By Kirk Deeter:
Maybe I’m just older, but then again, maybe I am smarter… but for some reason I’ve been fishing (mostly fishing vicariously through friends by rowing a dory, actually) more in rubber “muck boots” than in full-on waders lately. I remember fishing the Green River 20 years ago with the late, great Denny Breer who did the same. I always thought he was a cool example of how, if you know your stuff like how to load and unload a boat and how not to stick yourself in a spot in the river where you had to jump out of it, you could spend a perfectly productive fishing day by never standing in more than a foot of water. Of course, more and more wading anglers also realize that 90 percent of the fish are within three feet of the bank and they drier their boots, typically the higher their odds.
So Cat Footwear (derived from Caterpillar, e.g. heavy equipment and such… produced under license by Wolverine Worldwide), sent me a pair of “Stormers” muck-style boots, and I figured what’s not to like about having a virtual tractor on my feet?
All muck-style boots aren’t the same though. It all boils down to three judgment criteria in my humble opinion: 1) traction (and you tell me a spot this side of the local ice rink that is slicker than a wet boat ramp) 2) warmth (most rubberized boots are terrible insulators, and 3) comfort (for some reason I get blisters on my feet when I wear most muck boots, and sometimes even rub-burns from the uppers.
I’m only writing this review because the Cats score highest among all three criteria, for any similar size and shape muck-style boots I’ve worn. I don’t skid. I don’t freeze my toes. And I don’t blister. That’s a perfect trifecta, and the $125 cost is a reasonable bonus. You boat rowers might want to check out a pair yourself, and consider selling them to like-minded angler clients.
