Best Kayak/Fishing Shoes

bones72
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Re: Best Kayak/Fishing Shoes

Post by bones72 »

May have to look into the Sim's boots though I have had trouble with that brand when it comes to boots. They make the only wader to buy in my opinion but their boots have left me scratching my head. On that note I will 2nd Ron's post on Barge cement I have also used "aqua seal", its the cement usually found packaged in wader repair kits.

As for studs on wading boots for tailwaters I will also second Ron on felt soles, the only sole to have the gum rubber soles that have been pushed are worthless, but I cannot advocate the studs. I hate studs can be like walking on marbles if you go from slimy algae/rock snot to a hard piece of stone. I used to fish a ton of slippery slimed bottom rivers when I was stationed at Ft. Knox; the Cumberland, Elk River W. Virginia, just about all the tailwaters in eastern Tennessee, and too many to count proper streams and mountain bluelines in Smokey Mountain N.P.. If you really want to see an epic fail/fall try to walk with studded boots on wet leaves over large river worn rock in October. I saw many folks put them to good use but I myself passed my last pair to my dad rather than suffer another technicolor rear end.
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Ron Mc
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Re: Best Kayak/Fishing Shoes

Post by Ron Mc »

moving into trout rivers, the purpose of rubber soles there is to prevent the spread of feral aquatic organisms and diseases, e.g., zebra mussels now from the Guadalupe.
Felt soles need to stay at home and never travel.
Many states, including Alaska, have banned felt soles.
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if you fish the Guadalupe tailwater with its rutted dolomite, or the black slate of the Russian River, without studs, bring a towel and a change of clothes.
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ps - big difference in AquaSeal and Barge Cement - AquaSeal is silicone sealant - Barge Cement is tough and water-resistant contact cement.
Probably even better, but not worth the cost unless you have it around for other uses, is 3M 80 spray contact cement.
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Ron Mc
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Re: Best Kayak/Fishing Shoes

Post by Ron Mc »

bones72 wrote:...
As for studs on wading boots for tailwaters ...
I will agree with you that compared to any of my gone or current worn out studded felt soles - haven't needed new boots in more than a dozen years - most current add-on studs look nutso.
ImageMostly that they have a wide flanged hex-head that won't sink into the felt, and holds 1/4-inch of stud outside of the felt sole. That means you're always walking on studs and never on felt. My retired Patagonia studded felt soles (not yet pitched) only have the tiniest bit of metal on 13 studs/ showing above the felt.
After searching through everything offered on the internet, found Guideline Tungsten Studs that look right - they don't have that wide flange on the driven head, so are made to sink into the felt - I'll go with these.
ImageIn fact, confirming these are the exact studs that were used on both my beat Patagonia studded felt and my travel-rubber-sole cheap closeout Grey's boots (which look nasty because the exterior coating on the synthetic uppers separated and turned white) - but these studs will work great with new felt and get exactly what I want.
ImageThe Patagonias have been partially reglued twice, and the felt is all but worn through at the toe and heel, and two of the plastic lace hooks are broken. I wore the Greys last winter on the tailwater, but they're tanks, and I tripped over them once and bunged my knee - and I'd do anything to not wear them again this year.
Last edited by Ron Mc on Thu Dec 26, 2019 8:32 am, edited 1 time in total.
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JW FunGuy
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Best Kayak/Fishing Shoes

Post by JW FunGuy »

I came across Kold Kutter Racing Studs and put them in my boots over a year ago and haven’t lost one yet. They are used to put in tires for racing motorcycles on ice! They are low profile but grip like mad, I now no longer freak out about wading through cypress roots, algae or moss covered rock etc. Plus they are cheap, a bag of 250 for less than $25!

https://www.amazon.com/Kold-Kutter-Snow ... 160&sr=8-1
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This has been in my boot for over a year and worn at least once a
week.Image

I only put 4 around the perimeter of the heel and 3 on the front at the traction area’s, leaving the rubber to walk on so you don’t “skate”


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Ron Mc
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Re: Best Kayak/Fishing Shoes

Post by Ron Mc »

In spite of the thread title, we've hijacked it to talk about wading boots for stocking foot waders, especially aimed at winter trout fishing on the Guadalupe tailwater.
Santa came through, and here's my boot stud result - exactly what I want in wading boots, and it pretty much appears the Guideline studs were exactly designed to get there.
I used a yellow paint pen to copy the stud pattern I like from my old dead Patagonias, sopping the old dead-boot studs with the paint pen, and rocking the soles together to get a template on the felt of my new Simms Flyweights.
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My hand is still sore from finishing the first boot. I kept tightening each stud into the felt until they were sunk so deep the tool couldn't turn them any more and began to spin - like I said, think they were designed this way.
They're certainly not coming out, and there's no flange on the studs to keep them from sinking this deep
Image

You end up with just a nubbin of tungsten carbide sticking up above the felt -
- in any normal river bottom situation, you're walking on felt and have exposed stud only where you may need it.
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