[dogger]

I received gift cards to Cabela's for Christmas and am in need of waders.

I fish in Wisconsin, mostly during the summers and am going to Alaska in August.

My questions: What type of wader would be best for me? I am thinking chest waders, but wonder if a 3mm or 5mm would be best? Also, stocking-foot or boots and what is the reason people buy either? I see boots with felt on them and others that don't.

Lots of dumb questions I know!

Help!

[tie one on]

Good question.
Like many things in flyfishing you will receive different
opinions on various items depending mostly, I believe,
on your own personal experience.

I live in Michigan & fish year round. I have a pair of Cabelas
Dry-Plus stockingfoot breathable waders & a pair of Simms
wading boots. This type of wading outfit was recommended
to me by my local fly shop by guys who have done this type
of fishing for many,many years. Breathables are good for any
condition, again my opinion. If I go out now, I have a pair of
fleece pants, from Cabelas, that I wear underneath my breathable
waders & I have fished in 34 degree water & was not cold. My
breathables also work great in summer with just a tee shirt &
swim trunks.

Best of Luck,
Tie One On

[sandfly]

One IMPORTANT thing is get the boots one size larger than your foot size..Remember the neoprene booty and those wading socks take up space...I can't stress this enough to customers....If you are going to fish cold weather you want to get the waders on the larger size also...Try before you buy and think where and when you are going to fish..

[Frank Whiton]

Hi dogger,

Here is a link to another discussion about waders that you might find helpful.

Frank

[dogger]

I don't see a link to click on?

What is the advantage of having stocking foot and buying wading boots? Then another question is, what about the felt bottom vs the regular bottomed boots?

I guess I like the idea of the lighter waders for many reasons, summer fishing, lighter to pack, store and if you go in COLD water, put some warm stuff on under the waders.

TIA for any other ideas or suggestions!

[dogger]

Originally Posted by tie one on

Good question.
Like many things in flyfishing you will receive different
opinions on various items depending mostly, I believe,
on your own personal experience.

I live in Michigan & fish year round. I have a pair of Cabelas
Dry-Plus stockingfoot breathable waders & a pair of Simms
wading boots. This type of wading outfit was recommended
to me by my local fly shop by guys who have done this type
of fishing for many,many years. Breathables are good for any
condition, again my opinion. If I go out now, I have a pair of
fleece pants, from Cabelas, that I wear underneath my breathable
waders & I have fished in 34 degree water & was not cold. My
breathables also work great in summer with just a tee shirt &
swim trunks.

Best of Luck,
Tie One On

What do you fish for year round in Michigan? I have read about fly-fishing year round and in Wisconsin I know season for trout is closed and the lakes are frozen. Just wondering? Thanks!

[tie one on]

I have tried both types of waders & hands down prefer the
stockingfoot over bootfoot. The bootfoots I tried allowed my
feet to slide around making me feel unbalance. (They were the
correct size for me just to verify) With my stockingfoot & boots
I have much better feel of the bottom, especially when you
cannot see what's down there. Like I mentioned before some
may agree with me, others will not. Felt bottom boots work
really well. Rarely have I ever slipped on rocks with those boots.
You can actually get small steel studs on them if there is concern
about slipping. I've never experienced other types of boots. I hope
someone else chips in their comments on those type.

As far as what I fish for here in MI. I fish for Bluegill, Crappie,
Largemouth, Smallmouth, Salmon, Steelhead. Most all of the
lakes freeze over, but most of the rivers stay open to some
degree. I have not been out for a couple of weeks due to
scheduling, but have been tying up some flies to restock my
boxes. I hope to get back out after the first of the year.
Steelhead are in our rivers now & it's awesome to hook into
one of those Chrome Torpedoes.

Tie One On

[Frank Whiton]

Hi dogger,

Sorry about that. I really thought I put a link into the post. So lets try again. Here is the link. You can find a lot of information if you do a search on "Waders". Use the forum search link at the top of the page.

Frank

[JagXJ684]

I'm new to fly fishing and so friends and family have been buying me lots of fly fishing books, and in the one I'm reading now the author reco's buying stockingfoot waders and felt soled boots. I did a little research and lot's of others say the same. I just ordered a set from Cabela's, so should be here soon and I can't wait to get started. By the way, if you're looking for a quick read with alot of good info, try the Idiots Guide to Fly Fishing. I laughed too, but I think it really helps.

[Fly2Fish]

Cabela's make a good product, and just as importantly, back it up with no-questions-asked returns and excellent customer service. I've got a pair of their breathable Dry Plus lightweight-for-travel, and they've been fine.

When you get your stockingfoot waders and boots in, make sure you put on the undersocks, socks, underwaderwear, etc. that you might wear in the most extreme conditions you expect to fish in. Keeping in mind Cabela's caveat not to wear the stockingfoot directly on other than carpeted flooring (in case a return is needed), wear the whole outfit around for 15-20 minutes, doing plenty of walking. Later in the day is best, because people's feet tend to swell up larger then. That'll tell you if you may need a larger size.