[MikeG]

I fish in the middle of winter a lot here in Chicago, IL. I been through everything from neopreme bootfoot/stocking foot to breathables both stockfoot and bootfoot. If I could afford it I would use a Pair of Simms waders with the Muck boots bootfoots on them. As for socks I would go with a polypropylene sock liner with a medium to thick wool sock. If your feet get really cold I would suggest maybe heat packs or electric heating socks(wader style). They do make wader fleece pants. Cabela's 400-Weight Fleece Wader Liners I use these same exact pairs plus a layer a fleece/polypropylene liner pants. I tend to buy a lot of things from Cabela's due to the fact I work there part time and have a discount there.

As for my torso I wear a microfleece base layer than a fleece over that. If it is snowing or raining I wear a simple goretex lightweight jacket for a waterproof layer. For gloves I wear polypropylene glove liners and fleece half finger gloves. Depending on the wind and the weather I usually wear a ski mask and then a good pair of polarized sunglasses. All in all I can stay warm in this setup for 8-9 hours down to a temperature of 5 degrees, windchill -5 degrees. It may sound a bit insane but I dislike ice fishing very much and if there are open streams I am out there. The main problem most people have with cold weather fishing is the idea that you cannot use cotton on you at all. Cotton holds in moisture and with that wet cotton comes the cold. At Cabela's I sell footwear but my main speciality is waders for the local area 12 months out of the year.

Good Luck!