RE: Boots/rain gear/etc:
I must now have 5 pair of different bibs and 10 pairs of various boots on the shelf. From the traditional to the fancy. I feel like an at sea version of Imelda Marcos with her shoes.
There is a place for knee high or tall boots but I find them very uncomfortable to walk around in esp in the summer in a center console. They are heavy and clumsy. (and the look with shorts is priceless
) I find for most sport fishing applications the lower cut models (shimano, muck, et al) are far more comfortable and keep you warm and dry . You can walk around your house with them (without your wife going nuts), drive and function like a normal human being. Paired with a pair of
breathable bib's that have velcro leg cuffs that close up the leg, I have fished for 24 hours+ in total comfort. Warm and dry on cold days and comfortable on wet summer days. The old school knee high boot and giant opened legged grundens are heavy duty and macho and all...these are good if you want to look like some commercial goon from wicked tuna but they suck for comfort. Those giant baggy legs and heavy boots are stone age. Yes they work and last for years and are cheap, everyone should own a pair. But they are not comfortable, in the summer they are killer hot, in the winter they provide little insulation and they do not breath. Not to mention you walk around like a clown with those pants legs that have a diameter of a giant tunas girth.
From my experience, if you want comfort Recs should go low profile boots and stick with breathable rain gear. There are modestly priced items that work well last for a number of years. You don't need to break the bank and buy stuff used to cross the Atlantic in the winter via a sailboat. I normally get 3 seasons out of my gear before I replace it. Put about 600 hours on boats per season. (300 on mine 300 on others) Then I keep it as spares for guests. Most guests that wear them once...then they go out any buy them for themselves and have commented back to me they have never been so comfortable while fishing.
My most recent purchase was a pair of Gage (by Grundens) fishing bibs. After a great review by SWS and others I figured Grundens is finally making something breathable but also heavy duty. What a disappointment. The cut is bizarre, Giant legs, no chest pocket and incredibly hard to get in and out of. The fabric is first class but the design sucks. I have worn them twice. Once on a warm day and once on a cold day. On the cold day I was freezing in them, the warm day was OK. I went back to $100 back up west marine breathable and was far more comfortable.
If you are a comm fishermen and roll around in fishguts all day then go with the heavy rubber gear, but if you are sitting on a gunnel with rod in hand, go light weight and enjoy your day.