Two questions

[misfish]

First question

 

Waders.

 

Boots or socked neopreans

 

How is the redhead brand from BPS?

 

 

Backing line and main line for a float reel? Coloured line?

[NAC]

White River waders at BPS are decent and should be on sale soon. Go neoprene foot and boots(not booted waders) but put a little money into the boots, so they last more than one season.

 

Backing line, dacron or some cheap heavier mono. Suffix Seige is very good affordable mainline. Coloured mainline is very ghey and totally unecessary if you pay attention the the drift and your float.

 

these are all just my opinions of course.

 

Good luck man and will maybe see you on the river!

Edited March 5, 2011 by nomad

[MJL]

Brian, does this mean you've caught the steelhead disease?

 

For backing, I use either fly line backing or dacron (I have Cortland Musky Master on one of my reels). For mainline, I've been happy with 10lb Raven in either green or smoke grey. I personally don't like using bright, coloured mainlines...Many people do though...Like Nomad said, I just keep an eye on my float at all times during the drift.

 

You should try both styles of waders on at the store to see which one feels more comfortable to you. I've always used stockingfoots myself. I figure when the boots wear out, I can just buy a new pair instead of replacing the whole thing.

[ChrisK]

I would go with the stocking foot with the separate boots. This way you can get a top quality boot or waders and replace one or the other when needed. Many brands out there but price usually dictates quality but once again many may disagree.

8lb Suffix is good line and stay away from the colored lines but not because they are gay but because you don't need to see the main line when running a float like mentioned above.Oh ya,stay away from using braided main line ,personal preference of mine.

Your backing can be a dacron. Just keep in mind that it is a filler and will never be used in battle unless of course you don't have enough main line on your reel for some reason or another...

 

Good Luck !!

[kickingfrog]

Brian, does this mean you've caught the steelhead disease?

 

 

I think it's more of a relapse... or a result of him going of his meds:whistling:

 

Waders really are a personal thing that you may only be able to decide after spending hours a cold river.

[solopaddler]

Brian I'm not a fan of the BPS brand of waders.

 

If you buy any kind of "house brand" I'd go with Cabelas. If it's something you're contemplating ordering soon I've shipped a bunch of stuff to a friend in Ohio.

 

You're more than welcome to do the same. I'll be meeting with him to pick up my stuff sometime in late March.

 

I do agree with stocking foot waders and wading boots as opposed to bootfoot, at least for the bulk of your fishing.

 

Bootfoot waders are unbeatable though for winter steelheading as they'll keep your feet 10X warmer than stocking foot waders when standing in ice water for hours.

 

As far as backing goes I believe it's only truly necessary if the reel's spool is super deep. You don't have to fill a float reel right to the lip. In fact it may perform better if slightly underfilled. Less issues with line running amok in windy conditions.

 

Recently I've been constructing arbors out of thin adhesive backed cork for some of my reels. It's a fantastic alternative to filling up your reel with heavy dacron.

 

As far as mainline goes I'm not a fan of fluorescent lines.

 

Probably the best all around value that's readily available is Raven Mainline in dark green.

I use 12lb regularly (it's very thin line), but 10 would be okay too.

 

On a side note I mailed you a package last week, havn't you received it yet?

[Guest ThisPlaceSucks]

i second solo's cabelas suggestion. i have owned both cabelas and bps and the bps boots blew apart, and the wader seams needed frequent repair.

 

my job issues cabelas and i have had them in every thorn bush and over every farmers barbed wire from northern ontario to new york state, and they received minimal damage. the cabelas neoprene socked breathables are phenomenal for their price.

 

for my line i use dacron backing and spool up with 10lb line, typically either raven (smoke coloured) or maxima (green). fluoro lines aren't my thing either.

[Jacob]

I have the Redhead neoprean stocking foot waders and they are great waders for the price. I would go with stocking foot if I was you and don't cheap out on the boots. Because boot foot waders tend to get leaks at the boot seam.

[Sinker]

The cabela's waders are pretty good B. I like the bootfoots personally, I've had issues with stocking foot waders wearing out in the feet. The BPS Redhead waders have a wicked warranty. I've replaced a couple pairs free of charge from BP a couple times now. Never an issue, and always free replacement. Mind you, I'm wearing waders for duck hunting, not fishing, so they are a little more heavy duty, and A LOT warmer.

 

S.

[thebigcatch]

for line i use 6lb raven and i like the florence colours but thats just me

[brifishrgy]

I am going to be picking up a new pair of waders this spring too, going with the hip waders, I find chest waders too restrictive

[Rustic-Fisher]

My opinion on the bps waders is that the only good thing about them is when they do leak, you should not have that much of a problem returning them and exchanging them for new ones. Don't get me wrong BPS makes some great gear (2yrs working part time there equals a ton of discounted bps gear lol) but lots of waders go back, including a few pairs from me.

In my opinion spend as much as you can on waders/outdoor clothing. Nothing is worse then being out in the elements soaked and cold because of gear thats not up to par for what your doing.

I m a fan of Simms, seemed to have great customer service and a good product, only catch is you pay the $$$ for them unless you find them on sale or clearance.

That being said if your only hitting the rivers 5-6 times a season they could be you ticket. When fishing a system like the Notty its not the wading that beats the waders up its all the bush whacking getting to the great drifts. This is tough on any wader. Neoprene waders + miles of walking equals Exhaustion.

Agree with the Cabela's brand for the $$$ have friends that beat em up good and they seem to take it.

 

Dacron+10lb Ande mono is what I run on my rigs, not a fan of the hi viz stuff either.

 

If you go with the sock footed waders make sure you try them on with the boots you intend on using, comfort matters when your spending full days on the river.

 

GG

[misfish]

Wow lots of great advise here.Thanks guys.

 

Next weekend will be my purchace of waders/reel and line.I was going to buy the reel today (Raven Matrix)but will wait.

Today I picked up some odds and ends.The vest is very cool and comfortable.

 

 

 

 

 

Brian, does this mean you've caught the steelhead disease?

 

Just getting back into it.Use to do alot back when.

 

 

Mike nothing here bud.

Edited March 5, 2011 by Misfish

[misfish]

Another question. I thought I read somewhere here that the felt bottom boots were restricted. True/false?

[NANUK]

SIMMS for waders and go with stocking foot,

if you're on a budget, CADDIS waders are pretty reasonable with awesome customer service,

As for boots, I have yet to find anything more comfortable(and warm) then my SIMMS G4 wading boots. you want good circulation to keep your feet warm so buy at least one size larger then your regular street shoes. I bought them two sizes large and they are very comfortable and warm with thick wool socks on those cold spring/fall days. I can always tighten the laces with lighter socks.

[Snidley]

I don't stream fish much anymore with the exception of the Niagara Whirlpool where hiking is a big part of the experience. I have found that wading boots of all types are A) reletively heavy and B)fairly expensive with very poor orthotics. Over the years I have become a devotee of using lightweight running shoes instead of wading boots (combined with stockingfoot waders). You do need to look for decent quality running/hiking shoes and they do wear out but the experience is much better imo. The latest type of running shoes that I now use, with great satisfaction I might add, are Asics GeL-Artics (a Chinese mispelling of Arctic I'm sure). These are extremely lightweight jogging shoes specifically for winter use. They are light and come equiped with metal cleats moulded into the outsole of the shoe, for traction on ice for the runner. For anglers the cleats grip exceptionally well on algae covered rocks while also gripping the intended ice and snow. They are MUCH better than any boot I have ever seen, including my buddies Simms studded boots. I have only seen them at The Running Room Outlet in Mississauga (near the 427/QEW) My first pair was $29.95 but I bought 2 more pairs further discounted to $19.95. Don't know if they still have any but when I bought the last 2 pairs a few months ago there were still lots left.I highly recommend these shoes or similar offerings from other manufacturers.

[Rustic-Fisher]

Another question. I thought I read somewhere here that the felt bottom boots were restricted. True/false?

Lots of place's in the states have ban them In effort to curb AIS (Aquatic Invasive Species) and other nasty diseases associated with trout streams such as Whirling disease. No ban here though.

[irishfield]

Remember those old days that you fished them same rivers in a pair of $25 CTC rubbers and the only spinning rod you owned Brian???

 

..it'll all still work! Don't worry about the snickers from the bullies saying you look like a goof... that have to fight their way thru the timber jams being careful not snag their fancy duds or break their fancy rod?

[misfish]

Remember those old days that you fished them same rivers in a pair of $25 CTC rubbers and the only spinning rod you owned Brian???

 

..it'll all still work! Don't worry about the snickers from the bullies saying you look like a goof... that have to fight their way thru the timber jams being careful not snag their fancy duds or break their fancy rod?

 

 

I do remember slipping and having a pr of CT rubber wadders full of water carrying me down the river one day. Thats when I started wearing a belt. Want to try something new Wayne.No worries,wont get out of hand on the fashion statement. Things sure have changed though from 25 yrs agao.

Edited March 5, 2011 by Misfish

[irishfield]

LOL Bud! Just yankin your chain! You spend as much money as BETTIE WILL LET YOU !!! LOL

[solopaddler]

Another question. I thought I read somewhere here that the felt bottom boots were restricted. True/false?

 

Whether they're restricted or not stay away from them! They're horrible in mud and snow.

 

The best type of sole is rubber lug with the addition of small spikes.

 

This combination isn't perfect but is the best all around for most surfaces.

 

Probably the best value today in that style of boot are the Cabelas Guidewear boots.

 

They're made by Chota for Cabelas. Identical to the Chota boots, but waaay cheaper. They're super light and very comfortable too.

 

http://www.cabelas.com/product/Footwear/Mens-Footwear/Mens-Waders/Mens-Wading-Boots/Cabelas-Guidewear-Wading-Boots%7C/pc/104797980/c/104747580/sc/104674680/i/103896180/e/6847/Cabelas-Guidewear-Pro-Rubber-Sole-Wading-Boots/e/6847/722458.uts?destination=/catalog/ensemble.jsp%3FparentCategoryId%3D104797980%26categoryId%3D104747580%26subCategoryId%3D104674680%26indexId%3D103896180%26ensembleId%3D6847%26type%3Densemble%26destination%3D%252Fcatalog%252Fproduct.jsp%253FproductId%253D722459%2526type%253Dproduct%2526Ntk%253DAllProducts%2526searchPath%253D%25252Fcatalog%25252Fsearch%25252F%25253FN%25253D1000002949%252526Ne%25253D1000002949%252526Ntk%25253DAllProducts%252526Ntt%25253Dwading%25252Bboots%252526Ntx%25253Dmode%2525252Bmatchall%252526WTz_l%25253DHeader%2525253BSearch-All%25252BProducts%252526WTz_st%25253DSearchRefinements%252526form_state%25253DsearchForm%252526search%25253Dwading%25252Bboots%252526x%25253D16%252526y%25253D11%2526Ntt%253Dwading%252Bboots%2526WTz_l%253DHeader%25253BSearch-All%252BProducts&categoryIds=104797980|104747580|104674680|103896180

Edited March 5, 2011 by solopaddler

[misfish]

LOL Bud! Just yankin your chain

 

Well atleast someone is.

[Rustic-Fisher]

Remember those old days that you fished them same rivers in a pair of $25 CTC rubbers and the only spinning rod you owned Brian???

 

..it'll all still work! Don't worry about the snickers from the bullies saying you look like a goof... that have to fight their way thru the timber jams being careful not snag their fancy duds or break their fancy rod?

Could not be more true lol, My wife gave me a custom tied stick for our first anniversary that I am scared to death of breaking lol.

[misfish]

I don't stream fish much anymore with the exception of the Niagara Whirlpool where hiking is a big part of the experience. I have found that wading boots of all types are A) reletively heavy and B)fairly expensive with very poor orthotics. Over the years I have become a devotee of using lightweight running shoes instead of wading boots (combined with stockingfoot waders). You do need to look for decent quality running/hiking shoes and they do wear out but the experience is much better imo. The latest type of running shoes that I now use, with great satisfaction I might add, are (a Chinese mispelling of Arctic I'm sure). These are extremely lightweight jogging shoes specifically for winter use. They are light and come equiped with metal cleats moulded into the outsole of the shoe, for traction on ice for the runner. For anglers the cleats grip exceptionally well on algae covered rocks while also gripping the intended ice and snow. They are MUCH better than any boot I have ever seen, including my buddies Simms studded boots. I have only seen them at The Running Room Outlet in Mississauga (near the 427/QEW) My first pair was $29.95 but I bought 2 more pairs further discounted to $19.95. Don't know if they still have any but when I bought the last 2 pairs a few months ago there were still lots left.I highly recommend these shoes or similar offerings from other manufacturers.

 

I did some research on these,Asics GeL-Artics ,thier running shoes,yes/no? I dont see them standing up for my needs,but thanks for your input Snidley.

 

As for the wadder boots Mike thanks for your input. I,ll get what I can and see.Thanks again.

I have looked at many styles of insulated wadders and neopreans.Im still racking my brain. Late spring and early fall ,I can see using the insulated wadders,but come the colder weather/waters,neoprean is my pref. Sock vs boot? Still on the teetertodder.

 

As for backing on the reel,thanks again for alls input again.Theres an old school thing with duct tape I have used. May work,did on my spinning reels,but like said,if the spool is not that deep,then nay not be required.

 

I used to be a big fan of Ande line and maxima green.

 

I,ll keep ya posted on my journey to pinning.