New Simms G3 Boot Review

  Hello all and thanks for checking in. If you have ever purchased a pair of boots from me in the shop than you have heard my spiel about saving your money and spend the extra on your waders. It’s kind of funny because people then ask me what I use and I sheepishly tell them I have feet problems and that is why I use the Simms Guide boots. We had our Simms rep down a few weeks back and he went through a few of the new features. The first new feature that can be found on both the G3 and the G4 boot is the new Rivertread souls, I was a huge fan of the stream tread in all functionality but didn’t find the tread to last all that long. The new tread is a tad bit softer for better grip but the knobbies themselves get smaller as they near the boot, yes they are self sharpening. The knobbies will be complete until you wear completely to the soul. The knobbies are still matched perfectly with the Simms cleats and that can dramatically increase the life of your boot souls.

  Now the next feature may or may not make much of a difference to you. I am lucky enough to get to spend a lot of time on the water and have really gotten very used to moving around in the water. Sometimes on guide trips I try to get client to chase fish and I have to remember that not everyone moves in the water as well as I usually can. We get quite a few people in the shop that struggle with their ability to stay upright in the river. I guess one of the problems with the old Guide soul was that the plate between the soul and the bottom of the boot was the exact same width throughout the boot and Simms felt like there was too much disconnect between the bottom of the river and the foot itself. So what Simms has done is move the plate to the outside of the soul and basically nothing under foot. Now I’m sure if a Simms engineer read this blog he would be disgusted with my oversimplification but that seem to be the best way I can describe it.

  So now I wanted to talk about my experience with the boots today. The Arkansas river flows have been on an upswing over the last week or so, so I thought today with the little higher flows would be a great day to try out the new features. The first thing I notice every time I have put on a new pair of Simms Guide boots is the support I feel up my ankles, and even though it doesn’t really matter , they are seriously sexy boots.  When I first entered the water I didn’t really notice much of a difference from my Rivershed boots(old streamtread) , but as I got in to the faster current I really began to feel the bottom a little better. We fished for four hours and moved around the river with basically no problems. There is one spot on the river that I am always a little nervous about when the flows are above 200cfs was no match for the new boots today. As I was moving around in that section I hooked and landed the fish of the day. I was a little lucky because I was able to keep the brown in his run without too much trouble. Even with the new boots I wasn’t sure I was going to chase him much if he had made a big run.

  So here is what I think of the new Simms G3 boot. I don’t know what the wear on the tread will be like but I really felt connected to the bottom of the river today. The comfort level is incredible as always with the Guide boots, my feet and knees felt great when finished. So I think you need to ask yourself why does a person use wading boots, if it is just something to put on because your tennies don’t fit over your waders, or are you looking for a tool that allows you to make the most of your ability to maneuver around a river. If you are looking for that edge in the river or if you have problems with your balance in the river then step up to the G3 or G4, and you might even look as sexy as me….

  Fishing today was incredible, Cat was actually wearing her new boots today as well and we needed all the help we could get. Fish were feeding all day and the takes and runs on most fish were explosive. The prize of the day was 22inch brownie and even better I got to spend Cat’s B-day with her on the water. Lots and lots of beautiful fish and Winston continuing to exploit his photo bomb techniques. What a great day..As always, Connell, Cat, Winston and The Drift Fly Shop want to thank you for reading…..