No, nothing to do with the number of fish in the river, but a useful tip for preserving the life of thenew stockingfoot waders you may be getting for Xmas, and 'repurposing' the old pair you're about to throw away. If you do use stockingfoot waders, you'll know that their weakest point is the seams on the neoprene feet, because that's the part that rubs against the boot and eventually starts to leak, and it's not easy to repair. You probably know about putting an old pair of boot socks over them before you put on the wading boot, and that certainly helps reduce the friction, but here's a better solution. Christmassy isn't it?
It's actually the cut-off neoprene feet from an old pair of waders which did leak (before I thought about adding the old socks). These neoprene 'socks' fit quite easily over the new wader feet, and by loosening the boot laces a bit, they actually fit inside the boots too. Not only does this give your new seams maximum protection, but it adds a really effective layer of insulation to keep your feet warm. I tried it twice recently and it makes a big difference.
So now you have stockingfoot waders that should last twice as long (at least), but if it's thigh or waist waders you were cutting up, you also have a tough pair of breathable waterproof overtrousers. I use mine for tramping through the reedbeds at Rye Harbour when I'm volunteering there. They can be tricky to put on as they're a bit narrow at the bottom, so the technique is to feed the overtrouser leg over your welly-leg, before putting your foot in the welly.
So now you can have extra warm feet, a warm feeling about helping the planet by recycling, and your waders will last longer so you can sepend the cash on some extra goodies (like a Tenkara rod :-)
Let me know if you have any other great tips you'd like to share with your fellow anglers.
Merry Christmas.
PeterB
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