Recomended footwear on rocky areas - urgent help please!

[FISHTEK]

Going to try some first time shore fishing on Rocky areas while on Holiday. I was thinking about the slippery surfaces, hence is there a particular kind of Footwear to use OR just use normal wellington boots?

I'm going on holiday on the 29th so I hope some one can advise me as soon as possible!

[Spahill]

Wouldn't advise wellies if your fishing from Rocks - you want to stay out of the water.
A good solid pair of walking/ Hiking boots with ankle support would be better.
Whatever type of soles you get don't believe for a moment the rocks are any less slippy & do not rush to do anything. Take care & good luck.

[pingu]

hike boots

but try for the vibram sole if you can

as paul said if a rocks slippery it will always be slippery
but boots will save your ankles more

dave

[toomanyhounds]

stear clear of wellies mate, I stick with a decent pair of trainers but you are probably best off with the suggested walking/hiking boots suggested by pingu and spahill

[paddy2k7_red4life]

flipflops are a good choice

[FISHTEK]

Thanks to all for the very helpful advise.

Much appreciated !!

Fishtek

[barbelblanker]

Many dawns and sleeps ago I spent more time up mountains than near water. Now I am a deeply out of condition fat person I prefer sitting next to water drinking beer (there must be a pattern there , maybe I'll spot it some time ).

I'd recommend a stout pair of walking boots , not crocs (hmmm OK I've done it too) or flip flops.
As the ojective is to stay away from the water then waders, wellies and flippers are out. Wet feet , good footwear is a much better choice than dry feet in slippers (literally ).

Trainers are OK but if you are on sharp rock it is amazingly easy to cut through the soft side of these. Some rocks will shred the soles too. They rarely offer any protection from a twisted ankle injury. The do grip well though.

The suggestion of a stout pair of walking type boots is a good one.

Leather soles are lethal on rock so avoid.

Vibram tm are good walking soles but they are more slippery in the wet and weed that plain rubber. Best grip if you on weed is nailed soles,felt on rock (as found on upper end waders, so I've just contradicted myself). I'd recommend neither for rock hopping though. Again slippery is slippery, no sole will stop you going over on kelp.

So I reckon.

Personally I wear my trusty old mountain boots which do have a vibram sole with some grip left. Someone has already mentioned protecting the ankle and that is excellent advise.

You can also help by keeping some of these points in mind.

1. Expect you are going to slip, do not over extend your stride.
2. Walk like you are on ice if the result of a fall is a serious injury, don't practice ballet at the top of a 20foot drop.
3. If rock hopping, that rock might move, be ready . Best bet is do not jump on something unless you have tested it. If you have no choice then be ready to fall.
4. If you are going down a slippery, but short ,slope , consider taking a rope. With the best will in the world you are not going to carry 200lb of gear, by hand, down and back up a 4mm line but , if you're sensible it can be an added safety feature. I use a dog spike and 4 mm plus short lengths of para cord (a mate had some and wanted to know if I wanted some too, silly question). Proper climbing rope can be expensive , you are not looking to support your falling wight here, just give some reassurance and something to hang on to if you slip. You can also use the rope to raise and lower gear so you are not trying to carry heavy and bulky gear up and down the slope. It helps if there are two or more but you can do it yourself. Be patient. You might want to leave the rope in place if you are in any doubt that you might not be able to get back without it (best bet is don't take the risk and find another route).
5. On grass and slippery slopes the temptation, especially when crossing at 90 degrees to the slope, is to lean IN to the slope. This seems to make sense (certainly more sense than leaning out ) but has the effect of throwing your weight outwards which increases the chance you will slip. If you are on a narrow path you may slip off it and have trouble regaining your footing. Keep your weight as central and vertical as you can.
6. On steeper slopes where you might have to actually climb remember to move one thing at a time. In this case a hand is a thing and a foot is a thing. Move a hand and a foot and that was two things, naughty naughty. Move foot, hand, foot,hand that way three are in contact with the ground at all times. Your legs are much more used to supporting your (and in my case substantial) weight than your hands so get them firmly planted and push with your legs rather than trying to lift with your hands. Do not ground your knees if you can at all avoid it and think about what will happen if you slip. I don't mean wake at night screaming , just be aware that if you DO slip where are you going to go and what will happen. You might want to ferry your gear in multiple passes if there is the chance that it could unbalance you if you try to carry it all across a particularily dangerous part of the route.
7. Keep you centre of gravity low and central. In mountain walking I used to keep the centre of gravity as High as central as I could as this makes walking easier. It also makes you less stable and once you start to tip forward you are going nose down in to the deck, hodest!. For fishing we are not on about walking across the Snowdonia national park, keep the centre of gravity lower just means not putting yourself at risk but having a lot of gear (rod hodalls) waving around your head on exposed parts of the route. Ideally leaning back and forth should not make you feel like you might tip up. remember that if you are climbing you need to raise your head back and you cannot do this easily with your rucksack loaded to a foot above your head, walking on slopey moutains good, climbiing rocks , not so good).
8. Keep tidy. The less cr@p that is hanging of the side of you , the less to suddenly come loose, shift or snag. Once at the mark gear needs to be kept away from drops and , ideally, if you can stow it right back behind you were you will not trip on it. Again tidy is tidy like (translate : tidy is a really good thing ) . Rod, rest and as little else near the edge, keep the rest of your gear safely out of harms way. If your a lucky IT goes over the edge. If you aren't YOU follow it. No gear is worth dying for.
9. Do not take chance at rock edges. If you need to retackle or rebait move away from the edge. What would a sudden gust of wind or spray from an unexpected wave do to your balance?
10. Don't go alone unless you really have no choice. Tell someone where you are , what time you will be back and when to regard you as late THEN STICK TO IT. If you change plans then for crying out loud do not forget to tell the person you told. DO NOT tell someone to pass the message on, they will forget when you least need it. Watching that air sea rescue exercise over the bay where you were going before you found that nice pub and decided to stay night fishing with one of the locals gets a lot more embarrassing when you get back.
11. Don't fish at night on a strange mark unless you are with someone who knows it well.
12. Ask yourself "What will I do if a large wave hits the rock and I am covered in water ?" Rogue waves come from nowhere and without warning.

Paranoid, Oh yes. Scared of heights ? Oh yes. I've jumped off and lowered myself off a cliff, even jumped out of a perfectly serviceable plane (once, it was GREAT!), filled my trousers every time.
SO far a healthy respect for rocks , mountains and heights means I may be cautious but I am still here.

A long post, and maybe a bit of a rant in parts but I love fishing, expecially from rocks by the sea.
Hope that was of some help.

PS I hadn't hit the cider when I wrote this (makes a change).
PPS I DO NOT recommend you do either when you are rock fishing. Sandy beachs and seafronts, even piers have a blast, rocks and cliffs NOPE! That was the last tip.

Have a great holiday.

[adichrome]

I suggest so that you wearing shoes which possess with metal plate under shoes site such as truss so that comfortable to walk above with puddles and sharp stone. Please refer to subject Shoes For Rock Fishing at http://fishingmemancing.blogspot.com/

[Hopey]

Walking boots or work boots with ankle supports are best, but wet rocks are a hazard so proceed with extreme caution and dont drink too much beer whilst on your excursion. Good luck & tight lines.

[zirg]

If the rock are in the water i would recomend surf booties. They have special grips on the bottom and they keep your feet warm if they get wet