Ice Fishing
What are the best Ice Fishing Boots?
This is an addition to my earlier post- my Baffin Titans have kept me warm and dry this winter with just regular cotton socks. They feel lighter and more comfortable than my old Lacrosse Icemans, but I just weighed my boots- Baffins Titans size 12 one boot- 3. pounds six ounces- Lacrosse icemans 3 pounds 3 ounces- Red wing Irish Setter 600 gram (just use for regular bowhunting season). 1 pound, seven ounces. My striker ice bibs fit around and snap over my Baffins titans
The Korkers arrived today and upon inspection I am duly impressed. My left foot has issues with osteoarthritis in the big toe knuckle and boots can be a PITA to put on or take off. Ordered a size larger than normal and I was able to slip into these with the thickest wool socks that I own, even with that toe problem. The BOA system allowed me to tighten the laces easily enough (they use rubber-coated steel cables). To loosen up the laces was a snap. The boots weigh 2lb 2oz each and they are pretty stiff, almost like a ski boot. Not much flex in them. The ice soles that I ordered have plenty of deep lugs and plenty of carbide studs. Cannot see myself taking a header with those on glare ice. These aren't cheap boots and I will report back in 10yrs if I'm not pushing daisies.
Just got the baffin apex boots last year and they are great so far very warm and well made but the best boots I've used that have never made my feet cold or wet are the black lacrosse boots In the pic which I got like 15 years ago at gander on clearance for $50 but they don't make them anymore but they still work great next to them are the ice kings that are 20 years old and just like others said the toe of the sole cracked and leaks. The new ice kings are nothing like the old ones. I do wear the black lacrosse in the pic the most.
Every pair of pac-boots that I have owned, except one, has cracked across the toes, on top off the rubber part of the boot. That includes LaCrosse Iceman, LaCrosse IceKing & Muck Arctic Pro. The only rubber boot that hasn't cracked yet is the black Mickey Mouse boot from Sportsman's Guide for $39 a pair years ago(Like 30 years) All other pairs lasted about 4-5 years before the crack would appear. It must be my style while kneeling down & bending over for a tip-up, where the boot bends right at the toe. My feet tend to sweat in all of these boots, whether it be cotton sock or wool sock. Sometimes I think about wearing tennis shoes out to the ice or deer stand and then put on my pac boot. And my feet always get cold in any of these while on long sets in the deer stand, but the Mickey Mouse is probably the best for me. Looking forward to try the Baffin's that others have posted on. Have worn out multiple pairs of liners on the LaCrosse boots, and ripped the upper part of the Muck Arctic Pro crossing through barbed-wired fence. Things we go through to have fun........ :) but it is funny, well my crew laughs, when I pull my foot out of a boot to readjust my sock, the way my foot STEAMS for quite sometime during cold temps. An obvious sign that my feet sweat.......
I got a pair of Baffin Titaans a couple months ago. Awesome boots!! Alot lighter than my old Lacrosse Icemans. Waterproof, comfortable, warm. I have only been using regular cotton socks so far and my feet have stayed warm. With colder temperatures next week, I may need to put on a mid- thermal or silk sock
Once upon a time I had Ice Kings, Icemans, a light pair of Pac boots with Vibram soles that I could put carbide studs into, the black Buddy Boots and the white Mickey Mouse boots. Then I moved to an area where I'd never need them again and sold them all. I currently have a set of LaCrosse 800 gram winter boots and they have not seen temps below zero. They seem to be pretty warm considering what they are. Going to invest in a set of Korkers Vortex 1200 boots with replaceable soles. On other big boards, these get very good reviews. No negatives thus far. The boots come with an aggressive lug sole for use in snow, but I believe that I will also get the Icetrac sole for condition we are seeing right now on many lakes. Hoping these will last 10-15 years. Hoping to get that many seasons in after 5 back surgeries.
https://korkers.com/collections/outdoor-footwear/products/polar-vortex-1200?variant=24522012917860
I have Arctic Pro that I wear for deer hunting. If it's below 20 degrees, my feet get cold in them, so I wear boot blankets when sitting. If walking, they are fine down to zero. Very good boots for hunting.
For ice fishing, I will only wear the Arctic Pro above 30 degrees. I bought a pair of Baffin Apex after patiently waiting for them to go on a great sale a couple years ago. If you suffer from cold, sweaty feet, there is nothing that comes close to Baffins for keeping your feet warm. You MUST buy two sizes larger than your shoe size, though. I fish without a shelter in any weather, and my feet almost never get cold in the Baffins.
I like the muck boots, you don't have to fish! I wear 10/1/2 work shoes and size 12 in muck artic pro. This allows for 2 pair heavy socks. feet sweat! You need to dry on register nightly as they build moisture . They worked well in deer hunt. If buying they come in 3 levels--thin for summer/fall. Medium and artic.
Take a trip to store and try on--you can write down size and purchase where price is best.
I bought some Bog Bozeman mid's last year and love them. Very light and warm. Hope they last, if they do I will just keep buying the same boot when they wear out.
I had some Muck Arctic Sports and really liked those as well but they wore out after a few years. Same thing with a different pair of Muck knee boats. Will never buy another pair of Mucks again.
I also have a pair of Sorels. Forgot the name but they are the biggest ones they make. Very warm and very heavy. Usually wear a few times a year if its really cold. Nice for hunting if you just sit in one spot all day but too heavy to walk much in. Did I mention they were heavy?
Many winter boots are too heavy to wear all the time. If you're looking for something lightweight, buy regular work boots and nail sandpaper to their soles. My dad and I always sandpaper our shoes in the winter and then go winter fishing. Even my mother asked us to glue sandpaper to the heels of her winter boots because she was afraid of slipping on the icy sidewalk. Unlike special winter shoes with spikes, which are used for climbing snow-covered mountainsides, work boots are lightweight. When fishing, I try to be quiet and inconspicuous so as not to scare away the quiet fish. Any fisherman will understand me, I think.
After 25 ice season's I had to retire my wolverine's with insulated inserts all because there was an old piece of fence under the snow and I put a small hole about an inch and a half above the sole, not good when the ice got slushy and there was standing water on the ice.
So after going thru review after review on different brands of boots I settled on a pair of knee high Thorogood 800's, got them at farm & fleet on sale, but even on sale they wasn't cheap ( over $200.00 ) and I was wondering when I bought them if they were going to able to keep my feet warm for over 6 to 8 hours of ice fishing a day otherwise I would of been returning them before the store warranty.
First day on the ice which was only 10° out and with a wind chill it went down to 2° so I tried 2 thick pairs of socks which ended up being overkill, my feet were more than warm all day and once I got home the first pair of socks were drenched in sweat, so the next time I went out on the ice I only put on one very thin socks with the wool pair of socks over them and I was fine the whole day, the temp's was about the same as the first time I went out with them.
The boots have been great so far, now all I have to wait and see how many ice seasons I'm going to get out of them.
I'll add a few photos.
