Felt Sole Bans Are Ridiculous

Why is it just utter buffoonery to ban felt soles on wading boots? Well, it's not only the soles of boots that carry invasive organisms from one watershed to the next. Doesn't didymo and other junk get carried on neoprene booties, boot laces, foam padding, webbing and cloth on boots, little cracks and crevices, seams, stitching and every part of the boot? On waders? Flies? Rods and reels? Lines? Nets.

Let's not forget all those animals that tromp in the water and spread yuck. I have said this before and I'll say it again: birds don't wash up when they travel between watersheds.

Get real. Banning boots is not the solution. Try washing. Use a dilute bleach or salt solution. Give your boots a soak and you are set. Do you think the manufacturers are lobbying for the felt ban so that they can sell us new boots? Ah, yes. They are probably drooling to sell you boots.

Friday In Vermont

Awoke to warm and sunny weather. Our first stop was a small creek. None of the brookies could be enticed to bite, but the stream was lovely with the surrounding woods starting to come to life in the endless shades of spring greens.

White River, Vermont

My friends Jan and Kechia and I arrived in Vermont for our fishing expedition to find cold, drizzle and fog. Check it out. I call this "Two Gals on the White." It was already cold and damp, when the rain began to fall more and fog slithered upriver.