Hey everyone.
Apparently I will be receiving brand new waders and korkers for my birthday in early September! But, I have never used either before. When it comes to brands (for the waders), is caddis good? I am a bigger guy, 5'9 230lbs with a 38" waist. Do I want a pair that has extra room or should they be snug? As for the korkers, I am getting the omnitrax changeable ones. Is it safe to assume buying a half size larger for the stocking foot of the wader to have room? Any tips on this would be greatly appreciated!
Side note:
I haven't been hitting anything lately. Starting to feel like I am doing something wrong.

But, I have never used either before. When it comes to brands (for the waders), is caddis good? I am a bigger guy, 5'9 230lbs with a 38" waist. Do I want a pair that has extra room or should they be snug? As for the korkers, I am getting the omnitrax changeable ones. Is it safe to assume buying a half size larger for the stocking foot of the wader to have room? Any tips on this would be greatly appreciated!


I like the Simms waders....freestone stocking foot. I am not sure if
all manufacturers offer it ...but for each size they offer a King
version, which has a bit more girth. I am 5'11", 210lbs, 35"
waist....and I have been getting the King....I like the extra room.

My last pair of these lasted me 6 years. I am on a new pair this
season. I usually buy last years models, as it it is the only time they
go on sale. Usually they will drop under 200.

A lot of guys like the omnitrax and regular Korkers. There are also a
bunch of guys using the simms boots paired with gripstuds. If you
do a search for gripstuds, you will find plenty of info.


I haven't been hitting anything lately. Starting to feel like I am doing something wrong.

We are all doing something wrong.

The fishery is hurting and if you are just starting out it may be very
frustrating to be without positive reinforcement. Even those of us
who have been doing it for a few years have the same thoughts you
do because the fishing has been difficult. Did we forget how to fish?

Not much to say, other than you need to work harder than before
to find fish. If you are just starting out, joining a local surfcaster's
club may be really helpful.

good luck!

Thanks for the info. I did watch a video about the Gripstuds on "The Surfcasters Journal" YouTube channel. They seem like a really good choice.

The Simms waders are too expensive for my girlfriend to justify for my birthday I think. (Don't want to push my luck too far!)

Thanks for the info. I did watch a video about the Gripstuds on "The Surfcasters Journal" YouTube channel. They seem like a really good choice.

The Simms waders are too expensive for my girlfriend to justify for my birthday I think. (Don't want to push my luck too far!)

Right on.

The problem with waders is that the surf environment will eat
them. Most other brands I have tried will last a season....sometimes
less. It really depends on what you expose them to.

Hopefully some other guys will chime in on a good pair of waders on
a budget.

Some guys will go with LLbean and Cabelas as they have
an outstanding return policy. Going this route isn't my style, but I
did try a pair of bootfoot cabelas waders once that I roached in 4
months. I did return them but not for replacement...got store
credit to used for other products. The other brands I have tried
was Orvis and hodgeman, which both barely lasted a season. For
me the simms are a good match.

Going the Cabelas route might be a safe one for a gift. At the time I
killed mine, I was fishing 4 days a week. The waders didn't fail but
the boots did. If you do have problems with them, you always have
option to trade them up, as Cabelas does carry simms.

If you go with the korkers....I think that you might want to stay
away from the boa laces if you are fishing sand. I think I have read
that the laces can jamb up.

IMO - go with LL Bean waders. They have a lifetime warranty and stand behind their product. You can get the cheaper versions for somewhere around $100. They have amazing CS and are always a pleasure to deal with.

As for boots- I tried the LL beans in the past and had issues. I've now switched over to Simms with grip studz and love them. Great set up imo.

Excellent advise from both of you guys. I have been fishing about 4-5 nights a week and really want to keep the pace for the fall run. I keep forgetting about LLbean for waders. I might be able to sweet talk her into some nice Simms boots if I go that route. Haha
My pumas and fire dept. wildland boots are definitely keeping me away from prime areas to fish.
(She was going to pay for a charter for a day for myself and a few friends. But I convinced her that gear to keep me safe and dry would be better.)

When it comes to wanting room? When i try them on i bend over a bunch and try to contort myself into positions i will be in when fishing to make sure i have room to move around.

Bean's has a "KingSize" in the large size, maybe in the medium too.

Cabelas has a nice pair of ultralight boots with screw in studs. I have a pair and really like them. Order a size larger than your street shoes, neoprene feet are thick. If they end up a wee too big, you get to wear woolies inside your waders.

I have the Bean's Kennebek waders now, they seem a lot netter made than the last pair( Rapid Rivers started to seep in the crotch, just like the saleslady said they would, she told me to save the receipt) got 6 months out of them

You will be very disappointed with Korkers omnitrax. Grip studs with washers and a good felt boot. The boot from orvis looks good. I lhave ast years model of clearwaters I believe and have 50 nights on a pair. Holding up ok. I like the looks of the orvis with the boga lace system. one thing about orvis is they stand behind their products and their waders are good. I wet suit 99% of the time but I have been using orvis waders for 10 years when I do not. Been through several pairs and you want room in them.

(She was going to pay for a charter for a day for myself and a few friends. But I convinced her that gear to keep me safe and dry would be better.)

This is the number one rule when getting permission to buy more fishing gear - It' all safety gear. I can now balance better on my rock because I bought a Vanstall and I don't have to work about dunking it if I fall in. Much safer. :uhuh:

IMO - go with LL Bean waders. They have a lifetime warranty and stand behind their product. You can get the cheaper versions for somewhere around $100. They have amazing CS and are always a pleasure to deal with.

As for boots- I tried the LL beans in the past and had issues. I've now switched over to Simms with grip studz and love them. Great set up imo.

Ditto Buy the LL Bean breathables. They lasted me 5 years of hard use and I bought a backup pair, just in case. I am using Cabelas boots with Wearbar studs I installed on felt soles.

Just be careful, the better half won't want to be funding your crack habit (fishing) after you chose to go fishing over her.

Like Miagi said - balance Danielson

Just be careful, the better half won't want to be funding your crack habit (fishing) after you chose to go fishing over her.

Like Miagi said - balance Danielson

LOL! I figured that out the hard way already! The LL Beans are definitely the ones that I "suggested" to her. And I am going to pass on the korker brand. I really like getting the feedback from you guys. Real life experience is more valuable then the comments section of a product.

Real life experience is more valuable then the comments section of a product.

Most guys might be using waders in freshwater. So the comments section of waders may be accurate for that usage.

One thing with wader boots the grommets will dissolve if they are not designed for the salt. Simms boots....are salt compatable.

Beans waders are good, return policy is excellent as well. Use a real wading belt as opposed to the junk "belt" that comes with some of their waders. Skip ll beans boots tho, and try cabelas ultra lights & grip studs (less expensive, on sale 50 bucks for boots) or a simms model boot with felt soles & grip studs (boots are $100+). Grip studs are expensive but I have a set that is 2 yrs old and I can probably still reuse them. G.S. = Solid product.
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You will be very disappointed with Korkers omnitrax.

Why? I had the Redside and loved them until the sides got torn from sharp boulders after 2 or 3 seasons. I got the Buckskin for this year as they alleviate the problem with the Redside by reinforcing the sides.

Going to the beach with some rocks I use the felt sole. Going to boulder fields with or without thick weeds I swap in the studded rubber soles in under 1 minute. Want to kill myself on anything but sand I use the standard cling on sole (yes they really suck and are slick on most surfaces).

These boots are also a hell of a lot lighter than the Cabelas Ultralight 2 when wet and much better quality. UL2 don't last too long around boulders a few nights a week.

I know they Omnitrax 2.0 had issues but 3.0 is excellent IMO. I also stay away from the BOA system boots. Many probs with those so I hear.

The hunt for the perfect boots/studs continues!
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I have decided on bean waders and the cabelas ultralight boots with the gripstuds. Is it worth spending a little more for the studs that are listed for surfcasting on the gripstuds website? I found a 20 pack of the 1100's on amazon for $39.

For gripstuds I use the 1800 model. About 20 in each boot. Their site has a 50 pack with the install tool (recommended) for $80. I would go for the 1800 model versus the 1100; but others may feel different.
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