Waders

[BobbyLee]

Hello everyone. I've been reading for a little while now, and really enjoy the site.

Here's some from me: I live down in Florida (really lower Alabama) and my grandparents have a cabin in North Carolina. When family gets together up in NC, my Uncle always heads to the streams and leaves us to play cards. :icon_smil I asked to go with him at one point and loved it. For my last birthday I received a fly rod and reel and some flies. I've been practicing in the bay by my house and can't wait to get back up to the rivers.

I've been shopping around for some waders and boots on the internet and read one discussion thread that mentioned Stearns products. I'm currently looking at a Steans Full Grain Leather/Duramesh Felt Sole Wading Shoe and Chest High Stearns Seal Dri Plus waders. (I'm on a student's budget)

Now, here are some questions:
1. Is the Stearns brand reliable, or would I be just as well off with something else?
2. How does LL Bean rank in the reliability department?
3. If I go with the Seal Dri, should I get the ones with the chest pocket and gravel guards on the ankles, or the ones without ($30 cheaper)
4. How about waders with boots already attached? (I found some at LL Bean for $99) I am wary of buying too cheap, but I realize that this gear will be my first and there is the very small possibility that I will outgrow it.
5. How about the boots? Is felt bottom the best? I have seen some with studs, are they helpful?

Any advice would be helpful.

 

[arfishinbear]

Welcome
I am not sure what price range the stuff you are looking at runs, but my wife, son and I have been wearing Cabelas Dry-Plus waders for a little over a year now , and we use them weekly and have had NO pronlems with them, they have the built in gaters and chest pocket(on the inside) and they run about 100 bucks.
The kind with the gaters on them are great, dont have to worry about keeping track of the neopren kind that you zip on.
Sterans however is good stuff from what I have used in the past.
If you buy waders I would go with the kind with out the boots, you can buy diffrent boots for diffrent situatins and they fit better around your ankle makeing walking and wadeing easier and safer.
As for the studs I been asking around about that myslef lol
Bear

 

[rowdy]

For creeks all ya need is Hipwaders.

 

[BobbyLee]

Thanks,

Gaters? Sorry, I'm brand new to all of the terminology. What are gaters? Are they the things you pull down over your wading boots?

Also, I didn't know that something zipped off of any waders. Could you explain how that works.

I'm looking at about $80-$100 for the waders, and $60 for the boots.

Thanks for the tip on the hipwaders, I'll shop around.

 

[Fishstick]

Thanks,

Gaters? Sorry, I'm brand new to all of the terminology. What are gaters? Are they the things you pull down over your wading boots?


Also, I didn't know that something zipped off of any waders. Could you explain how that works.


I'm looking at about $80-$100 for the waders, and $60 for the boots.

Thanks for the tip on the hipwaders, I'll shop around.

Yes. they keep the rocks, sand and such out of your boots (aka gravel guards). They generally come separate from the waders which I why I lose an average of one a year.:icon_wink

 

[ab4usa]

Around here we have a problem with Rock Snot (a bad form of algae) and we are being encouraged to not use felt soled wading boots. Don't know if that is an issue for you but you might want to keep it in mind.

 

[BobbyLee]

Concerning hipwaders: I think that since these will be my first waders, I should go with something that will give me a lot of flexibility. I don't really know where I'll be fishing in the future. I'm looking at Cabela's.

Concerning Felt bottomed waders: Rubber seems like it would be worse than felt on algae. Can anyone explain the rationale for felt vs. rubber. I have also seen studded boots. Are they helpful?

Also, are all waders dry waders? I want to make sure that's what I get.

Thank you all.

 

[rowdy]

Rubber hipwaders are fine & economical. Heck, in summer I wade in shorts & canoeing slippers. :biggrin:

 

[Fishstick]

Concerning hipwaders: I think that since these will be my first waders, I should go with something that will give me a lot of flexibility. I don't really know where I'll be fishing in the future. I'm looking at Cabela's.

Concerning Felt bottomed waders: Rubber seems like it would be worse than felt on algae. Can anyone explain the rationale for felt vs. rubber. I have also seen studded boots. Are they helpful?

Also, are all waders dry waders? I want to make sure that's what I get.

Thank you all.

One of the big issues with the felt in this day and age is the possible transfer of invasive snails etc. from one body of water to another. If things stay the course, I can see where felt soles may be discontinued altogether IMHO. Depending upon the bottom structure of the water that you normally fish, felt (again IMHO) has better traction value that rubber. Others may differ on this.

 

[peregrines]

Hey BobbyLee welcome to the site. You may get a few tugs on your line in that bay of yours while you're practicing for NC. Are you in redfish territory or is this a FW lake? Either way, i bet you've got a lot of stuff to catch right near you. as for some of your questions...

Yes waders are dry--- at least that's the way they're supposed to be unless you spring a leak.

I'd get breatheables rather than neoprene- a lot cooler to fish in- you'd roast in neoprenes, but it sounds like that's what you're already looking for.

As far as felt soles, they grip well, but studded soles with felt are even better.... but as ab4usa mentioned there are a lot of problems with Didymo ("rock snot")- an invasive species of algae- that takes over streams. It can hitchhike from stream to stream on felt soles, and it's spreading like crazy here in the NE. On some streams they have requirements to dip wading soles in bleach solutions before/after getting out of a stream etc, and around where i live they've even prohibited wading all together on some streams.

Simms and a few other companies have pledged to eliminate felt soled waders and wading shoes by 2010 and are going to some rubberized special grippy soled kind of deal, and wouldn't be surprised if they're banned on a lot of waters. I haven't tried them so i don't know how well they work compared to felt and have heard some mixed reviews. Some people like them, others have supposedly been doing more slipping and sliding than usual... although some that I have heard that had problems weren't exactly mountain goats to begin with. Maybe others that have used both can comment on their experience?

The LL Bean waders are good, and everything they sell has a 100% satisfaction guarantee--- I haven't used the Cabelas ones but many folks are very happy with them, so either way it seems like a pretty good deal.

I'd also second the gaiters and wading shoes (rather than boot foot) The gaiters will keep gravel etc out of the wading shoes, and stocking foot plus wading shoes are a lot easier to walk in, give more secure footing with less chafing than boot foot waders. I'd go for studs too if you were fishing rocky streams..

I hope this helps,and it's good to see you on the board.

peregrines

 

[hardhat]

I have a pair of hip waders and two pairs of chest waders. I love the hip waders especially when flying someplace. However, If I was going to have only one pair they would be the chest. Select the waders with the separate boots. Less problems and better quality foot ware. I would stay away from neopreme and get a light weight breathable. From there I would buy the ones within your budget.

 

[Rip Tide]

I have a bunch of different options when it comes to waders
That includes both the Stearns shoes and bootfoot breathables

Stearns makes reliable, basic gear. I have a pair of the canvas style shoes that I like because they're light weight. However, they don't offer the protection to your feet that a heavier duty leather/cordura boot would. The best part about them is that the price is right.

I also have a pair of the Cabelas Dry Plus Bootfoots. I use the bootfoots mostly for fishing in saltwater as sand cannot sneak into the shoes. (Gators/gravel guards are useless IMO :icon_wink ) I originally was concerned that there would not be enough ankle support, but I like the light weight feel....They're a lot like wearing slippers
If that's what you think you can afford, don't let anyone talk you out of it.

I think rowdy has the right idea with the hip boots, however
I wear my hip boots whenever possible. They're a lot easier to deal with than chest waders... of any kind.

Get the felt soles and don't worry about it. They can be sanitized if needed

 

[Fishstick]

I also have a pair of the Cabelas Dry Plus Bootfoots. I use the bootfoots mostly for fishing in saltwater as sand cannot sneak into the shoes. (Gators/gravel guards are useless IMO :icon_wink )

I'll second that. I've both Simms breathables and neo's and do a fair amount of surf fishing. Gaters do nothing to prevent the fine sand from making its way into the boots. I'm stopping about every hour just to empty the bucket of sand from my boot.

 

[peregrines]

BobbyLee,

Just a thought, and nuthin' to do with waders, but if you have wheels there maybe some local fly fishing clubs near you. Here's a link to the Federation of Fly Fishers- clubs affiliated with them hold casting clinics, tying classes etc, have group trips to local waters, and have meetings that you can get a lot of info. It's a great way to meet some other folks that are into fly fishing, and you'll learn a ton. (There's one in Pensacola if that's anywhere near you.)

Locate a Club

You should have a ton of great fishing in both fresh for stuff like bass and panfish plus everything that swims in salt down there. Don't just wait for trips to NC to have blast. Good luck!

peregrines

 

[BobbyLee]

Thanks for all of the info. Y'all are really helpful.

Why, yes. I do live in P-cola. I'll have to check out that club. Thanks for the tip. :icon_smil

Hmm... I think I am going to go for chest waders and a pair of felt bottomed boots. I think I've found the waders, now for the boots. I'll try not to get too expensive for my first pair.

I think after I make this initial purchase, depending on where I end up fishing, and what situations I end up in, I'll look at the hip waders.

Thanks again for all of the help!