In the colder months, your feet are your first line of defence when out on the banks. When your feet get cold, the rest of your body soon suffers and it can be difficult getting that lost heat back, so do yourself a favour and get yourself a pair of winter boots.
The common misconception is that you have to spend a fortune on winter footwear for it to be any good and, to be honest, nothing could be further from the truth. However, what’s vital is that you also get yourself some thermal socks to wear over a normal liner sock – it’s this build up of layers; liner sock, thermal sock, boot – that does the business, and as such, it’s not about how much you spend – it’s about spending it on the right things!
For fishing, our advice is to pick a non-fabric boot. By and large, these are designed for hiking and walking, where sweat needs to be moved away from the feet through breathable fabrics quickly. For fishing we need something more substantial, that’s not going to leak heat in the same way, whilst also offering improved protection from water ingress.
A perfect example of a cost effective winter boot would be the Avanti Waterproof Lace Up Trek Boot, which covers all the bases for winter fishing. Firstly they have a heavy duty PU coating, which means they will handle muddy puddles galore with no water ingress. Secondly they have a full Thinsulate inner lining, which, the product detail tells us has been tested to minus twenty degrees, so will work hard to stop heat escaping from your feet, and thirdly, being ankle high they offer good flexibility in use – imperative for functionality and safety when traversing wet and muddy banksides in the depths of winter!
As mentioned earlier, you really don’t have to spend a fortune. The Avanti Waterproof Lace Up Trek Boot retails at £49.99…. but remember what we said about offers? Well, that’s exactly what we found with this one, and at the time of publishing, Dragon Carp were offering them for just £20.00!! At that price it’s worth getting a couple of pairs! CLICK HERE to see if the offer is still available.
Before you hit the buy it now button though, just a tip on getting the right size. As mentioned earlier, it’s a good idea to wear two pairs of socks with you winter boots to get the best thermal heat retention possible, and as such, it pays to give yourself a little extra wriggle room when buying your boots. If your toes are scrunched up inside you will quickly lose heat and lose the benefit of the thermal layers, so it’s often best to jump up a size, which will give a nice cosy feel when you’re fully layered up!
