[strangercreek]

Good point about educating anglers rather than portraying a free pass if you are wearing vibram (you still have to be responsible regardless). I also read that the felt sole ban in Montana fell through although I don't have good info on this.

http://www.anglingtrade.com/2011/06/30/simms-plans-about-face-on-felt/

[ness]

Ooops.

[Flysmallie]

And the mighty dollar wins the battle.

Just glad I bought my Simms felts when they were on the way out.

[troutfiend1985]

Hey, I was calling foul when we had that big argument about the felt sole ban a couple months ago, and my point was that this was another way to get more money for company's like Simms. Simms seems to have a little pie in the eye right now, pulling the line to protect the rivers, but then re-introducing the same line. I ended up researching the vibram, and didn't like them, and with my infrequent fishing (once a month if lucky) I figured I would wait until MO passes a ban on them. Seems like this is a bit of pinch to those trumpeting the felt bans, not that a felt ban would be the end of the world.

[jdmidwest]

Just to try something out, I took my Drake Lightweight Boot Foot waders last time to Montauk. I turned an ankle once and slipped and slid all over the place. They do good in muddy fields but are not worth a crap on rocks. I still have 3 pairs of felt sole boots. No more than I fish trout streams, they are completely dried and cleaned between streams.

[Outside Bend]

(you still have to be responsible regardless)

Precisely- no matter how well you think you've cleaned your felt soles, they're still capable of transmitting didymo and other organisms that could put our fisheries in danger. It's like saying there's a responsible way of playing Russian roulette.

[Trout Commander]

I wouldn't knock the vibrams until you try them. I ended up with a pair due to a price I couldn't say no to and they are awesome. They even grip the slickest riffles on the NFOW as well as felt does.

[exiledguide]

I wouldn't knock the vibrams until you try them. I ended up with a pair due to a price I couldn't say no to and they are awesome. They even grip the slickest riffles on the NFOW as well as felt does.

Let me get this straight, you are saying that they work as well as felt? You are full of hot air.

[Outside Bend]

Let me get this straight, you are saying that they work as well as felt? You are full of hot air.

In my experience the issues with rubber soles have been way overblown. I've used rubber soles about 70 days this summer without falling, and last year spent about 120 wading streams in Missouri, Arkansas, Idaho, Wyoming, and Montana in rubber soles, with no falls, no broken or lost gear to show for it. They haven't kept me from catching some very nice fish, either. While it's a good idea to wade more carefully in rubber soles, it's not like they're preventing you from getting to the fishiest spots on a river. And if you're worried about it- buy a wading staff. They're way easier to keep clean than felt soles.

[Trout Commander]

Let me get this straight, you are saying that they work as well as felt? You are full of hot air.

And what experiences, with what boots are you basing this statement on, sir?