I do not fully support the felt sole ban, while I believe that it is a good idea, it should also be noted that most wading shoes have other clot/fabic/twill areas that these critters can hide, banning just felt soles will not be a catch all and more needs to be done to educate anglers. I hate the idea, but a decon scrub tub that you must walk through to get from the parking area to the stream would do better than to ban felt. And I feel that the lead ban is on a different level, the reason for it may be environmental, but it's ramifications are not as far reaching as the felt ban initiative. We've been using lead for a long time and there not nearly as much to lose from it's use than from invasive species making their way into new waters.

I have seen a little trick to making non felt waders safer, putting a sock over your waders to make up for the traction you lose from rubber soles

I actually gave testimony re the Deen bill, and I think it is commendable that Rep. Deen is being proactive on this issue. There's no question that anglers and anglers equipment DO play some role in moving aquatic invasive species, and it is also true that other types of anglers gear such as the material on boot uppers, laces, waders, and boats could be moving these critters, plants, and pathogens. However, this is all about risk management and risk reduction, NOT risk elimination, and the cumulative impact of ALL of these actions will help to reduce the risk of moving AIS. The other part of this activity that may be even more important than what we do with felt soles is to practice the clean angling techniques to inspect, clean, and dry our equipment and not to move fish, fish parts, plants, or water between drainages.

I don't think the laws are necessary. Getting the gear manufacturers on board will get felt off the shelves. Many anglers only fish one or two specific streams. Why penalize them? Could drive some of these with little money (pensioners) away from the sport.

One good thing about the law is that it is the law. People might berate people still fishing in felt (what if that fisherman only fishes that one river?). That could lead to broken faces and equipment. With the law in place there is no argument.

Story for thought?

Mary Mallon (September 23, 1869 – November 11, 1938), also known as Typhoid Mary, was the first person in the United States to be identified as a healthy carrier of typhoid fever. Over the course of her career as a cook, she is known to have infected 53 people, three of whom died from the disease. Her notoriety is in part due to her vehement denial of her own role in spreading the disease, together with her refusal to cease working as a cook. She was forcibly quarantined twice by public health authorities and died in quarantine. It is possible that she was born with the disease, as her mother had typhoid fever during her pregnancy.

So history repeats itself one way or another.

If felt is in fact a contributor, then it should be dealt with and I'm sure the manufacturers already have a replacement lined up.

Felt soles are banned in Southeast Alaska beginning 2011. A month from now, the Alaska Board of Fisheries will consider a proposal to make the ban statewide.

Every little bit helps. I can live without felt and lead but can't live without healthy streams and wildlife. The more pressure we see on our resources the more compromises we will have to make. Taking care of what we have is our responsibility.

Thank goodness for organizations such as TU that bring these issues to light.

Some people want you to bleach your boots after each use. I was told to do this in one of my classes before we went to visit a bog and marsh to do some wetland classifications. I understand why they want it done, but I don't know if it will take care of the issue.

Unless traction that is equally effective or better is made to replace it I will break the law and use felt before I allow myself to be swept off my feet and drown.

I'm lucky. I have two pairs of boots, both felt. When I leave the infective waters I wash my equipment in 409 disinfectant and brush my felt boots with a stiff plastic brush. Before I put them back on the shelf I give them a light spritz again of the solution from a spray bottle.
If we are 'forced' to purchase new boots I feel we should receive a 'trade-in' allowance. If that were offered I'd purchase the new soled boots.

Good answer everyone and I support the Ban on Felt Soles..
Preventing the spread of didymo is an important aspect of the ban, but it is increasingly understood that felt soles are an effective vector for other microscopic pest organisms. While there are procedures for decontaminating felt soled waders, it is acknowledged that these are not practical in many situations!!!

If they ban felt sole wadding boots I will have two choices; not go wading or break the law and use the only pair of boots I could afford.

A couple points of clarification... this bill, as I read it, doesn't prohibit the wearing of felt boots... it prohibits the manufacture and sale of felt boots. So you wear what you got... but the next boots you buy (in Vermont) will be non-felt.

And no, Big O, the giveaway is a pair of boots that have inter-changeable bottoms... particularly applicable to just this situation (write a killer caption, Tim's giving the boots away next week).

The real question behind this is are we ethical enough to do it ourselves, or do we have to have a law? Not sure, fisherfolks, and flyfisherfolks in particular, seem to have a nack for in general regulating themselves. Not all, but most. Regulars to the site know I railed this summer about the felt issue. Not the issue itself, but the use of the issue to market high end equipment. That being said, thanks to Santa Claus, I now own a pair of Korker's Streamborns. I have to admit, the thought that it could be regulated played into my decision to get the new boots as much as my concience. Unfortunately, I think this particular issue will take legislation to completely change. Felt is cheap, and from what I am reading, still the gold standard for traction. So you have to spend more to get less performance to comply. That doesn't equal wholesale voluntary change. If something cost similar, or even a little more, but worked better, the change would happen on it's own.

Hey Brian from Korker's: My new boots came with a felt and a lug sole, not sticky rubber. Those puppies are going to run me an additional $30.00. And since I respect John Merwin so much, it will actually be $35.00 for studded Kling-ons. Just be careful what you are advertising in your post up above.

I think flutterfly has the best solution, DISINFECT completely! Clorox, Hydrogen Peroxcide, Alcohol, Boiling Water will all work. GIT-R-Done guys. Why in hell do politicians have to be so %&$# stupid!

I'm a "fish out of my duck hunting waders" guy, so maybe my vote counts less here, but I don't see a problem with LOCAL bans. As far as state or federal legislation, I tend to be with Andrew Ferraro (above) on that one.
...
In somewhat of a parallel, golfers endured the course-by-course banning of metal spikes over a number of years and now soft-spikes are not only the standard, they are even better than the old straight metals were.

L.L. Bean is no longer selling felt bottom waders or wading shoes.

First off it's not the sole it's how you wade in the sole. I have Korkers with the interchangable sole i wore the hiking sole on my way out and was too lazy to change into the studded rubber. While it was slicker in the rubber hiking sole i was ok because i placed my feet properly...This is on a very slick creek in pennsylvania(penns creek). Felt was slick on it too, i feel studded rubber works better. So the argument for keeping the soles because they are "safer" isn't wrong, but ultimatly you have to be "safer" yourself. Equipment fails(even felt soles)

yes

This is the first I've heard of the issue. I've spent the past hour getting a little online education about didymo.

My favorite local river has a bad case of 'rock snot'. Old timers point out that it's a fairly recent phenomena, occurring over the past 20 years or so.

I haven't fished any other streams with my current felt soles yet and now I know not to without thoroughly decontaminating them.

I do about 60 hours/year of habitat restoration work in my local riparian system. If I was unaware of the issue then I'm sure many others are too. Education should be the first thing we do. Voluntarily limiting ourselves to one stream per pair of felt soles is probably a good idea, too.

Innovations producing new products which don't spread aquatic invasive species is the final solution. I don't think that will come about soon enough without some legislation.

My local river has several runs of salmonid species that are threatened. If they become endangered then the EPA will come in and take control of the river system. If we want to retain local control of the resource then we need to manage it effectively and a big part of that depends on us fishermen stepping up and doing our part.

theres certain things started in the missouri river here,and its from out of state boats dragging it in from other bodies of water

Chadwa wrote:
"That said, what about fishing or landing nets, anchor ropes, knots on your fishing line, flies, lures, trailer tires, trailer bunks, boat bottoms, any shoes, pant legs, etc?"

Your gear won't keep didymo alive like your wet felt soles will. Sure, you still want to clean any big boogers off your gear but you'd probably do that anyway.

What percentage of the spread of invasive species has been directly attributed to the use of felt soles? Sounds a bit alarmist to me (making mountains out of molehills?) but I'm no expert. Still, I think we need to have all such claims scientifically quantified and qualified before plunging into legislative waters and drowning ourselves and our sports in red tape.

NEVER!!!

Yes i agree fully with the ban. People were saying that someone should find something else to repase felt, they already do they have metal spikes that you put on the bottom of your shoe. The metal spikes give you good traction and they wont screw up the environment.

Need traction in your wader boots? I love my screw-in wader studs. They give my rubber soles the traction they are missing so being responsible (or complying) isn't dangerous.

State banning or no banning, responsible wading should be every outdoor enthusiast's passion.

If they ban felt sole wadding boots I will have two choices; not go wading or break the law and use the only pair of boots I could afford.

Forgot to say: some anglers would not even care to be aware about consequence of what they do, until something hard such as ban hits them. I never mind following rules of good sense, but when the rules are turned to law, this sends a clear message.

Everything should be ban i think.

There's no question that anglers and anglers equipment DO play some role in moving aquatic invasive species, and it is also true that other types of anglers gear such as the material on boot uppers, laces, waders, and boats could be moving these critters, plants, and pathogens. However, this is all about risk management and risk reduction, NOT risk elimination, and the cumulative impact of ALL of these actions will help to reduce the risk of moving AIS. The other part of this activity that may be even more important than what we do with felt soles is to practice the clean angling techniques to inspect, clean, and dry our equipment and not to move fish, fish parts, plants, or water between drainages.
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