At the very least, a quality pair of wading boots should provide anglers with traction on slippery surfaces, stability over uneven terrain and comfort/ durability after long hours of use.
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Cabela’s Master Guide Wading Boots
At the very least, a quality pair of wading boots should provide anglers with traction on slippery surfaces, stability over uneven terrain and comfort/ durability after long hours of use. Sounds easy, but just finding a pair of hiking boots that can do all this is tough enough; now adding in the fact that these boots have to stand up to the abuse of walking in the water all day, now that is really tough. Cabela’s master guide wading boots have had a long standing good reputation for toughness, but this time we are testing to see how it stacked up to all the other basic requirements of a good wading boot.
Master Guide Wading Boot Specifications
Height: 9-3/4".
Average weight: 3.4 pounds.
Welt Construction and Wade Guard Material
High-density Felt Sole
Rot-Resistant Synthetic Leather
Design
The first item that stood out right away with the master guide wading boots is their height. At 9 and ¾ inches tall this boots is great at providing full ankle support. It does not matter what kind of terrain you are traversing, if you have these boots laced up properly you will be better balanced and protected from a long, painful walk home on a turned ankle.
It should be noted that when you use these boots for the first few outings you will not be able to get them as tight as you might like. A few times in the water and the boots will form to your ankles and allow for a tighter more comfortable fit. Away from the height another key feature of these boots is the boot tongue. This tongue is sewn straight up the sides of the boot. This design allows no sand or debris to enter the boot when they are cinched tight. Nothing is worse than feeling debris rub your foot raw or having to constantly clean your boots out.
Lastly, the master guide boots have incorporated a water release system that allows water to move in and out freely. This water release is located just above the felt soles and is perforated small enough so that only water and not sand can move through.
Soles
The felt soles on these wading boots performed very well over the numerous trips they were tested on. These felt soles gripped wet, slippery rocks extremely well, as well as traversing soft sandy bottoms. The felt layer moulds to the rocks shape, providing excellent traction, even when wet. The one downfall to these felt soles is that when you are walking on trails to and from the river it can be very slippery, especially in fall when the leaves have fallen from the trees.
Sizing
As a general rule, wading footwear is sized differently than normal shoes. Normally wading boots should be sized 1 size up from your standard foot size to account for waders. However, these boots are already corrected for this in their sizing. This extra space is given so that anglers can fit comfortably into their boots while wearing stocking-foot waders while still ordering their regular boot size. Even with the addition of two pairs of thermal wool socks there was still plenty of room in the boots.
Quality
Durability is one of the most important aspects to take into account when considering a pair of wading boots and the master guide series of boots does not fall short here. These boots are about as tough as they come and will hold up to the constant barrage of sand, sticks and stones you will come across in the river. The German-engineered Wade Guard™ material that these boots incorporate has much higher resistance and protection to abrasion than any other material we have ever tested. These boots should last multiple seasons no matter how hard you plan on fishing.
Summary
Overall, Cabela’s master guides wading boots are a quality product for a great price. From novice fisherman to professional guides, both will find these boots a key component to their fishing arsenals. With that having been said, it should be noted that due to the quality of construction and materials used these boots it is going take two or three outings to really loosen things up and get them broken in. The first few times you put these boots on they might feel a bit uncomfortable, but with a few miles and a bit of water they will cinch tighter and flex as you walk.
Cabela’s master guide wading boots will definitely help make those long trips on the river safer and much more enjoyable.
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