If you want fly-fishing wading boots, we’ll tell you all about it.
Like many other specialist pieces of sporting kit, there are a number of aspects to fly fishing wading boots to consider before you buy. For a start, wading boots generally need to be a size up, maybe a size and a half up, from your normal hiking boot size to enable the wearing of wading socks.
So, the big question about wading boots: Do they actually keep your feet dry?
It’s not as silly a question as you may think, because the answer is: No! In fact, wading boot are designed to enable water free flow through, it’s the wading sock that keeps you dry. The reason is simple… you need stable wading without the extra weight of water putting you off balance.
Can you wear wading boots without waders?
Well you can, you can do what you want, but be warned that Neoprene wading socks or booties will not drain well and your socks will take on more water. So if you’re planning any hiking between super secret fishing spots, be warned!
Why are felt soled boots illegal?
Fly fishing wading boots have been illegal since 2009 in a number of states. The restricted use of felt-soled waders and wading boots is largely to combat the spread of invasive species which such boots help transmit. These regulations are governed through legislative and administrative channels.
Can you use hiking boots for wading?
The general consensus is that, as far as wading boot innovation has come over time, they are not ideal hiking boots. They are built especially to combine the dual core functions of wading boot and hiking boot, but the necessary waterproofing means they are simply not optimal for hiking.
What brands of wading boot should you look for?
Accessibility of technology means that you don’t necessarily have to shop the big brands to ensure quality in fly fishing wading boots, but that said there’s always a place for a popular “top 5”… this list seems to represent the top 5 wading boot brands online in 2019:
- Patagonia
- Orvis
- Simms
- Redington
- Vision
