The Tackle You Need
Wading Boots
Wading boots are as important to fly fishers as mountaineering boots are to climbers, and for good reason. If you slip and fall the fun is over, and in some cases your life could be in danger. Therefore, your primary concern with buying wading boots should be safety, stability, and fit/comfort.
Felt soles have been the fly-fishing industry standard for decades. Felt wears rapidly on rough dry rocks but holds up reasonably well in the water, and clings to even moss-covered rocks. The problem with felt soles is that they absorb and hold water and can therefore transport pathogens and nuisance species like didymo algae, whirling disease, and New Zealand mud snails. Because of these threats, responsible manufacturers have found an alternative—sticky rubber soles originally developed for rock climbing and sold in the fly fishing market under various brand names including Aquastealth and Vibram.
While the Fly Fisherman editorial staff has not had a chance to use the new Simms/Vibram rubber-soled boots (on sale Feb. 2009), the other rubber soles we have tried do not perform as well under a variety of conditions as regular felt soles. In a gravel-bottom river like Alberta’s Bow or Montana’s Bighorn, the only difference you’ll notice is that rubber-soled boots are much cleaner when you get in and out of the boat, and when you throw your boots in the bag after a day of fishing. However, in difficult wading situations in deep, fast current, and when navigating round, moss- and algae-covered boulders, rubber soles do not “stick” as well as felt. In these situations, we recommend rubber soles with metal (tungsten) studs. Studded rubber soles perform as well or better than felt in any situation—except on the fiberglass floor of your guide’s new drift boat.
You can also add your own removable studs to rubber soles using a power drill and Simms Hard Bite Boot Studs ($14.95, 20 per package) which are ¼" hex-head screws with tungsten carbide pellets welded to the screw head. In a pinch, you can also use ¼" galvanized sheet metal screws. Fasten 8 to 12 screws to the contact areas on the boot soles and you are ready for action.
Besides river traction, other important factors to consider are comfort, support, and stability. In swift, rocky rivers you need a boot with a stiff sole and good ankle support. Falling down is only one of the dangers of wading—you can also easily twist your ankle, bash your toes, or bruise your foot bottoms if you have cheap, flimsy boots.
Waders
On a hot summer afternoon, there’s nothing better than wet wading in a pair of quick-dry shorts and wading boots. Unfortunately, the best fishing is often in the evening when the air cools, or in spring and fall when it can be cold all day. To make the most of your fishing day, you need to stay dry and comfortable, and that’s why a good pair of breathable waders are important.
Old-fashioned neoprene and rubber waders are bulky, heavy, and trap perspiration, leaving you wet and clammy at the end of the day or earlier. Breathable waders (Gore-Tex and other brand names) may be the most significant improvement to fly-fishing tackle in the last 15 years.
Breathable waders transport moisture from the inside of the wader to the exterior, even while standing in deep water. In fact, the movement of perspiration toward the outside of the wader is most efficient when you are standing in cool water because the temperature difference (warm on the inside, cool on the outside) is what makes the one-way membrane work.
Gore-Tex is one type of breathable fabric licensed by wader manufacturers such as Simms and Cloudveil. Patagonia, Orvis, and other wader manufacturers have their own breathable fabrics. Many companies use premium fabric and construction in their most expensive waders and sometimes use a completely different brand of fabric (with different construction methods) for more economical models.
With waders, you get what you pay for. Expensive waders should be more comfortable—they are tailored to fit more sizes, have articulated knees and left and right booties and, according to the manufacturers, the fabrics are more durable and more breathable, which should keep you drier and more comfortable.
Cheaper waders rarely fit as well (fewer size choices, fewer tailoring details) but if a standard medium fits you fine, and you rarely encounter rigorous fishing conditions—high heat; cold, wet weather; thorns and briars—then a value wader may be the best choice for you.
Good waders can cost from $100 to $700, so making a purchasing decision may be difficult. It’s hard to predict how long waders will last—a sharp stick, barbed wire, or thorns can end the life of any wader prematurely—so the “extras” that make the wader functional and comfortable become important. Things like built-in gravel guards, wader belts, fleece-lined hand-warmer pockets, pockets for tippet spools and other items, a comfortable shoulder strap, or a front zipper are all available options.
When it is hot in the summer, you may want a wader that easily folds down and converts to waist-high pants to keep you cool. Plan on doing any winter fishing? Be sure to size your waders appropriately for accommodating extra clothing layers such as quick-drying synthetic underwear and insulating shirts and jackets.
Vests and packs. In addition to a rod, reel, line, waders, and boots, you’ll need a vest or pack to carry your fly boxes, tippet spools, leaders, split-shot, strike indicators, fly floatant, dry shake, and many other accessories, not to mention your lunch, water, and other necessities.
Before deciding on a vest, hip-, or chestpack, decide how much you want to carry. If you prefer backcountry hiking and fishing, you might want something with a removable backpack to carry your boots and waders while you walk. If you are a match-the-hatch angler on an insect-rich river, you’ll need a pack that accommodates many boxes for all your different types of fly patterns. Some anglers can keep it simple If you are rock-hopping a small mountain stream, and all you need are a few attractor drys and some beadhead nymphs, a small chestpack might be best (and it’s also much cooler). It may take some time to decide what’s right for your type of fishing.
Fly boxes. Flies are a big investment of money and—if you tie your own—time.
You don’t want your fly collection to get wet if you wade too deeply or drop a box in the river. Most trout flies are tied on hooks that can rust, so a waterproof fly box is more than a good idea.
You also don’t want your dry flies to blow away in the wind—one of the main reasons old-fashioned compartmentalized fly boxes have fallen out of favor. Foam boxes keep your flies in place but hooks can destroy the foam. Slitted foam boxes keep the flies in place, organized in neat rows, and because you remove and insert the flies from the same slit, the foam does not deteriorate and require replacement.
Wading jackets. Don’t underestimate the importance of a good wading jacket made specifically for fly fishing. Often the best fishing is in the spring and fall when it is cool and wind, rain, and even snow can accompany your fishing. If you have no jacket, or don’t have the right jacket, weather can force you off the stream and cause you to miss some of the best fishing of the season. There have been dozens of times—in an Alaskan downpour (in a jet boat), drifting through a hailstorm on the Henry’s Fork, or steelheading in a Great Lakes blizzard—where my fishing companions have commented that their jacket may be their most important piece of fishing equipment. If you are too cold and wet to continue fishing, your rod brand becomes irrelevant.
Wading jackets are short so they don’t drag in the water when you wade deep. They have large pockets for fly boxes and convenient zippers so you can reach inside to your vest without unzipping the jacket. The hood should be adjustable so you can wear it over your baseball cap, and fleece-lined hand-warmers are a nice touch.
Get a jacket made of a breathable material, so moisture doesn’t build up inside when it’s cold out. As with waders, there are numerous breathable fabrics on the market, each with varying degrees of breathability and durability.
Your jacket should also have a durable water repellent (DWR) coating, a chemical treatment that causes water to bead and run quickly off the exterior of the jacket instead of soaking the outside of the jacket. When the exterior gets waterlogged, it can make you feel cold and wet, even though water isn’t actually penetrating the jacket membrane.
Copyright © 2012 Intermedia Outdoors
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