Hello to all you nighttime red eyed zombie rock hoppers. For years I searched for wading boots that offered lasting traction on slippery smooth boulders and bubble weed. There are a lot of nice spiked boots with a hefty price out there, but no one has made a boot with lugs that last more than two weeks in the terrain we prefer to fish in.
Below are photos of a pair of two week old Korker sandels. As you can see they look two years old! The other photos are my modified wading boot from Chota after two months.
I have used Simms carbide tipped felt wading boot and the Korker guide wading boots in the past. The Simms didn't have enough traction in bubble weed and the Korker guide boots cost a fortune replacing 5-7 lugs with every outing.
Last year I bought a pair of Chota STL wading boot that except replaceable hardened steel screws. Those screws rounded over in no time and felt like ball bearings under foot. I searched the web and came across these carbide tipped screw heads made for snowmobiles. One of the companies, "Trail Grabbers", soldier carbide chips to the head of a screw. Awesome traction for jetty terrain and slopped surfaces due to it's low profile, where as a tall lug would tend to lay over to the side and loose it's bit into the stone.
The other company, called "Wearbars" makes a tall lug giving you a good bit into bubble weed. My boots have both types of lugs in the sole but that is going to change this year as I plan on using all tall lugs for my type of fishing
They are a buck a piece but in the right hard rubber or dense felt sole, they out last anything else out there. The only weakness is what they're screwed into as far as I can tell.
These 1/2" screws hold very well in any location of the Chota's dense felt sole and can't speak for any other boot out there. I've noticed the Chota is a heavy boot when wet and never really dries out from day to day, but they cost me some coin and I'm determined to get my money's worth out of them before I try these screws on another brand of boot.
I'm not saying Chota is the boot to get but rather make sure the screws hold well enough in the boots you choose before you go out in the field and loose them all.
Good luck out there this season.
Below are photos of a pair of two week old Korker sandels. As you can see they look two years old! The other photos are my modified wading boot from Chota after two months.
I have used Simms carbide tipped felt wading boot and the Korker guide wading boots in the past. The Simms didn't have enough traction in bubble weed and the Korker guide boots cost a fortune replacing 5-7 lugs with every outing.
Last year I bought a pair of Chota STL wading boot that except replaceable hardened steel screws. Those screws rounded over in no time and felt like ball bearings under foot. I searched the web and came across these carbide tipped screw heads made for snowmobiles. One of the companies, "Trail Grabbers", soldier carbide chips to the head of a screw. Awesome traction for jetty terrain and slopped surfaces due to it's low profile, where as a tall lug would tend to lay over to the side and loose it's bit into the stone.
The other company, called "Wearbars" makes a tall lug giving you a good bit into bubble weed. My boots have both types of lugs in the sole but that is going to change this year as I plan on using all tall lugs for my type of fishing
They are a buck a piece but in the right hard rubber or dense felt sole, they out last anything else out there. The only weakness is what they're screwed into as far as I can tell.
These 1/2" screws hold very well in any location of the Chota's dense felt sole and can't speak for any other boot out there. I've noticed the Chota is a heavy boot when wet and never really dries out from day to day, but they cost me some coin and I'm determined to get my money's worth out of them before I try these screws on another brand of boot.
I'm not saying Chota is the boot to get but rather make sure the screws hold well enough in the boots you choose before you go out in the field and loose them all.
Good luck out there this season.