In the heat of the summer, there’s not much better than wet wading with sandals and shorts and keeping it simple. But even when this is the preferred approach, we highly recommend putting some thought into your choice of footwear – the last thing we like to see is a lone sandal floating down the river, and going for an unplanned swim or ripping your knee open on a rock can put a real damper on an otherwise good day of fishing. Simms and Patagonia are both offering excellent options for warm-weather wading sandals that offer a great deal more traction, and foot protection, than your typical river sandal. Come by the shop and check them out, and you’ll see the difference.
Waders are really nice, if not downright essential for early and late in the season, when it’s raining, or when temperatures drop in the evening. Wader design has also come a long way in the last few years, with waterproof-breathable fabrics greatly extended the comfort range from the old days of thick neoprene. Now, with the same pair of waterproof-breathable waders you can vary your layering underneath to literally be comfortable from mild, shoulder season weather all the way through full-on winter. Remember – waterproof breathable waders are designed to perform in tandem with synthetic (or wool) wicking layers. Wearing cotton underneath your waders just means you’ll be trapping sweat and getting clammy.
Most good waders these days utilize a neoprene stocking foot which also requires wearing a separate wading boot. While this may at first seem like an addition expense over a bootfoot wader, there are several big advantages to the former approach. A separate, lace-up wading boot allows for a much more precise fit than a bootfoot wader, which translates directly to better traction, foot control and safety while wading. A separate wading boot also means that when weather is milder, you can simply wear the boot without the wader, still retaining far better foot protection and traction than your typical river sandal.
We offer a variety of waders and wading by Simms, Patagonia and Dan Bailey to suit just about every budget. Give us a call or come by the shop and we are happy to discuss options and share more tips with you.
