# hip boots.......



## Guest (Aug 17, 2011)

anyone wear them. i have three pairs of chest waders for the different seasons, but for moving along the shorelines at the lake, i am thinking about going back to hip boots. they seem a lot more comfortable.


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## fishinnick (Feb 19, 2011)

I used to only use hipboots, but since I got a pair of breathable chestwaders(stockingfoot kind) I don't think I'll ever go back. Now in the summer though I wet wade which is even more comfortable.


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## creekcrawler (Oct 5, 2004)

Got a pair of Frog Tog sock foot breathable boot waders.
Great to keep in the trunk - they roll up in a small bag.
Fishinick is right, I like wet wading a lot better.


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## wader (Dec 9, 2004)

I fish Mad river a lot and all I ever wear are hip boots, even in the winter. If you are wading much past your knees out there, you are probably just spooking fish anyways. I would like to get a nice pair of insulated hip boots, but they are a little spendy, and I am extremely cheap. I usually buy a set of rubber Hodgman's every 2 or 3 years, or whenever i can find them on clearance.


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## ohiotuber (Apr 15, 2004)

When Orvis put their Silver Label stocking foot hippers on sale last spring (2010), I got back into them & have only worn the chest waders once since, other than in the float tube. As I suspected, I learned quickly that I seldom wade much more than knee deep.
As far as insulated, consider a pair of poly fleece under wader pants (LL Bean $35.00 & often on sale) as a layer. I have never worn insulated waders of any type...I prefer breathables & layering with the fleece which has never left me cold, even in winter.
Mike


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## copperdon (Jun 3, 2011)

While I have a nice pair of Guide Series chest waders, I'm wearing mostly hip boots these days, it seems to create less stress on my lower back than the chest waders do.

I use the cheapo rubber non-insulated kind, and then layer underneath accordingly, I have wool socks for those really cold days in late fall/early winter, and I also have a pair of Thinsulate underwear and shirt that seems to do the trick. I also have a pair of battery operated socks that I put on for those VERY cold treks, and while they don't really heat my feet up like you would think, my feet don't get cold, either, it seems to manage body temperature, which I prefer over turning my feet into two glowing dogs... LOL

This time of year, I mostly wet wade with a pair of old sneakers or watershoes. Nimisila and the Cuyahoga are like bath water these days, temp wise, so I'd rather just be in shorts.


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## ohiotuber (Apr 15, 2004)

I do not wet wade. As a youngster I did, but given questionable water quality & debris that we experience far too often anymore, I always wear waders. Maybe I'm being overly cautious, but I prefer to err on the side of caution. If it ain't safe to drink, I'm not wading in it unprotected.
Mike


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## rickerd (Jul 16, 2008)

I have been using hipboots by Hodgeman with felt soles for steelhead for 11 years. I use them 90% of the time even in winter. I do have the breathable chest waders for January and February, or for long days with lots of exploring water I haven't seen. But the $50 nylon hip waders last me about 3 seasons. They are easy to get on and I feel I can walk faster in them.


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## creekcrawler (Oct 5, 2004)

I agree with Rickerd, I feel way more mobile in boot waders.
Still pull out my neopremes for the real cold stuff though.
They're a pain to get on, but they're great when you're standing in freezin water and can't even feel it.


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## fallen513 (Jan 5, 2010)

Ditto on the "not wet wading". Too many turds in the water.


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## Guest (Aug 18, 2011)

by turds, are you referring to feces or people...lol? actually i gave up wet wading years ago. danged alewifes at pymatuning attacked the hair on my legs like the little pests that they are. but i am concerned about the amount of bacterium in the water in the summer. i fish still waters for the most part, such as lakes.


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## Patricio (Feb 2, 2007)

never owned chest waders. never needed them. summertime I wet wade. unless its a known nasty river. the lake is fine, just stay away from cleveland. ugh. out in lake county is nice.


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