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3. Felt vs Studded Felt Soles

If the studs in felt soles stick out beyond the felt how
does that enhance the traction?
That is - how does felt make contact with the ground if the studs are protruding out behind the felt?

I'm not an engineer, but I would imagine the answer to your question would have something to do with the following: 1) With most studded felts, we're only talking a stud protrusion of 1/8 to maybe 1/4 inch. That being the case, 2) the percentage of the footprint or surface area of the shoe that touches down is probably 95%-plus felt and 5% or less stud. In any event, there is virtually no skate factor involved.

Thanks- it was the skating effect I was the most concerned about.
Didn’t want to insert studs and potentially
make return of boots difficult until I got a response from somebody who has
actually fished with the studs in place on moss covered rocks.

No problem.. Bear in mind that my example used factory-made studded felts where the studs are almost always of the pointed variety rather than the greater surface bolt/screw head configuration you might get with studs you install yourself. These latter may have a slighter greater protrusion but almost certainly still not enough to cause a problem. If you are inserting the usual number of studs (10-14/shoe counting the heel..), your footprint is still going to be 90%-plus felt. At worst, even with installed studs, a couple hours of use should even things out if they are slightly high at the outset.

Good Luck!

With so many states banning felt, you might consider just switching to the boots with aluminum bars on the bottom like Korkers Alumatrax or Patagonia Foot Tractors. They have better grip on moss etc than felt ever did, and better grip I think than studs. The downside is they're not so good on the floor of a boat, but if you're looking at studs in the first place I assume that's not a problem.

Troutnut wrote;



I have a couple unbreakable rules for guests in my drift boat. The #1 rule is any kind of metal stud or metal anti slip device is forbidden in my boat. They are noisy, they are dangerous, and they can leave marks on the rubber anti-slip mats on the bow and stern floors.