My first pair of wading boots lasted me over five years. When I hung them up for good, the re-glued soles were falling off again. But I was a broke college grad who thought money could be better spent ...

The Pros of Fly Fishing in Felt Boots For decades, felt-soled wading boots were considered the best—and usually the only—choice for fishermen. Comfortable enough to wear all day, felt soles can grip ...

At the Catskill Flies shop in Roscoe, the village at the confluence of the Beaverkill and Willowemoc rivers that calls itself “Trout Town USA,” all wading shoes with felt soles are on clearance sale.

Once, while walking in a small stream in regular hiking shoes, I slipped so fast and violently that I fell and fractured my finger. The soles of those shoes weren’t meant for traversing slimy rocks, ...