Felt Sole Ban

[rhondafish]

Does Felt Sole Ban in Missouri apply to ALL Waters or just Trout areas?

Also, most guys (And particularly GALS) are telling me they hate the rubber soles; Can't stand up on them. Have heard this from more than a few guides and fly shop owners. Anyone else having issues with rubber soles, or are these isolated issues?

Thanks,

[eric1978]

Only trout waters, apparently. Yes, rubber sucks. That's life I guess.

[Wayne SW/MO]

I've had a couple of different sets of wading shoes and I can tell you they are not all equal. I suspect that the high dollar boots will work alright and the cheap ones won't.

[Outside Bend]

Does Felt Sole Ban in Missouri apply to ALL Waters or just Trout areas?

Also, most guys (And particularly GALS) are telling me they hate the rubber soles; Can't stand up on them. Have heard this from more than a few guides and fly shop owners. Anyone else having issues with rubber soles, or are these isolated issues?

Thanks,

As Eric said, the ban only applies to trout streams.

As far as rubber soles- you can stand in them, walk in them, wade in them...even fish in them! Just like your other gear- rod, reel, line, digital camera- there's a learning curve. But in two years of wearing rubber soles on lakes and streams in Missouri, Arkansas, Wisconsin, Montana, Colorado, Idaho, and Wyoming- I've only dunked once.

And that was due more to a lack of sobriety on my part than failure on the boot's part

For what it's worth- a wading staff can help quite a bit as well.

[Wayne SW/MO]

I agree and the biggest problem is making a felt to rubber comparison. Korker,for one, has boots with interchangeable soles. Cleats for wading and rubber for hiking should outperform felt.

[eric1978]

As Eric said, the ban only applies to trout streams.

As far as rubber soles- you can stand in them, walk in them, wade in them...even fish in them! Just like your other gear- rod, reel, line, digital camera- there's a learning curve. But in two years of wearing rubber soles on lakes and streams in Missouri, Arkansas, Wisconsin, Montana, Colorado, Idaho, and Wyoming- I've only dunked once.

And that was due more to a lack of sobriety on my part than failure on the boot's part

For what it's worth- a wading staff can help quite a bit as well.

I guess I'm okay with the ban because I trust scientists more than disgruntled anglers when it comes to matters of science...but c'mon man, let's not pretend it ain't an inconvenience. Rubber flat SUCKS. I'll buy the best boots I can find, but they still won't give you near the traction of felt, studs or no. I had some studded rubber boots a long time ago and I hated them. Slick rock or greased cannonballs and a little current? Fuggetaboudit. And a wading staff is a PITA...just another thing to fumble with and for your line to get hung up on.

[FishinCricket]

I guess I'm okay with the ban because I trust scientists more than disgruntled anglers when it comes to matters of science...but c'mon man, let's not pretend it ain't an inconvenience. Rubber flat SUCKS. I'll buy the best boots I can find, but they still won't give you near the traction of felt, studs or no. I had some studded rubber boots a long time ago and I hated them. Slick rock or greased cannonballs and a little current? Fuggetaboudit. And a wading staff is a PITA...just another thing to fumble with and for your line to get hung up on.

Awe, poor lil fella...

I'm lucky with respect to the fact that I've never been able to justify the expense of the upgrade from rubber to felt...

[Trout Commander]

I guess I'm okay with the ban because I trust scientists more than disgruntled anglers when it comes to matters of science...but c'mon man, let's not pretend it ain't an inconvenience. Rubber flat SUCKS. I'll buy the best boots I can find, but they still won't give you near the traction of felt, studs or no. I had some studded rubber boots a long time ago and I hated them. Slick rock or greased cannonballs and a little current? Fuggetaboudit. And a wading staff is a PITA...just another thing to fumble with and for your line to get hung up on.

Have you worn a pair with rubber made from the technology of the current decade yet, Eric?

Take our last trip on the 11pt for example: I guarantee I waded into more stoopid spots than you did (am I really bragging about this?!) and the only time I ended up in the drink was because of that darn kayak, not felt soles.

Don't say I didn't warn you about them being worthless on flat mud surfaces though.

[XP 590]

I used my new Simms Freestone's for the first time last weekend. Up until now, I've been wearing bootfoot felt soled waders, so wearing seperate boots and waders is new to me.

The nice thing is that now I actually have a good solid boot and ankle support which makes the whole experience better. When it comes to grip, the vibram sole was ok in Taneycomo which is mostly a loose gravely bottom. Since I wanted to see how they do on really slick surfaces, I stopped by the Niangua River on the way home and hit the access area below Bennett which has lots of big slick, flat rocky areas. The grip was somewhat disappointing there, I'm sure it will take some getting used to. I bought a good set of cleats to put in the Simm's soles that will surely make a difference but I wanted to try the boots as is first. I'm definitely going to try it with the cleats next time I hit that area of the Niangua.

[Outside Bend]

I guess I'm okay with the ban because I trust scientists more than disgruntled anglers when it comes to matters of science...but c'mon man, let's not pretend it ain't an inconvenience. Rubber flat SUCKS. I'll buy the best boots I can find, but they still won't give you near the traction of felt, studs or no. I had some studded rubber boots a long time ago and I hated them. Slick rock or greased cannonballs and a little current? Fuggetaboudit. And a wading staff is a PITA...just another thing to fumble with and for your line to get hung up on.

I dunno, perhaps I've just been lucky. I spend a fair amount of time on the water, and figure between work and play there's been about 150 stream days on my rubber boots over the past two years. Aside from the one less-than-sober spill in Wyoming, I haven't really had any issues. I wade more carefully now than I did with felts for sure- but I'm not sure that's an inconvenience. There have been situations/lies I've approached differently than I would have wearing felt soles, and there have probably been a few situations where I've had to add another foot or two to my cast because I didn't feel comfortable taking that next step- but I've had those situations in felts, too.

But I haven't been catching fewer fish because of rubber soles, nor have I been unable to access the fishiest portions of streams. It may take a little longer, it may take a bit more thought, but you can still get out there and fish without going under. Again, it's just my personal experience, but I really haven't had a problem adapting to rubber soles. There are pros and cons of every piece of equipment in an angler's quiver- from fly rod to reel, line, boat hull type, jet vs. outboard, vest vs. chest pack, breathable vs. neoprene- take your pick. There's benefits and pitfalls to rubber soles too, and just like rods, there's probably some variability in quality and usefulness between manufacturers.

And while I don't wish a fall on anyone, to me the big travesty isn't someone rolling an ankle or losing a flybox. It's trashing one of the most unique, biodiverse places on the planet. It's explaining to our children and grandchildren that they get to attempt to paddle, fish, and swim in six to ten inches of rock snot because Paw believed his freedom to choose appropriate footwear outweighed the costs to our recreational fisheries and waterways.