The Underground’s Friday Fishing & Footwear Links
By Tom Chandler on Jun 15, 2007 in Underground Entertainment
We’ll get right to it. Why waste time on a beautiful Friday — especially when more fly fishing might await me at the end of the day?
The Fishing’s Good… For Now
The “always-dripping-with-information” Fly Fishing in Yellowstone blog (Caddis gone wild!) echoes a Sierra Times fishing report about the Truckee River — and both sound eerily similar to the Upper Sacramento reports I’ve been providing.
The dry fly fishing has been great because the water’s so low, and good-sized fish are being caught — probably due to the mild winter.
That’s the good news. The bad news is the we’re probably going to pay for all this dry fly fishing success later in the summer in fall. Let’s hope the cost isn’t too high.
The Future of Fly Fishing Footwear? (Let’s Hope Not.)
“Five Finger” Shoes now available for $70 - $100. Add a little felt, and…
It’s no secret I spend most of my wading life on the knife edge of disaster, clinging to underwater rocks by the skin of my toenails. That’s why the Five Finger footwear (found on Spluch) seemed like a natural fit for a wading shoe.
Alas, no felt-bottomed version is available (the things are made from a thin, flexible Vibram rubber), so my hopes of being the first fly fisher on the Upper Sacramento to wear these things have been dashed. Damn.
Then, the TVA Angler highlights some Tabi “marine wading socks he bought in Hawaii. They’re essentially wading socks attached to rubber and felt soles.
Interestingly, he suggests they fish well on small streams, but are pretty hard on the ankles in deeper water with bigger rocks. The cost? $10. Sure, they look dorky as hell (Ninja Angler, anyone), but I caught myself wondering if they wouldn’t be a smart alternative to my four-pound wading boots on one of my backpack trips.
So what’s the verdict of the Undergrounders: Five Finger and Tabi boots — dorky or dude-like?
Technorati Tags: fly fishing, fishing, five finger shoes, tabi boots
hawgdaddy | Jun 15, 2007 | Reply
Dorky to the extreme, but isn’t that part of their appeal? It takes a real man to don those things on a trout stream. Another benefit I’ve found is that if you appear eccentric/crazy enough, fewer people are likely to bother you on the stream. Take care,
hawgdaddy
kbarton10 | Jun 15, 2007 | Reply
AWESOME!
I have a pair of “5 Finger” (Size 20)shoes headed my way on Next Day UPS.
I picked up an old Chewbacca costume at the local flea market last week, and these shoes will complete the ensemble!
Tourists will be fleeing the woods in droves this season, as their will be many, MANY Sasquatch sightings this season, and many more footprints.
Alone at last, with the entire river, mine…(cackle)
Tom Chandler | Jun 15, 2007 | Reply
kbarton: don’t you think the “Vibram” logo on the bottom will tend to kill the Yeti effect a little?
hawgdaddy: Given fly fishing’s proclivity for labels, I think sewing a SIMMS label into the Tabis would transform you from dorky to extremely hip dude — and drive droves of fly fishers to the stores in search of their own pair…
hawgdaddy | Jun 15, 2007 | Reply
Tom,
Maybe we should pitch that idea to Simms. Naturally, we’d need to ratchet the price up to $350 or so. We could even justify the price increase, you know, due to high tech mods like a waterproof zipper that allows you to scratch your big toe with ease, all without removing the tabi.
hawgdaddy
kbarton10 | Jun 15, 2007 | Reply
While the Vibram logo is a small setback, to be fixed with a generous dose of rubber cement and a belt sander..
With my overhanging gut, and having not showered all weekend, most of them campers wont be lingering long enough to get a really good look..
My plan is to assualt their food first, and if they don’t scream and run, I’m going for their women next…
Megan | Jun 15, 2007 | Reply
I don’t know Tom, those things are growing on me. They were FLYING out the door at Canoecopia this year. (A paddlesports extravaganza attended by roughly 23,000!) I know, I know. Us paddlers are a strange lot anyway. In fact, I even asked them if they needed a rep! If I get the job, I’ll see if I can comp you a pair. There’s a shot– Tom, slaw dog and Five Fingers.
Tom Chandler | Jun 15, 2007 | Reply
There’s a picture; the Slaw Dog Fest, only with Five Finger shoes on all the feet.
And why don’t they call them Five Toes?
Megan | Jun 16, 2007 | Reply
Okay– a moment to erase THAT visual from my brain… all better. *sigh*
As The marketing genius that you are, you may be interested to know that Vibram (who licenses out their rubber and soles to manufacturers– much like Gore-tex does with their fabric) approached all of their partners with this idea and nobody would bite. They believe in the product so much they took it on to manufacture the line themselves. It will be interesting to see what they put out there from a sales & marketing perspective.
Tom Chandler | Jun 16, 2007 | Reply
Vibram’s going it alone, eh? Wouldn’t be the first time the conventional “wisdom” of the outdoor industry was dead wrong about a product.
You’re now officially our “Separate Toe Outdoor Footwear Correspondent” so keep us posted on the things.
Nate | Jun 16, 2007 | Reply
Tabi’s suck. Used them extensively fishing reefs in Kauai. Sand gets in there and rubs you raw. Plus the lack of ankle padding leads to cuts and bruises. They do grip well on coral but are definitely not ideal.
Nate
Big Sky Taku | Jun 16, 2007 | Reply
Patagonia had some similar footwear out some years back, called Reefwalkers I think. I do think they were felt soled. Protecting the ankles from the rocks and boulders in the rivers is tough with these, plus all those sharp little teeth of the yapper dogs as they go after your slaw dog will go right thru that fabric. Maybe you could get a Kevlar pair comped to you Tom?
Tom Chandler | Jun 16, 2007 | Reply
Nate: Yeah, when it comes to coral, I think I’d go for something stronger.
Taku: Everybody keeps talking about my getting freebies, as if the fly fishing industry is even aware of my existence. I’m waiting for the rods, reels, drift boats and waders to start falling from the heavens, and yet every day the UPS truck drives blithely by.
As for yapper dogs, they don’t stand a chance in the face of Wally the Wonderdog — the 85 pound Lab/Basset mix who does a fair imitation of an unstoppable force once he decides the slaw dog you’re holding is in fact his.
Kevlar wouldn’t help; a protective cup might.
Big Sky Taku | Jun 16, 2007 | Reply
Tom: Wait a minute!!! A protective cup insert - better shop that one to Simms…. With the zipper, it would be possible to have it in or out as needed. Unfortunately, it may only be needed if the rivers get any more crowded, not less. Or if you get pretty agressive about your favorite stretch.
Bastard Mike | Jun 18, 2007 | Reply
OK…I know better than to post here but what the hey…
It seems to me that there are ONLY five spaces to place one digits into.
Shirley (yes, I just called youse guys Shirley), the group who read and post here require at least 6 or 7?
I’m thinking they’ll never fly!
luv ya’ll,
6 toed Mike
Tom Chandler | Jun 18, 2007 | Reply
Thanks Mike, for speaking up for the largely ignored “mutant” crowd (not that there’s anything wrong with that), from which the Trout Underground surely counts many readers.
There’s really very little explanation for a lot of this stuff.
Thanks! Tom (buys gloves three at a time) Chandler
Tom Chandler | Jun 18, 2007 | Reply
Mike — you built anything new and interesting lately? We’re just asking.
Bastard Mike | Jun 18, 2007 | Reply
Hi Tom,
As far as rods? No, nothing new.
Just trying to stay up with orders and squeeze in a little fishing time when allowed. Not much time for actually making things in me noggin’.
As far as gadgets…yes!
I built an impregnator for my reel seats.
I had fun doing it, finding all the crap to make it, and to top it off…it actually seems to work! LOL
It was a wonderful diversion from the day to day stuff of rodmaking.
The contraption involves both pulling a vacuum and applying pressure.
Now, if I can just keep it running!
Sorry, don’t want to hijack a fine thread!
I thought I was the only guy buying three gloves? Now I know why those sets weren’t as hard to find as you might think?
Do you have as hard a time as I do finding sets with a thumb on both sides?
Mike
Steve aka Inigo | Jun 19, 2007 | Reply
Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die