All Points Fly Shop + Outfitter - News

Written by: Joe Webster & Josh Thelin / Photo by: Josh Thelin

Stockingfoot waders, bootfoot waders, wading pants, neoprene, GORE-TEX, Toray…Where do we begin? With so many options available in today's market, we are going to break down when you may want to choose one pair of fishing wader over another or maybe even why you may want to forgo them all together for wet wading. In this post we will compare the different types of waders available, what they are made of, and subcategories of each type to help you better understand how to outfit yourself for your next adventures. We offer Simms and Redington waders here at the shop because we feel that they are the most durable and best made waders on the market, however the following information and ideas can be applied towards many brands of waders. 

What Are Waders Made Of?

For a lot of us, our first memories of fishing waders were a pair of fully neoprene bootfoots that belonged to either our parents or grandparents. Whether they were for fishing or duck hunting, or just putting the dock in/out at camp during the spring/fall, they were clunky and similar to a suit of medieval armor. They also likely weighed a metric ton. However a very warm option, this type of fishing wader has been slowly pushed to the side in lieu of today's more common synthetic-based options. Neoprene waders are certainly still used today, but their application has mostly been applied to very cold conditions. Today, anglers are mostly using stockingfoot or bootfoot waders made of either GORE-TEX or some form of synthetic based material. 

GORE-TEX

GORE-TEX has become the gold standard of waterproof/windproof/breathable material and manufacturing technology. Developed in the 1960's by Bill and Bob Gore in Delaware, it made its appearance in the outdoor world in the 1970's with GORE-TEX jackets. A giant leap forward in weather/waterproof technology for many applications, it was not long before GORE-TEX is worn on everything from the top of the world's largest peaks to even the moon. Durable, lightweight, and worthy of the wettest conditions, it's well understood why most people prefer GORE-TEX compared to other materials when it comes to outdoor gear. However well-liked, GORE-TEX is costly to manufacture and garments/waders made with it are usually quite a bit more expensive in the retail world.

Toray

Developed in Japan in the mid 1920's, Toray now makes a wide range of synthetic/acrylic based materials. Nylon being the most well known, a greater percentage of outdoor gear is made of some form of Toray blend or similar woven synthetic based materials. When manufactured and made for outdoor gear purposes, it is produced in a similar way to GORE-TEX with the used of multiple layers and sealed seams. Whether it's Toray or a similar Nylon/acrylic based fabric, when manufactured properly, it can produce a weather/waterproof garment which is durable and worthy of our fishing needs.

Pound for pound, when put to the test, I will say that GORE-TEX has the edge in durability and overall weatherproof capabilities. It really however boils down to budget and application. GORE-TEX is a lot of times considerably more expensive. Waders made of GORE-TEX provide a likely longer lasting piece of gear and will give outdoor gear a more waterproof capability. But a fall on rocks, getting nicked by barbed wire or branches while walking, or a hook stuck will most times puncture or damage your waders whether they are Toray or GORE-TEX. So anglers should manage expectations of their usage and budget accordingly.

Types of Waders

Stockingfoot Waders

Stockingfoot waders are the most popular design of waders on the market. These waders are meant to be paired with a separate wading boot and usually come with a neoprene stocking foot combined with some sort of breathable material for the legs and body. Budget friendly waders will often be the least warm to wear (not a bad thing for warmer days) but often only have single or double layer technology that is prone to fail faster than waders such as the G3 or G4 wader by Simms that feature 3 and 4 layer GORE-TEX designs for greatly increased durability. Stockingfoot waders are also available in pant models that only go up to your waist. Stockingfoot waders will be the most comfortable for walking, but be weary of layering too many pairs of socks in them as they are known to cut off circulation which causes cold feet. It is not recommended to use foot warmers with stockingfoot waders as they are known to prematurely wear out the neoprene.

Bootfoot Waders

Bootfoot waders are one of the most underutilized and under appreciated pieces of gear in the fly fishing industry. It is safe to say most people will associate the term Bootfoot Wader with the fully neoprene, super heavy and very uncomfortable brown waders from a certain big box retailer. We want to change this. Bootfoot waders do not need to be heavy, do not need to be uncomfortable, and can make a subzero degree day feel like a summer evening on the beach. Bootfoot waders are really the only way to efficiently keep your feet warm when water is under 40 degree. Cold feet is the number one reason people will stop fishing in the winter months and bootfoot waders solve that. Another great use for bootfoot style waders is fishing in the surf or on sandy beaches. If you have ever warn stockingfoot waders when fishing in the surf, you know that no matter how hard you try, it is impossible to keep every grain of sand out from between your neoprene stocking and wading boot. Sand getting into a wading boot is the number one reason for failed neoprene and bootfoot waders completely solves this problem.It would not be recommended to walk long distances on the beach, or anywhere for that matter, but if you are taking a short stroll from your car to a hole on a freezing cold river or to a sandy beach close to a public parking area, you may want to reconsider boot foot waders. For the best Bootfoot Waders on the market click HERE

Wet Wading

When the water is warm enough, this is always your best bet. Wet wading takes away the need for waders and only requires a pair of wading socks, and your favorite wading boot or shoe. Especially when dealing with saltwater environments wet wading can save you a lot of money due to the harsh nature of wading in the salt. Simms freesalt boots paired with a wading sock and gravel guard is our favorite way to wade here on the Maine coast, especially on rocky shorelines and can also be applied to our rivers and streams around the state. If a rugged boot meant to be warn with a wading sock is too much, another option is using a flats sneaker or bootie that can be warn barefoot or with a lightweight sock. This can often be the best choice if walking very long distances or roaming skinny water flats all day long.

CHECK OUT OUR WADERS AND BOOTS HERE!

If you have any questions about types of waders/wading gear or are curious about what would work best for you, please give us a call or shoot us a message!

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While most of our local fisheries here in Maine have either closed or slowed down for winter things are just heating up in upstate NY for lake run steelhead and brown trout. 

When: 

From late October through mid may steelhead and brown trout migrate from Lake Ontario into the tributaries that feed the lake. The infamous salmon run that occurs in September and goes through mid October is what attracts the first push of steelhead into the rivers. In October and November the steelhead are primarily in the rivers to feed, specifically on the eggs of the salmon that spawn in September and October. Brown trout are fall spawners so their motivation to move in to the rivers stems for the same reason as the salmon: spawning. However brown trout will gladly pick away at eggs and nymphs on their way up stream and can provide good opportunity throughout the winter months as many will hold in the rivers after they spawn as well. Steelhead will constantly enter river systems throughout the winter months often using bumps in water flow to move upstream. When they first enter they are dime bright silver fish that fight comparably to our landlocked salmon here in Maine. Expect long runs and jumps. Once the fish have been in the river for a while they tend to color up and become a little lethargic behaving more like your average resident rainbow trout. Steelhead will hold in rivers and feed all winter long. Late winter and early spring signals steelhead spawning time. At this point the fish in spawn will be mostly colored up and in skinny water sitting on or near their redds. It is always best to leave spawning fish alone but once steelhead finish their spawn, unlike salmon, they drop back into the lake and feed voraciously on their way out. This time of year is your best bet to catch steelhead while swinging flies or stripping large streamers. Early spring brown trout fishing can also be spectacular. 

Where: 

Most tributaries that feed into Lake Ontario will hold steelhead and or brown trout at some point in the year. The Salmon River located in Pulaski NY is a good place to start as it will reliably hold steelhead and brown trout throughout the winter no matter what the flows are. Many other smaller tributaries are flow dependent. Ideal flows for someone venturing out for the first time on the Salmon River would be 335cfs-750cfs. Above 1000cfs wading becomes difficult. The salmon river is very easy to navigate as many of the pools are named and easily accessed. The lower fly zone is a fly fishing only section of the river and almost always holds fish but is often crowded. Upper fly zone is the only other FFO water but is seasonal and closed for much of the winter so be sure to check the regulations. If the crowds are not your thing the Douglaston Salmon Run is a pay to fish section that includes the first 3 miles of river. The freshest fish are always caught here and in the winter crowds are very manageable as they have a cap on number of anglers per day. Full day and half day passes are available for purchase. The middle section of the salmon river is also good for finding solitude. Many of the sections near parking lots between Town pool and Pineville will have people fishing them but if you're willing to take a short walk away from the parking lots there is often plenty of space to be had. 

Gear:

Rod and line setup: For single handed rods 7wt and 8 wt in a 9ft to 10ft length paired with a floating line is recommended for fishing with an indicator. Shorter 2 handed rods (13' and under) paired with a skagit line system and a variety of balanced sink tips is recommended for swinging flies. Make sure your reel has a good drag and some solid stopping power.  2x tippet is recommended.

Techniques:

The two most effective ways of catching fish are fishing under an indicator and swinging flies. Bottom bouncing is also a popular technique though it is not one I would recommend as it is a good way to loose your whole fly box in a day and also results in many foul hooked fish due to the amount of weight required. Fishing flies under an indicator is by far the most productive way to catch the lake run fish on a fly rod. Egg patterns and nymphs dead drifted past steelhead are irresistible to them. Swinging flies, though usually not as productive, can still produce good numbers of fish. For those die hard swingers fall and spring are recommended times because the fish are usually more active and willing to move to grab a fly.

       Note: While nymphing, or fishing flies under an indicator, only one fly is allowed to be used at a time. No dropper rigs are allowed on the Salmon River or surrounding tributaries. Always check regulations before venturing out.

Flies:

In the fall it's all about the egg patterns. With salmon just finishing their spawn it is what the steelhead key in on the most. Egg patterns are deadly during the entire time steelhead are in the rivers but in the fall it's hard to throw anything else because they catch so many fish. Glo-bugs, blood dots, sucker spawn, and estaz egg patterns will all produce very well. During the winter months it's good to throw a variety of nymphs in with your egg patterns. Copper Johns, caddis larvae, and various stonefly patterns will all produce fish through the winter and spring months. Wooly buggers are a great versatile flies that can either be swung or fished under an indicator. Smaller buggers (size 10-12) work well in the dead of winter whereas the bigger flies (up to size 4) will produce more results in the spring and fall. If you want to catch fish on the bigger swung flies such as intruders, buggers, or zonkers, the spring is the time to do so.

Clothing:

Dress warm! Especially during the deep winter layer up and dress appropriately. Leave your cotton at home. It's no fun to hike through a couple feet of snow to your spot and have your sweat freeze up 15 minutes after you start fishing. Spikes on your wading boots are a must. Do not cross the river unless you know the right lane to take.

Useful Links:

https://www.fishsalmonriver.com/Regulations (Regulations)

https://www.dec.ny.gov/outdoor/37926.html (General info and river map)

https://www.douglastonsalmonrun.com/Home.aspx (Purchasing passes, lodging, reliable fishing report on website)

https://whitakers.com (local tackle shop and fishing lodge with reliable report on website)

http://www.h2oline.com/default.aspx?pg=si&op=365123 (water flow from the dam @ salmon river) Ideal flow for beginners is 335cfs-750cfs

https://waterdata.usgs.gov/ny/nwis/uv/?site_no=04250200 (mid river water flow taken @ pineville on salmon river)

Photos + Words By: Joe Webster

Joe Webster is a local angler to Maine waters but also spends a lot of time in New York chasing fish around the Great Lake's waters late in the season. Joe is kind enough here to share his knowledge on this subject 

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At our last Maine Bar Fly held at Fore River Brewing, Shaun Baggitt brought us through three nymph patterns. Although these flies are uniquely effective during other times of the year, the winter is when these guys really get their shine! But why is that? Well, midges...During the winter when snow covers the ground and most of the still water is frozen over, insect life starts to slow down as well. The caddis and mayfly hatches that we see during the spring through fall are no longer - the air temperature has essentially halted their maturation process.  But don't fret, there is still life! Behold the midge! 

Even if you have never fished during the winter, you have probably seen a midge whether you knew it or not - especially along the tailwaters here in Maine. Further, you very well might have mistaken it for a mosquito. Midges are found in various arrays of sizes and types and are also high on a trout's grocery list. But, many anglers do not fish them. For some they are too small to tie or even knot on a leader (which is why we tied these on size 12s at the Maine Bar Fly)...for others they don't know how/where to fish them. It's possibly a combination of both. Well if you have never tied a small midge to the end of your leader, to extended tippet off of a dry fly, or at the end of a nymph rig, it's time to give it a try. 

As mentioned, we tied our nymphs at the Bar Fly on size 12s for ease of learning, but midges are seen generally in the 16-18 range with plenty in 22s and beyond. Although this is small, the good thing for the tyer is that there are not a lot of materials involved for most of these midges. For instance, the Zebra Midge (which we tied) is essentially a hook + a bead + thread + wire. That's it. Because many midge patterns are imitating the larval stage which are found along the bottom of the river, the Zebra Midge has found a place in most anglers pack for it's simplicity and effectiveness.  

For the reason that most midges are found along the bottom, and in slower moving sections, midge fishing in the winter tends to be done in slow drifts with the aid of an indicator. If you have ever seen a fish eat larval midges, they are usually sucking them off the bottom. So if you are not bumping your Zebra Midge off the rocks you are not in the strike zone. The river's currents usually funnel midges to these slower runs and holes so fish anxiously wait for the next midge delivery to arrive. If you are fishing in the winter look for these slower sections. 

I hope that helps! There is still plenty of fishing to be done in the winter and it can be just as enjoyable if you adjust your tactics a little to suit the season. Bundle up, grab a thermos, and try out some midge fishing! 

Words + Photo by: Josh Thelin 

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