I've been wading around the South Florida and the Bahamas Salt and I've spent 2 years looking for a boot that would protect my feet, that would not let sand and mud enter, and would provide protection on lava rock and beach cobble. First I had the low-ankle wading booties and they were OK, but didn't give my ankle protection and they let in mud. I basically suffered with these in the Bahamas and literally 'walked' out of them a few times.
I broke down and bought $75 hard Flats Boots from Simms along with 2 pr. of socks, one cloth pair and a neoprene sock. These were protection-plus, but my feet were not comfortable...too tight, too loose, they were cumbersome. And, they needed to be cleaned thoroughly. The cloth socks just hurt. They kept the mud out to a minimum, but were hot feeling.
My friend, Dave Tepper had these diving boots last time we fished in the Bahamas. He said they covered all the bases but were pricey. Said he bought them at a dive store. I went looking around.
Amazingly, it wasn't until this July when I found what I was looking for. I found these NRS Paddle Water Shoes (google it, you'll find them). I've tried them with and without a sock an I prefer them with the Simms Neoprene Wading Sock...real comfey. There's other neoprene wading socks beginning at $9.95 on dive sites.
What I like about the NRS Paddle Water Shoe is the huge plastic zipper and top ankle Velcro closure which keeps out mud and sand. I like the sole because it's wrap-around protection from shells, lava rock and cobble. I do rinse them in a bucket fresh water because they'll tend to be oderous if you do not rinse them.
The NRS company has loads of foot gear that would fit the needs of the wading angler. These Paddle Water shoes were $45.
The fly fishing companies aren't offering the wading angler as many choices as the dive companies are. I'd be interested in hearing what others have found for a warm salt wading shoe.
Posted: Mon 11/24/08 6:57 pm Post subject: wading boots
good topic. i have learned a couple things not to where .. when i am wading on saltwater flats or beaches.
Flip Flops - sucked into the sand, get slippery when wet, break
Tevas - serious cuts on sides on feet from salt/sand rubbing against material
Standard wading boot - full of sand and if no socks, serious blisters
bare feet - i often still resort to this and just deal with the cuts (not recommended .. or too smart) .. but i often find myself barefoot because of too much pain associated with the 3 options above.
simms wading boots - actually called "Simms Flats Sneaker" (just google it), they are kinda like regular wading boots with a rubber sole. pretty good, no complaints .. better than all 3 options above. just make sure you wear socks or blisters on back of heals will form, big time.
neoprene booties or windsurfing type booties - probably pretty good .. but i have a phobia against them for some reason. call me vain, but i just can't deal with "the look". i think it might be because i associate them them with the tight "bananna hamock" spedo type swimsuits ...
so i guess its the simms flats sneaker for me - but, i could be convinced on something different .. what do others use?
-"Hard" wading boots like simms or else they protect really well but it is not confortable and quite heavy after days and days of use plus some sand still goes inside and it's kinda long to put them specially if you switch spot several times a day.
-Neoprene or diving boots they protect good expect from black sea urchin and keep ankle in position and protected plus I had found a pair with an inside second neoprene like a sock in fact. They are probably in my book the best quality/proctection/durability for the money. The less is that they are quite hard to put and harder to put off.
- Low top/ankle wading boots from orvis. As I wade a lot those boot protect soles of my feet are easy to put on and off and very light, tight at the ankle so it keep the sand out ( I don't think we can avoid totally some sand inside our boots) and I feel confortable inside l. But they don't last as long as Neoprene or hard wading boot.
I use almost only Low top wading and when they are dead I go for neoprene ones (cheap) while the next low top are coming by the post office.
For me having the soles protected and be able to keep focus watching water and confortable without thinking that my feet hurts is the most important.
I would not recomend anything like "crocs", "medusa" or anything with holes on the side. And recomend neoprene for a couple trip in the year.
I have been thinking about flats footwear for a while now and find your review really helpful. However, what seems really clear to me is that you like the NRS water paddle shoes, largely because of comfort. I am a firm believer in comfort (my wading boots for my waders hurt like h*ll, especially before I get them wet), so I have a couple of particular questions:
1. I have searched the NRS water paddle shoes online. They have a particular difference at the ankle bone (the part of your foot/ankle that protrudes out to the inside and outside of your leg). Does this special area provide more comfort for you? Is this special area in the right place for YOUR ankle bone?
2. I have wide feet (typically about an E). My wader boots are way too narrow for comfort. Do the NRS water paddle shoes fit because they are the right width for you? Do you have canoes (narrow feet) or barges (wide feet like me)? If you have canoes, my barges may not fit these shoes as well!
3. You have recommended use of a neoprene sock inside the shoe. Are there rough surfaces inside the NRS water paddle shoe that require that you protect your foot from them or do the socks just fill up a little space in the shoes that is loose without them? Or do you just like your feet to be a little warmer?
I don't know why I am asking such trivial questions, but, these NRS water paddle shoes seem like a really economical alternative to the comparable neoprene flats boots from Orvis or Cabelas.
I used the neoprene socks because I had a slight blister on top of a toe because of another shoe and I didn't want to aggrivate it. The inside of the NRS boots are very soft, especially the sides so if you get a good fit, they shouldn't chafe. All areas inside the boot feel good to me. My foot is just a tad bit small for the boot and adding the sock helps my foot stay stable.
Maybe NRS has a listing of retailers in your local area where you could go and try on some. Local dive store, etc. Maybe they have a phone number you could call.
If you do order online, of course make sure the return-exchange policy is to your liking so you can get a good fit. They should'nt be loose.
I've never had an issue with these boots being hard to put on or take off...pure silk. I really look forward to putting them on.
Posted: Tue 03/02/10 3:43 pm Post subject: salt water wading shoes
Thank you fly fishing forum. Should help me find something other than sneakers to wear on the flats.
I WILL look at the Paddle Water shoes.
The big problem with buying any shoe these days is that so often they only come in regular sizes. I have wide feet and have had to return 90% of the shoes ordered on line. Even Patagonia, which I consider to be a great company otherwise, only sells wading shoes in regular sizes.
Obviously, the solution is to have more salt water fly fishermen out there with wide feet! Let's go people!
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