The Northern California Fly Fishing Board

P-t-goni- vs. -imm- Mid-$$. Been a H-dgem-n guy and thought I'd try something else for a change. Looking for a slimmer/tighter fit. Will be used primarily Oct-May. Sturdier might be OK, $450+ won't.

5-wt WF/DT for a 2-pc rpl+. Been a C-rtl-nd guy and thought I'd try... Haven't heard good things about the Sh-rk lines. Not interested in a clear line.

I appreciate any input you might have. I thought a change might be interesting, so I thought I'd try some different products.

Going to a LOCAL fly shop reminds me of going to a sushi bar, so many decisions to make:
What's new? What's that? What's on his plate? What's fresh? Should I try it? Is it any good?

TIA!!

I have Simms and have been pretty satisfied with the overall performance. So much so that this is my second pair. If price is a consideration, you might wish to look at Orvi$ Tailwater waders as they are marked down and they will kick in a pair of wading boots for free until the end of the month. They convert to waist highs, which is a pretty nice. I haven't owned anything from Orvis, but I have buddies that swear by the product, if not for anything else other than the warranty offered. On breathables, you are going to cry only once, during the purchase. And of course, if you have enough balls, you can see how well the others hold up on their warranty. It is priced into the product, right?


http://www...18018&Group_ID=18030

As far as the fly line for your RPL+, I'm was partial to Wulff Triangle taper when I owned the same rod. The guy that bought it from me did likewise after trying out the rod. A lot of shops don't carry it, but you can find it at Cabelas. Try to sample as many lines as you can before your purchase. Your local fly shop can probably help you there.

Thanx gitt-

Forgot about -rvis. I will look at them also as I usually wear my waders as "waist high" anyways. If I can get a pair of felt soled boots that would be a plus. I just bought a pair of boots with the Streamtread soles and I am less than happy. They are wading boots that work great for hiking, but not so great in the water. If not for the cleats, I might have put the boots ebay by now. I am aware that -rvis has a pretty good, and well earned reputation with customers, I might take advantage of that.

$$ is not necessarily a deciding factor, it's just that I can't see spending $500 or more on a pair of waders. Sheesh, I don't have a problem taking off my vest and undoing my suspenders to take a leak.

I will try the Triangle tapered line, sounds like it might be a good one for the rod.

I really enjoy that rod and am curious why you got rid of it, and what you replaced it with. I have not bought a new rod in a few years and I feel like I'm about due. I am considering a shorter 4wt, as well as a 10'(?) 6/7wt for fall steelhead.

JGB wrote:
P-t-goni- vs. -imm- Mid-$$. Been a H-dgem-n guy and thought I'd try something else for a change. Looking for a slimmer/tighter fit. Will be used primarily Oct-May. Sturdier might be OK, $450+ won't.

Simms fit are a bit more precise compared to Patagonia if you want a slimmer/tighter fit. Keep in mind that you will need to have room for layering for those winter months.

I'm partial to Patagonia for its customer service. I sent a pair of boots to them in which their soles delaminated. I had a brand new pair of boots back to me within two days.

I own the Watermaster II waders. I'm happy with them. No leaks after 100+ days of use. The lighter Watermaster is still in the line up, but it is not as heavy duty in some areas.

5-wt WF/DT for a 2-pc rpl+. Been a C-rtl-nd guy and thought I'd try... Haven't heard good things about the Sh-rk lines. Not interested in a clear line.

If I recall correctly, the RPL+ is a quick loading rod. Use a Rio Grand or a SA Master GPX.

AB

Most manufacturers are moving away from felt soled boots, as they are too good at transporting NZ snails and didemo or three guys named Moe or however that bad stuff is spelled. Something to keep in mind.

Thanx, I realize that, that's why I originally bought the boots. Carrying around a 5gal bucket of sanitizer is a pain in the U-No-What. Unfortunately, those soles just don't hold the rocks like felt soles do. Cleats help a lot. Maybe the next generation will be better.

I guess I could wade less aggressively, I am not getting younger...naaaaaah. For now.

Heard that NZ has banned felt soles completely?

My first RPL+ was an upgrade rod, which then was lost via leaving it on top of my burb and driving off in rain storm. The last RPL+ was purchased this spring as used, sight unseen from a buddy that had used it hard and used by a shop owner previously before him. I paid $150 for it. I didn't have any emotional attachment and sold it within month a another buddy, an East coast striper guy who never owned anything lighter than a 10 wt. and was looking for a trout rod. I told him to come by and cast it. He liked it and pulled out the cash immediately. I replaced it with a used Winston Boron IIMX off of eBay after I cast one at a demo day.

BTW, I don't own the zipper model on the Simms waders. I can't justify the price either. Get studded boots, they're tough to beat.

I bought a pair of Simms aquastealth boots, my second pair--though the first pair had cleats, this pair doesn't. Unfortunately there is a huge difference in wading, as my recent trip to Montana showed. Or maybe I'm just getting klutzier as I get older, too. Nah, almost every step was slippery. Just pulled out the old pair and repaired them a bit today, hopefully can get a couple more years out of them. Thinking about contacting Simms about trading in the non-cleated pair.

I think I heard that about NZ, too.

I use Chota boots and have for years. Not expensive, and they last quite a while, at least two or three seasons from my experience.

However, the felt soles don't have cleats and they are "sold separately," which is understandable, given the low price of the boots. The "cleats" that they sell for the boots are nothing more than sheet metal screws, and a fly shop wanted eight bucks for a pack of 20. Hah! I went to the local hardware store and bought a box of 100 count No. 6x3/8" type AB sheet metal screws for about four dollars, screwed 'em into the felt and they work just fine.

Just and idea to cleat your boots, keep you dry, and save some cash.

Cheers!

--FlyGuy (Dave)

Good idea--I'll give it a try.

Is aquastealth the old version of streamtread? Looked at the -imm- site and couldn't seem to find any current boots with the aquastealth.

You might try putting cleats on yourself, I have done it to both felt and streamtread. The do-it-yourself cleats work pretty good. They have a bigger exposed head, you get to select where to locate them on your sole(helps for various toe/heel "holds" that are unique to your type of wading), and you can put on as many as you want! I have never had a cleat fall out before the sole wore out.

For my current pair of streamtreads I grabbed the first container of cleats that I saw on the shelf - $19.95. Little did I know that I was supposed to buy the cleats especially made for streamtread soles - $29.95! My "cheapies" seem to be staying in just fine.

Maybe I could have saved even more if I was a smart as Flyguy! -imm- does put what looks like a small pile of carbide shavings(?) on the actual head of the cleat to add a little more grippyness though. The cleats must be installed with a hex head driver because of that. Like Flyguy says, they are essentially sheetmetal screws otherwise.

That's good to know about -imm-, might give them a leg up with me. No pun intended. I'll have to do some comparison fitting to make my final decision.

Probably have to look seriously at the SA Mastery(non-GPX) because it has a DT line, while the others mentioned don't.

Thanx for the input.

BTW, your recall is correct.