We all enjoy a chuckle every now and again watching our mates slip down that grassy banking, on a slimy weeded rock in the middle of a river, heck, I laugh when it happens to me! It all makes the day more enjoyable, but not on a cold winters day, when there is plenty of daylight to still be out on the river in.

I use a pair of Simms Freestone Wading boots, the one with the Vibram soles (I like to sneak up on fish) – Which, when I first started wearing them were pretty tough to get used too. Brilliant on stones, not so good on grass or muddy banks; but over time I got used to them, in fact, I think they learnt I was pretty fearless on where I would ‘try’ and go.

Recently I’ve been wearing the boots on hard, concrete whilst fishing the banks on reservoirs and noticed that I was slipping on some of the wet and icy bankings. Inspecting the soles I could see that the studs I had in them had worn down dramatically – I can’t complain though, 3 years of being used 3-4 times a week Is good going!

The choice of wading studs is wide, Simms do a few different types, there are various unmarked items on sale but I settled for good ole’ Airflo Wading studs.

I purchased some Airflo Wading Studs and screwed them into the soles before my previous trip. The difference was instant, I could stand and climb wet grassy bankings without slipping – Think of it like using a Bob Church Rutland 10ft 8 weight for dries, then using a Sage One  9ft 5weight on the very next cast. I think you get it.

These studs came with a handy tool for inserting the studs into the boot, perfect for soles which arn’t ‘pre-holed’ – QTY 30 – I only ever use around 6-7 studs in a boot, These should be placed in the areas where get the most pressure – what’s the point in having grip where it will never be used? the spares are always very handy for when one works look, flattens or when its time to replace.

Kieron 1 | Grassy bank 0