Anybody have any wet wading shoes that they love?

Going to be stream fishing a rocky bed and then trail and road walking back to the truck.

Nothing to recommend but many years ago my friend and I hiked the Narrows together. I wore river shoes, he wore river shoes with socks.

After seven miles in the river the first day my feet were so raw I was honestly worried about needing rescue. That night we duct taped both of my feet really well, basically making duct tape socks to wear inside my shoes.

Effing miserable. Took months for the my feet to fully heal.

So yeah, curious about this.

I wear Simms wading boots with Neoprene socks. I can wear them all day for many days in a row with no issues. They aren't cheap, but my legs and knees are past 50 years old now, so I'm not into cheap crap that hurts my legs or knees. Used to wade in almost any kind of sneaker when I was a kid.

I've picked up a pair of the Simms Flats sneakers last year. Use them to wet wade on the Texas coast. We are usually in the water for 5-7 hours on a trip. Wading on everything from nice sandy bottom to sea grass and oyster reefs. I'm over 50 and having a good pair of wading shoes makes a huge difference in time on the water. Support on ankles/legs helps the back at the end of the day. Gone are the days we would wader in a pair of old Chuck Taylor's….

https://www.simmsfishing.com/products/flats-sneaker-s19?variant=40836306665662

https://www.skuzeshoes.com/collections/softscience/products/fin-boot

These Softscience are great lightweight wading shoes (while ugly) if you can find them in your size. I wear them with neoprene socks and can go all day.

I'm partial to neoprene socks and Simms wading boots. Nothing else comes close for the reasons elaborated above. Last thing you need in hot summertime vibrio laden salt water are blisters. Need a new pair but supply chain issues now

Simms flats stalkers here too. With "sand socks" off Amazon. Similar to neoprene but much thinner.

Same here. They've been good but the abrasion pads on the toe cracked on mine. Other than that they have been great

CS78 said:

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Simms flats stalkers here too. With "sand socks" off Amazon. Similar to neoprene but much thinner.

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interesting - which model do you use? The grip sock or the sand sock? Do these allow you to use shoe size same as your regular shoes? I bought a pair of neoprene boots for wading and can only wear them sockless because I didn't account for neoprene sock thickness.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B010JCFYR2?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title

They have a thin pad on the bottom. The rest is thinner than a normal sock. I got the medium's and I normally wear a 10EE. I think my Simms are 10s but they are wider than most shoes. Also, they have a small piece of velcro on the back that can be annoying. I'll probably try a different brand when I get more.

Test out whatever you got before gametime.

Nothing will destroy your feet faster,

Thanks for the link. Can't tell you how many webites I went through trying to find these only to see out of stock. I was reccomended these a year or so ago and was never able to find them.

Neoprene socks with felt sole boots

For river fishing I wear my Korkers with neoprene socks. Not sure I would trust flats boots on river rocks.

Oh wait...do you mean a cold water stream? You may want some Simms with felt etc. I just fish mine in the Texas Coast saltwater environment. I am not the guy to ask about cold water wading boots. I just use whatever gear the guide provides me with. Usually Simms or Patagonia boots, but I am not sure what specific models are best.

Spring fed streams in Oklahoma.

Thanks everyone!

The first pair I bought on clearance at academy for like $30. I couldn't find them at one point about a year later and went back to academy but they didn't have my size at that location. Got online to order and saw the company shut down. Ordered 2 pair in my size from Academy but they only sent me one. Fortunately a fishing guide I use had my first ones so I'm back to 2 pairs. Haven't worn the second ones yet. I like them better than the simms flats boots I had before and would buy more in my size if I could find them.

Stat Monitor Repairman said:

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Test out whatever you got before gametime.

Nothing will destroy your feet faster,

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Now you tell me. 25 year old me was dumb and invincible though, so I probably would've told you YOLO, old man.

This will be my next pair of wet wade shoes. I've heard nothing but positive things about them.

https://www.waterloorods.com/collections/hookset/products/nrs-atb-wetshoes

I really liked the soft science lace up, but the zip up ones didn't hold up at all and gave no support. Simms flat stalker is what I wear with waders and are excellent.