Stockingfoot Wader Boots for Duck Hunting

[SteveAndTheCrigBoys]

Picked up some G3 Riparian stockingfoot waders to use for duck hunting and fishing up in the PNW. I don't have wading boots yet so I used some old work boots this season. Very cramped. Thinking of picking up some thrift store boots a size up to use with them in the mud during duck season and some basic felt bottoms for fishing the rivers. Anyone have any experience doing something like this? Wondering if it's worth getting more dedicated rubber sole wading boots for the duck hunting side of things or not.

 

[JeffP_Or]

I have an older pair of Korkers with the interchangeable soles and Boa lacing - I use them for fishing and waterfowling. I have the felt, kling-on, studded kling-on sole options; use the kling-on for waterfowl. I like them but they are also the only ones I have tried - so limited there. I think Korker used to amke a specific duck hunting boot - but no longer see it on their website?

Strengths:
Lightweight
Comfortable
Lasting
Easy to clean
Convenient to change out soles

Weaknesses:
Kling-on sole is not great in PNW rivers; studded improves that but look to get the bar or carbide soles IMO.
Interchangeable soles require some finesse to get them locked in; I've slipped a few partially off in the sucking mud [but have resolved that and not had an issue for a few years - learning curve there]
I'd like to see a deeper tread pattern than what the Kling-on has; some mud can be slick to walk on.

 

[LongWayAround]

This might (probably) sound stupid but I bought a size larger of muck wetland boots to wear with my G3 waders. It worked really well for me this season. They fit great, plenty of ankle support, and offer extra protection for the lower wader. The downside is that water doesn't drain out but they seem to only hold a few ounces of water with the tight fit. My feet got a little chilly one particularly cold day otherwise no problems at all.

I don't think I saved any money over just buying a wader boot though...

 

[SteveAndTheCrigBoys]

Someone recommended the korkers but I read too many bad reviews about the soles coming off. Especially in any kind of mud.

 

[dtrkyman]

I have had great luck with Korkers, have had a sole come off twice is some nasty gumbo though. If you are regularly in sticky mud I would get a dedicated boot for it.

I think an actual wading boot would be a better option than an oversized boot, but I have not tried it personally.

 

[Pn8hall]

Dedicated wading boots will be way wider than a conventional boot and not cramp your toes. I currently use some Simms Headwaters with the Boa Lace. Man I love the lacing system. I ran some cheap Korkers Redsides for about 6 years prior and they were a decent boot for the money. I did have a sole come loose once in some mucky stuff fishing. The klingon soles suck ass in slippery stuff. I grabbed a studded set of klingons and they were better but not perfect. Fishing felt soles rule unless you are walking slick mud banks so if duck hunting in them stay away from felt.

 

[chizelhead]

I agree with Pn8hall. I hunt the PNW and used a dedicated wading boot for waterfowl with my stockingfoot. I don't think its worth trying to save a few bucks on non-wading boots with the tradeoff likely being poor fit. Depending on your fishing ambition, there's opportunity to use nonfelt boots fishing in the PNW especially if you're doing any hiking. BOA laced boots would be great if you can afford it. This year I upped my game and went with bootfoot waders. It's something I endorse if your situation allows at any point.

 

[Ferrulewax]

I'll be the contrarian here- I really dislike Boa boots, at least for hard use on my fisheries and fishing style.

They are great if you only do day trips, but pretty much every pair we use as client waders at the fly shop I used to work at crapped out on us. The boa lacing system can be replaced, but it isn't super easy and requires a BOA branded replacement kit. The cam also likes to get grimed up with sand which can be frustrating. I've been on too many overnight and long distance trips to chance a failure in something as crucial as a boot lace.

The other problem with BOAs is that it is hard to key in tightness on a particular area of the boot. Unlike laces where you can really tighten the forefoot and have a loose ankle (or vise versa), the Boas *ideally* apply equal pressure all around. What actually happens is that the boas apply way more pressure up top at the ankles, and very little at the toes- particularly with larger boots. You can dig your fingers in there and yank on the wires to fix this, but it's miserable with cold hands. That being said, this is just my experience and sounds like plenty of other guys love them.

 

[chizelhead]

^^^^^Above post is interesting with a bigger sample size. Good intel.

 

[dtrkyman]

I was on the fence for a while on the boa, but prefer it, no laces to come untied and mine have been zero issue with debris or anything for that matter, if they get gunked up I just give them a slight turn to tighten and that frees them right up.

Have two guiding seasons and many personal trips with lots of miles hiked as well, still going strong despite looking like they went through a meat grinder!

Korker brand, not sure which model but a higher end one anyway.

 

[Ferrulewax]

^^^^^Above post is interesting with a bigger sample size. Good intel.

I will say, that our BOA boots were used by people with no earthly idea what they are doing and that treat them very poorly (not using gravel guards, bumping them against rocks, falling, etc. )- they also receive absolutely zero maintenance aside from a rinse off now and then. If someone takes care of them I would expect them to fare much better

 

[dtrkyman]

I have definitely not done any maintenance on mine! My hip boots have no gravel guards.

 

[Rich M]

I used to use canvas high top sneakers as wading boots. Prefer waders with boots tho.

Getting difficult to find boots that will fit my calves. Amazing how skinny folks legs are.

 

[Redwing]

Some points after spending a few hundred days in Korkers over the years and many times that in waders and boots while guiding anglers or duck hunting.

-You'll either need to buy two pairs of boots, one for fishing and one for hunting, or a pair of Korkers and multiple soles. Rubber soles don't do well on river rocks, felt soles don't do well in duck mud. Some or most proprietary "sticky" rubber soles for wading rivers, like the Kling-On soles from Korkers, are better in mud than felt is, but the tread pattern is very shallow and doesn't have nearly as much purchase as a true lug sole.

-You're gonna get X number of days out of a pair of boots, so buying one pair to do both doesn't necessarily save you money in the long run. You either wear out one pair every two years, or two pairs every four years, for example. This math may change depending on how many days you spend hunting vs fishing.

-The Korkers boots are some of the most comfortable that I've ever worn. They fit MY FEET exceptionally well, but that doesn't mean they'll fit yours. They are fairly durable, good but not bombproof, there are tougher boots out there but you'll pay more. I haven't had a new pair in three or four years so I can't speak for their most current offerings.

-You'll probably lose some Korkers soles to swamp and marsh mud unless you're exceptionally careful or always hunt firm bottomed bodies of water. When I was hunting hard in Korkers I used to spend 15-20 days a year hunting a tidally influenced area with exceptionally mucky mud. I lost a sole every 10 trips or so. I did learn that if you turn your boot a few degrees out or in before you lift your foot it will break the seal with the mud bottom and you're less likely to lose soles, but I didn't want to do that with every step.


So, where does that leave it? I don't have a great answer, and I'm still trying to find the perfect system myself. Here are some options:

-Get a pair of felt soled boots of your choice for wading rivers and screw some carbide studs in them for even better grip on slippery rocks. Then buy a pair of cheap hiking boots, two sizes and one width up from your normal shoe size for duck hunting. This is what I do currently. $40 dollar Amazon hiking boots in 14 wide (EE). I wear a 12 normal width (D) in running shoes.

-Get a pair of sticky rubber boots and screw in carbide spikes. This setup can do double duty for fishing and duck hunting, though it's a compromise on traction in both environments.

-Get a pair of Korkers and buy yourself a set of extra Vibram Trek soles. That's the deepest lug they offer. For extra security thread a piece of para cord through the hole in the rear tab of the soles, then tie the other end to the pull tab on the boot. If a sole does pop out while walking it will still be hanging off your boot and you can re-attach it.


I do not know why some company doesn't make a durable leather wading boot with a deep lug sole. The original Simms guide boot with a heavy lug would be perfect. Until then...

Edit: I forgot to mention that I agree with @Ferrulewax in his assessment of the BOA system on wading boots. They are mildly convenient until they're VERY inconvenient. When they fail in the field it's a giant pain to fix. Laced boots only require a knot or an extra pair of laces or some paracord or some heavy mono and you're back in business.

 

[SteveAndTheCrigBoys]

Well it seems like I could buy the korkers mainly for fishing and try some cheapo oversized boots for the duck hunting. Worst case I end up using the korkers duck hunting too and buy extra soles. Lots of good advice here, thanks everyone.