To Felt or Not to Felt

There is currently a strong movement across the entire country to ban felt soled wading boots.  I would like to pose the questions at what cost and for what real results?  Invasive species, such as Eurasian watermilfoil, hyrdrilla, New Zealand mud snail, zebra mussels, didymo, whirling disease, etc., are all real threats to a lot of North American fisheries.  Recently, the move to rubber soled wading boots has been touted as the savior for the spread of invasive species.  There is one company, Redington, that boldly, and falsely, claims in their catalogue that their rubber soles are "the cure" for spreading invasive species. I believe there are some fundamental flaws in the argument to completely ban felt.

The most glaring and obvious misconception, is that people will be now lulled into a false sense of security that the new "Eco Rubber" will completely stop the spread of invasive species.  These invaders do not just get transferred on the soles of angler's boots.  They also hitchhike on their shoe laces, gravel guard cuffs, the waders themselves, nets, boats and bilge water.  Regardless if your boot soles are made of felt or rubber, the disinfection process is the same.  You must either freeze them solid, or scrub them with a 20% bleach solution and then let them COMPLETELY dry out.  This must also be done for any other item that has been in a river before going to another.  So, if you must disinfect rubber the same as you would felt, why the sudden rush to ban felt?  Most Americans want to do the right thing but are too lazy to take the steps needed to actually do it.  We are quick to pull the trigger on an emotional hot button and want to find a fast fix.  However, most of the time the quick fix ends up being more harm that good.

Furthermore, I believe that the new rubber soled boots pose a serious risk to the angler.  It is no mystery that the new rubber does not grip half as well as felt.  Some companies are touting their rubber as being as sure footed as felt.  I call bullshit!  There is no rubber technology, that I have seen, that can grip even close to felt.  It is only a matter of time before someone is seriously hurt or killed because their new rubber soled boots didn't grip a crucial rock.  All the wading boot companies know of this problem and will tell you that to put studs in the sole.  Since when have steel and rock meshed well together?  Maybe if you were headed to do some ice fishing or ice climbing, studs would be ideal.  However, people who fly fish are wading across slippery, algae coated rocks.    Every client I quizzed this season about their new rubber soles (both with and without studs), ALL said the variations of the same thing; "They are horrible!" or "I have almost busted my ass several times!" or "Where can I get felt soled boots?".  Unfortunately, most all wader companies are drinking the rubber sole Kool-Aid and phasing out or drastically reducing their felt products-Simms sells zero felt soles, Patagonia currently stills sells one model, Dan Bailey's no longer offers their top of the line Yellowstone Guide boot in felt only their Adventurer model and Korkers offers a felt sole insert on their boots, wading sandals and shoes that must be purchased separately.  Unfortunately, it is only a matter of time until felt goes the way of the dinosaur.

So what is the answer to the spread of invasive species?  WASH YOUR EQUIPMENT AND LET  COMPLETELY DRY!  Like I mentioned above, you can also completely freeze your gear solid.  I actually did this for two clients who fished with me this summer.  I took their stuff to my chest freezer and the next day they had a frozen block of fishing gear free of didymo and whirling disease.  If we are going to stop or curtail the spread of invasive species, it is not going to be because we wear rubber soled boots.  It is going to take EVERY angler to be vigilant on cleaning their gear.  Unfortunately, we all know that not everyone will be vigilant.  By the way, are you going to wash every duck's ass and feet when it leaves here and heads south?