No-Tech Flats Boots

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Converse One Stars Photo by Louis Cahill

Want to do a little wading on the cheap?

A few years ago I was fishing in the Bahamas with my friend Kirk Deeter. We stopped to get out of the boat and wade to some tailing bonefish and Kirk pulls out a pair of Converse All Stars. We grew up calling them Chucks but Kirk calls them flats boots. I couldn’t help but see the brilliance of it. Kirk explained that he bought a pair of these cheap high tops when he was headed to the salt, wore them for the week, then pitched them. Not even flying home with dirty wet boots. Smart guy.

So the next time I headed to the keys I made a stop at Target where I discovered these. Converse One Stars. Important distinction, not all stars just one star. Like the one star motels I usually end up in. I bought them because they were cheap, and handy. Thirty five dollars at Target, but it turned out great. I actually like them better than the Chucks. Here’s why.

Following Kirk’s lead, I planned on throwing them away at the end of the week. Kirk had explained that the Chucks were only good for that long because the metal grommets rust from exposure to salt water. The cheap One Stars have no grommets, so no rust. They also don’t have the vent holes so they don’t collect rocks and sand. At the end of my week in the Keys they still looked like new. I couldn’t see throwing them away.

Well, I’ve been wading salt in them for over a year and they’re still going strong! I don’t wear them on the boat unless I’m poling. It’s important when you’re on the bow to be able to feel the line if you step on it. They are more trouble to get in and out of than Crocs but they offer a lot more protection and grip better on the boat. A friend of mine had a piece of rusted metal come right thru his Crocs while wading. Lots of guys wade in them, or barefoot but I don’t. The One Stars are different and your guide might look at you funny when you show up in them, if that matters to you, but I love them and I don’t plan on ever spending more than thirty five bucks for flats boots again.

Louis Cahill
Gink & Gasoline
www.ginkandgasoline.com
hookups@ginkandgasoline.com
 
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14 thoughts on “No-Tech Flats Boots

  1. Pingback: Tippets: All Star Wading Boots, Sea Monsters, Winter Speying, Destination France | MidCurrent

  2. Pingback: No-Tech Flats Boots | Emerger and Winter Midge Patterns | GreenFish CPR Mount — Willfishforwork.com

  3. The first time you step on a spiney urchin you will wish you had flats boots. With no mid sole to stop penetrating sharp coral ect ,you cold have a medical problem. Saving a few bucks on a $5000-$6000.
    bonefish trip does not seem worth the risk.

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