When it comes to fly fishing there are certain gear items you have to have such as the rod, reel, and line. Then there are some guys who ...
When it comes to fly fishing there are certain gear items you have to have such as the rod, reel, and line. Then there are some guys who will go without the vest, others won't even take a fly box if they can get away with it, but one item that most will agree is an absolute must is good footwear. A solid pair of wading boots can make all the difference in the world between a fun relaxing day on the water or one that ends in misery. As budget fly fishermen, ourselves, we try to find a balance between quality and price. In our search to find a good boot company Korkers was on the top of our list for a couple of reasons.
To start with, they are local, with a warehouse stationed in Portland, OR only a short 45-minute drive from us. Whenever we can, we like to support companies in the Pacific Northwest as some of you might have noticed we are also fans of Beulah, Hareline, Cascade Crest, and Kast Gear.
We have also tested Korkers boots years before we started looking at bringing in a company for wading boots. One of the boots we had tested we found to be durable and comfortable. We were able to fish long hours in them, and they lasted several seasons of hard fishing. I still even have that first pair as a backup pair just in case.
Additionally, in the United States (and the world, for that matter), there are several restrictions on river systems (some dumber than others but restrictions none the less). One of the biggest ones out there is felt free rivers, meaning rivers where felt is not allowed to be worn. As many of you know, felt is one of the best materials for gripping big slippery rocks. However, if you fish in an area where felt isn’t allowed you are aligned with a problem, either forgo felt and get a pair of rubber soles (which I personally find to provide much less traction) or buy two pairs of boots (which is double the cost). Also, if you are someone going on vacation and already have a pair of felt boots but are fishing a river that doesn’t allow them, you are left with a real problem. Luckily, the smart guys at Korkers have solved this problem; which is probably the most alluring thing about, and that is the interchangeable soles. This is something that no one else on the market has been able to master and truly gives these boots unmatched value. This allows any fisherman to fish any river and quickly change out their soles to match any restriction. Additionally, many guides are not big fans of customers stomping around in their boats with spikes on their boats. Again a simple change of soles quickly fixes this problem. After much talk around the shop and a few chats with their sales rep, we ultimately decided to start out with a few products that we find really show off what Korkers is capable of.
First off are the Korker Whitehorse boots, these are one of Korkers top selling boots, and also one of the best boots they make. There are a lot of features on this boot that sets it above many others in the same price range. To start they give you two of their most popular soles, both the Plain Felt Sole and the Kling-On Stick Sole. So right out of the box you already have all of your bases covered. Another great feature (and probably my favorite one) is the M2 Boa lacing. If you are familiar with snow sports you have probably seen it before, if not let me fill you in real quick. It means NO LACES, yes that is right you will not have to tie your wading boots again, nor worry about them coming untied, nor untying them just to retie them because they are too loose. A quick turn of the dial and you are ready to go, and tightening them on the water is quick and easy. Now some of the boring stuff, they are made of Hydrophobic materials which means they dry faster, making them less likely to stink up your car if you leave them in there and less likely to spread invasive species which is good for the environment. They are extremely durable with enhanced midsoles, reduced seams, recessed triple-stitched uppers and over-sized molded toe caps. These boots also contain large drainage ports and internal drainage channels which allow you to get out of the water and not bring a couple extra gallons of it with you. With an MSRP set at $179.95 they are one of the more expensive boots in the Korkers lineup but when compared to other boots on the market at a similar price point the additional features more than make up for it.
The second boot we would like to mention in this article are the Korker Greenback. Now these only come with one sole out of the box and we opted for the felt ones as stated above we believe those provide the best traction. They are the most economical boot that Korkers offers and therefore do not come with all the fancy features of the Whitehorse (like the M2 Boa lacing), but still contain the standard features Korkers has become know for. The soles are interchangeable, so if you find yourself heading to a river that doesn't allow felt you can pick up a pair of rubber soles for $29.99. They are also made of the same materials, same durability, and same drainage system as the Whitehorse. However the most attractive thing about this boot is a price point of $99.95, making them damn hard to beat when compared to any other boot on the market.
We also decided to carry a couple of soles that we believe really show off Korker innovation. One is a Korkers Studded Felt Sole which have the studs built into it. Making them far less likely to fall out of your boots. Another are the Korkers AlumaTrax Sole, if you fish a river frequently that does not allow felt, these are probably the beefiest, most solid rubber traction you are likely to find anywhere. The aluminum bars provide a great solution to slick and dangerous terrain.
Overall we believe that Korkers is a company that bring exception value to the table, which is what we like to see. They are at the front of the line with their innovation and their price points are quite modest. We also think that Korkers is just getting started and there will be a lot of great things coming from this company in the years to come. If you have any questions please feel free to give us a call, or shoot us an email and we would be happy to assist you. And as always we hope you get to the water soon!
