Patagonia’s new River Salt II wading boots aim to do it all for anglers | Hatch Magazine

Most anglers that split their time between freshwater and saltwater don’t get to enjoy a high degree of fly fishing gear overlap. Rods and reels that perform well on streams and rivers don’t typically fare well on flats and skiffs. Bags and packs with metal fasteners, which are perfectly suitable in freshwater, rust and wear out in saltwater. Pliers that are ideal for removing a parachute Adams from a 15-inch trout will quickly get you into trouble when trying to rescue a large baitfish pattern from the toothy maw of a bluefish or barracuda. The list goes on.

Even something as seemingly utilitarian as wading boots typically fail to be up to the task of double duty — mostly thanks to things like metal eyelets and fasteners, differences in sole pattern and construction, and so on. With its latest iteration of its River Salt boots, however, Patagonia is continuing its effort to flip the script by giving anglers a boot that can carry them “from freestones to flats.”

The new River Salt II Wading Boots are, like their predecessors, built from the ground up to be both freshwater- and saltwater-friendly. Unlike their predecessors, which were built by Portland-based Danner, the new iteration of the River Salt boots are built by Italian bootmaker Fitwell. Fitwell is a relatively small Italian company that has been hand-making some of the world’s best technical mountaineering boots for more than 4 decades. They also manufacture Patagonia’s excellent Forra Wading Boots.

For any wading boot to be saltwater-friendly, it needs to ditch traditional metal hardware. Unsurprisingly, all of the hardware on the River Salt II boots is corrosion resistant and designed to stand up to repeated exposure to saltwater. The boots Cordura-mesh uppers and high-collar design with an adjustable ankle strap which keeps out sand and gravel and other unwanted debris will be equally welcome in rivers and on flats.

Photo: Patagonia.

What traditionally keeps most saltwater boots from being river friendly is their sole design. Most saltwater boots fail to provide the traction required on rivers, streams and creeks. The Vibram® Megagrip soles on the River Salt II, however, are designed to tackle both — and to accept studs, as well.

Rounding out the boots’ feature set are reinforced heel and toe caps, a must for riverwalkers, as well as a low profile lacing system (or “lace garage” as Patagonia calls it) that the company claims reduced line grabs and snags.

If these new boots represent an evolution from Patagonia’s initial partnership with Fitwell when the duo combined to bring fly fishers the Forra Boot — which in our opinion is one of the best wading boots of this century — anglers should take a hard look at the River Salt II Wading Boots.

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