NEW KORKERS.
Dave Warnes wears in a new pair of multi-purpose wading boots.

Korkers first entered my world about four years back—a pair of traditional felt soled boots swinging from the back of my pack and weighing more kilos than I liked was just too much. My Korkers Wetlands were great, not just for the hike fishing trips but also for trips to the Tumut where I would use the felt soles in the morning while wading over slippery rocks and the trail soles in the afternoon for fishing from grassed banks. Unfortunately the soles did separate on occasions, especially when they got older, and a day in the sticky mud on a very low Lake Eucumbene was the last straw.

Just recently the opportunity arose to try some ‘new’ Korkers Cross Current Boots and as this was just prior to a trip to Tasmania, the timing was perfect. A quick inspection revealed the sole attachment was very different: the tongue was rippled making it difficult to pull out of the front groove; the sole was a tighter fit and required a special key (although any piece of metal would probably do) to lever it into place; and the heel strap was rubber and clipped over a steel stud. Apart from some extra protection for the mesh, the rest of the boot was similar.

Touch-down in Hobart and it wasn’t long before Barry had us at Penstock Lagoon. “Wade out a bit and the bottom gets firmer” was the call. Knee deep in mud and going nowhere I abandoned the journey forward. After an hour or so of being stuck in one place, blind flogging to invisible fish, I beat a slow retreat. I was surprised and delighted to find the soles of my new Korkers still firmly in place.

Next stop Lake Ada carpark and the start of our three-day trek into the Western Lakes. On with my Korkers and 25-kilo pack—worth noting at this point is that when I hike in my Korkers I add an extra innersole to make up for the lack of a neoprene booty. The boots were very comfortable even over rocky ground (is there any other type in the Western Lakes) and despite the heavy pack and the uneven ground I didn’t shed a sole the whole trip—I didn’t catch a fish either but I can’t blame that on the boots.

With Korkers now tested in the mud and on the trail it was time to find a river with some slippery rocks. First stop the Tyenna—lots of big rocks coated with green slime. The boots performed well, it seemed to me that the rubber surrounding the sole is more ‘sticky’ which helped the felts do their job. Next was the Huon—lots of smaller but equally slippery rocks. Here I changed to the aquastealth soles. With the issues of felt and Didymo in New Zealand we were eager to give them a go. I would walk in the aquastealths then the felts, then son Andrew would do likewise. Our assessment—maybe the felts are better but the aquastealths are more than adequate.

I have since done some further testing back home and I must say I like the aquastealths as an all-round sole, they are much better for the general streamside work but still grip when you have to get into the water. In summary, I do own conventional full felt-soled boots and, yes, in the water they have the edge over the Korkers but they can also be a liability out of it—a broken rib is testament to that.

The new Korkers ‘Sportsman Series’ features three innovative wading boots at different price points all of which come standard with two sets of soles (Trail Lug and Plain Felt). All the shoes are designed with the OmniTraxV2 Interchangeable Sole System and are extremely light- weight and durable. There is a choice of six optional soles providing total flexibility, and with the greatly improved sole attachment system these boots are hard to beat.

The Korkers Cross Current Boots tested were supplied by Mayfly Tackle (trade enquiries 03 9899 0034