Felt Sole Wading Boots

[fishinwrench]

I have another idea, how about putting condoms on your boots, the magnum size for some of us of course, and studded (that goes without saying).

"Studded condoms"...... now there's a stellar redneck idea!

"No, we don't have to buy you new boots, Honey ....just put THESE on your feet".

[laker67]

Does anyone know if the new 2012 reg changes are out on the street yet? And if so, does it go into detail about the ban? It is getting late into the game, I would think they need to get something officially in black and white for the public to read.

[Chief Grey Bear]

They won't be out until March 1, 2012.

[hfdhoosier]

I think it will be fun to watch MDC tell the angry mob at the trout parks on opening day that they can not fish with their felt soles. They ought to sell tickets to watch that.

[laker67]

They won't be out until March 1, 2012.

Do you suppose we will not get the official where and where not till then?

[Wayne SW/MO]

Information available list every creek/river that has trout in it. If you fish for trout you can't have any felt or woven material on the bottoms of your footwear.

[fishinwrench]

Looks to me like the Powers That Be are doing more harm in the name of "didymo" than the algae itself will ever do. What a shame.

MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP) — The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is disposing of 434,000 lake trout from a Bethel fish hatchery because of fears that stocking them in the Great Lakes could spread the invasive algae known as "rock snot."

Officials tried to find alternative locations where the 4-inch fingerlings could be stocked into waters already contaminated with the algae, known more formally as didymo, including lakes in Vermont and New Hampshire, but none could be found. "No lakes or freeflowing streams are currently effected", said Fish and Wildlife spokeswoman Terri Edwards.

"Everyone at the hatchery is upset. This is not the choice that we wanted to make," she said. "We did not want to take the risk of introducing didymo into any environment."

The decision to destroy the fish was made by the Fish and Wildlife Service's Northeast regional director, Wendi Weber, who determined they could not be safely stocked in lakes Erie and Ontario —where they were supposed to be released — without posing a risk that didymo could be transported to those bodies of water.

Federal official asked counterparts in states across the Northeast and around the Great Lakes for a lake that had already been contaminated with didymo where the fish could be released.

"In the end, we were not able to place them," Edwards said.

The fish are being taken out of their tanks and dumped into deep pits where they are covered with lime and buried. They pose no public health threat, Edwards said.

I suppose that future statistics will claim this as " Death due to didymo".

[Chief Grey Bear]

Do you suppose we will not get the official where and where not till then?

Yeppers. That is when it is published in the Wildlife Code book and becomes official. I would venture to guess you could speak with your local agent and he may be able to expand on it.

[ozark trout fisher]

I think it will be fun to watch MDC tell the angry mob at the trout parks on opening day that they can not fish with their felt soles. They ought to sell tickets to watch that.

Could be wrong, but I'd be very surprised if the MDC tried to enforce the felt ban on March 1st, that being the first day the rule becomes official and the first day the official 2012 regulations will be out. It would be a nightmare and very bad publicity, probably 50+% would be in violation. One thing that will complicate enforcement somewhat is the rubber cement option, which could cause some gray area potentially in figuring out who's legal and who isn't.

But I'm still glad that the MDC provides the option to do that and not have to buy new boots. It isn't ideal, but, it's the way I'm going for sure. I do hope folks that go that route actually choose to do it correctly though, if not the rule won't do much good.

[strangercreek]

I know the sides of my boots touch gravel EVERY TIME I WADE....therefore banning the felt soles wont stop the synthetics, mesh sides, and other man made materials from harboring invasives. How can the rest of the boot not be a threat when it is only millimeters away from the sole? The stream bottoms are not usually a perfectly hard surface, which means you sink down just a bit when taking steps.