Korker wading boots with interchangeable soles.

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

Anyone here use these boots?

[Tony Buzolich]

Bill, I've been selling them for almost a year now and guys either lovem' or hate'm.

They are a novel idea but the interchangeable sole doesn't come to the edge of the upper so there is a slight instability and your foot wants to roll. Also, if dirt gets under the sole it's hard to get a good fit when installing or changing sole patterns.

Your feet are everything and poor comfort here could ruin a great day of fishing.
TONY

[Ed Wahl]

Met a guy salmon fishing on the American that had a pair, he didn't like them. He tried the felt and the cleats but he was still slipping constantly. I saw him fall twice when he ran a hot fish down the rapids, he was an older gentleman but very game, he said he was going back to regular felt soled boots asap. Ed

[nightgoat]

I have mixed feelings about these boots. I've had a pair for a little over a year now. I have not had any problems slipping or twisting ankles. What I really like about them is the soles. I sometimes hike for a ways to get to where I want to fish and it's very handy to be able to wear one pair of boots and just switch the soles before I get in the water. Also, I recently did some surf fishing and was able to just use my normal boots with the hiking soles. And I find them to be very comfortable to wear (usually, see below).

What I don't like is that if they dry out thoroughly, they shrink a couple of sizes. And when you live in Sac in the summertime, it doesn't take long for your boots to dry out. It makes it uncomfortable until you can get em in the water to stretch out. Also, the first pair of felt soles came apart after about 9 months. But I think they have fixed this problem. The new soles I got were riveted as well as glued.

Overall I would say that I would probably buy another pair when these the wear out.

[WillJ]

I have gone the distance with these boots and I love them and hate them.
I think I am on the 3rd pair at this point. Korkers has been very very helpful to me. I have had problems with the soles coming off the boot while wading. If you talk to enough people that use these boots you will inevitably find a few that fish a lot that this happens too. Every time this has started to happen with consistancy, they have replaced the boot immediately.
I could go on and I will if you want more info Bill.
They have told me they are designing a boot with an "injection molded" replaceable sole. I think if this product is solid it will sweep the market. Bill have you seen their sandals? Same idea but with the boots.
The (Outfitter) boots themselves are extremely comfortable and bulletproof.
It's such a great idea. Interchangeable soles on the same boot? It rocks!
BUT, if they don't get the sole issue worked out, they are gonna lose their base.
My $0.02
Will

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

Thanks for the great feedback guys.

This info is very helpful...........

[WillJ]

Bill,
Did you carry the Bite Steelhead boot? They are a golf shoe manufacturer that got into the fly game recently. Interested to hear what you/your customers thought.
Thanks,
Will

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

Bite makes good products. They are famous for their outdoor sandals.

I don't remember seeing their SH boots?

[Cal]

I used a pair of Bite Steelheader Boots for a season.

I think they are a reasonalby good design that has not been completely optimised. I have a pair of the felt soled boots with removable spikes.

The feature I liked the best about the boots is the grip allowed by the Ouzel spikes. The "Ouzel" spikes are large and mushroom shaped and made of soft aluminum that grips rocks really well. The drawback to the boot design is that the spikes wear out pretty fast -- a whole set is useless after a year of use. In addition, the spikes are individually screwed into the sole and are not securely held in place. I lost a lot of them, even though I tried to make sure that I tightened them before every outing. If you want to remove or install the spikes it is a time consuming process because there are 10 spikes per boot (and 10 plastic fillers to fill the spike holes). I never used the plastic fillers because it meant a total to 40 individual operations to completely remove or replace spikes.

I gave up and do not use the Bite Steelheader boots anymore.

I do appreciate the efforts of companies like Korkers to save us the necessity of buying multiple pairs of boots to cover all of our fishing situations. I used to keep a pair with felts for granite and slicker volacanic rock (such as the Stan below Tulloch or the San Lorenzo River Gorge), a pair of felts/spikes for most other rivers and a pair of rubber soles/spikes for snow (I lived in the midwest for awhile and did a fair amount of winter steelheading). It was a pain to carry all the boots around.

Recently, I have been using an Orvis boot with interchangeable soles that has been discontinued. They look a lot like Korkers (a grey colored version of the Orvis Henry's Fork Boot) and may have been a prototype sold under the Orvis label. I like them pretty well, the soles screw in tight and I generally do not have to worry about them coming loose or getting to much debris trapped underneath. Just like Korkers, buying all the interchangeable soles was pricey.

[Digger]

I had wondered about these convertibles my self, does sound like a good idea if you've a ways to hike to your spot. They don't seem as though they would hold up for long. Carrying a pair of wading boots kind of sucks.

In fast water (e.g. big rivers) I put on Dan Baileys 'Stream Cleats'.
These slip completely over your regular felt boots and have the most gnarly alum cleats over felt. The 'U' extruded alum runs laterally across the foot in a zig/zag pattern, so there's more surface area of cleat contact. I wade rivers like the Klamath farther out than most, and sans wading staff. These over my Chotas are the combo I use for steelhead fishing, a bit of an over kill for most trout streams. The neoprene also adds more protection above the sole.
Downside is they're a tad heavy. About $60, so they're pricey, but built to last.