Trade-in old felt sole wading boots to save 20%

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

Simms has a great deal they are offering at our annual Kiene's Fly Shop Expo, April 17, 2010, next Saturday from 9am till 5pm.

You bring in any pair of felt or studded felt sole wading boots and you can trade them in on a new pair of Simms "StreamTread" wading boots starting at $99.95 and save 20%.

I guess that is a "no brainer?"

[flyfish707]

Hi, I don't want to cause any trouble. but, if i keep wearing the really expensive felt wading boots that i just bought, on my coastal streams, am i going to cause any damage for the wild steelhead? and, frankly, do any of you have some data that proves some kind of damage that i might be causing by wearing my expensive felt boots? I have yet to see a reason for me to stop wearing felt on coastal rivers for salmon and steelhead. let me know what the negative results will be. thanks, chris

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

This is a wild subject.....

I have read that some people think the new rubber soles are dangerous to humans too.

Well, if they outlaw the sale of felt soles on CA we won't have any choice here.

Another reality is that many of the boot manufacturers will stop offering felt soles.

It is always good to discuss all this though.

[wjorg]

I am appalled at the marketing trick the fly fishing industry is trying to pull over our eyes.

Next they will ban flies because they can absorb didymo.

Where does it stop? Not to mention there is no statistically significant data.

Who has to get sued for reccommending rubber soles on wet rocks? It should be a crime.

Bill, don't drink the Kool Aid. They didn't put any sugar in it!

....And you are our only voice back to the stupid manufacturers.

[OceanSunfish]

I will wear my trusted felt soled boots until the day they are outlawed..... I have a collection of boots, one of which is dedicated to the American River only!

IMO, all wading boots worn in waters infested with NZMS or some other undesirable critter should be dyed Flo Chartruese or Hot Orange, etc. It may look silly, as everyone on the American would be wearing Hot Orange boots, but you would know immediately that those boots don't belong in the Truckee should someone be wearing them there, etc.

Seems simple and emphasizes peer pressure, public awareness, etc.

Of course, this idea assumes there are 'funds' available for law enforcement, etc.

[Ed Wahl]

I just want to throw in a word from the 'front'.

Didymo is here.

Right in our back yard.

The Rubicon has had it for years, as have a number of other streams within an hour and a half of Sacramento.

To each and every one of you who think it's a "little" deal, I'll be happy to take you up for a personal look see next summer.

Didymo, or,Didymosphenesis Geminada,rock snot, is actually native to our region, but in the last 15 years or so it has morphed and become a rampant algea. It completley covers the stream bottom, all insects and the fish feeding on them are affected. No one really knows why this has happened, but in New Zealand they take this threat very seriously.

If this was something that only occured far away I'd just let you clowns cry about having to change your wading boots,(yeah, boo hoo) but this is right here, right now. It's our problem, and it's up to us to find a way to stop it.

We got NZMS from anglers visiting New Zealand, and New Zealand got Didymo from anglers visiting from the U.S.

This has really got to stop. We have met the enemy, and he is us.

Rubber soles may or may not be the answer but we sure as hell have to do something to keep it from spreading any further.

Ed

[Fats]

I just want to throw in a word from the 'front'.

Didymo is here.

Right in our back yard.

The Rubicon has had it for years, as have a number of other streams within an hour and a half of Sacramento.

To each and every one of you who think it's a "little" deal, I'll be happy to take you up for a personal look see next summer.

Didymo, or,Didymosphenesis Geminada,rock snot, is actually native to our region, but in the last 15 years or so it has morphed and become a rampant algea. It completley covers the stream bottom, all insects and the fish feeding on them are affected. No one really knows why this has happened, but in New Zealand they take this threat very seriously.

If this was something that only occured far away I'd just let you clowns cry about having to change your wading boots,(yeah, boo hoo) but this is right here, right now. It's our problem, and it's up to us to find a way to stop it.

We got NZMS from anglers visiting New Zealand, and New Zealand got Didymo from anglers visiting from the U.S.

This has really got to stop. We have met the enemy, and he is us.

Rubber soles may or may not be the answer but we sure as hell have to do something to keep it from spreading any further.

Ed

So does anybody know what changed to make the native and once benign algae into super snot?

[OceanSunfish]

So does anybody know what changed to make the native and once benign algae into super snot?

Rampant overuse of chemical fertilizers.....

IMO, if we're going to continue to practice over develpment nearest areas with direct run off to streams and rivers, we need to understand that we cannot 'live' how we once lived when California was populated by much less people, etc.

For example, is there a real reason why we need so much lawn? Cut out lawns in common areas and houses alone, and there would be tremendous drop in chemical fertizer usage, not to mention water!

Leftover, would only be playground fields, athletic fields, and even golf courses. This is an easier amount of area to regulate with perhaps a migration towards organic fertilization practices....

I agree in that I will try to prevent the spread of these 'critters' from one stream to the next. As I said, I have a dedicated pair of boots for the American only. Also, I can see wearing rubber soled boots on smaller streams and creeks where footing or rather drowning, isn't as much an issue as on the American.....

If you're an avid fisherman, then I don't see a problem spending $$$ on several pairs of wading boots to deter the spread of "snot" and "critters". Heck, many of us who play golf purchase a certain type or loft of club just for a particular hole on a particular golf course we may play once or twice a year! I believe fly fisherman do the same with rods and lines for a particular body of water, speices, patterns, presentation, time of year, etc.

My suggestion of special "colored" boots for a particular body of water(s) isn't laughable, really. Of course, it does rely on personal responsibilty and accountability...... A whole other topic...