Show me a person who looks forward to walking in waders and I’ll show you someone who hides a silver cilice in the back of their sock drawer and hangs a camel hair shirt at the front of their closet.
Walking in waders is awful. A truth made worse in southern states where we fish hot water fly: small mouth, largemouth, musky, stripers, redfish—if we’re truly fortunate—and so on. The sweating. The rubbing. The raw hide. The pulsing stink billowing up with every step. And that’s just the experience of getting from a gravel lot to a river a hundred yards below. So, on longer hauls you suck it up for a mile, or you carry the kit in a backpack, change when you get there, and tote extra gear all day. Everybody loves extra gear.
So, the first time I fished in the Simms G3Z Pro Guide Stocking Foot Waders, I parked in that familiar lot above the James River, and started downhill expecting the same story. When I got back to the truck four hours later, I knew all I needed to know.
And over the next few months, I donned the waders and walked mile after mile on the James River Park System with its 22 miles of river access in Richmond, Virginia. Stepping off trail and picking through understory for hidden river access. Wading. Rock hopping. Probing pockets.
Fishing.
What Works
For people who like to fish like I do—in outings measured in miles and hours instead of meters and minutes—these waders work. And they work better than any waders I’ve worn before. I’ll talk about my first impressions, and those that lasted.
Weight
The first thing I noticed was the weight. The weight in my hands as I pulled them out of the box and as I put them on. These waders weigh in at 3 pounds 2 ounces. For scale, a cantaloupe weighs three pounds. That’s heavy for such a small fruit. Light for waders.
Fit
Waders were on my mind as I walked down to the river the first time. The fit in particular. And in the moment, it occurred to me that they felt far more like linen than canvas in the way they fit and the way they moved. And on every outing, the fit fit, and it fit right. None of that chaffing.
Of all their virtues, the fit and freedom is what I like best about these waders. It’s almost like they’re not there. They’re not in the way. They’re not distracting. There’s no bulk. They’re not making me think about anything other than fishing. It feels far more like fishing in light clothing than it does waders.
Breathability
I fished the new Simms G3 Pro waders in the Richmond summer in temperatures up to 90 degrees, with the temperature of the James River averaging 70 to 80 degrees. These could be called wet wading conditions, but the waders were comfortable. I was comfortable.
Durability
I’m not duck hunting in these waders. I’m not chasing Brer Rabbit through the briar patch in these waders. I’m walking trails. Picking my way through varied flora to get to the water. Climbing down a bank and up a boulder. But mostly, I’m wading. And the waders performed. Over a few months and several trips, the waders showed no damage from the sneak up to and into the river. No damage from the rocks in the James.
Gravel Guards
In the sand and gravel pockets, the gravel guards earned their keep. We all know how much fun it is to get chert between your stocking foot and your boot. And we all know how rewarding it is to spend precious time fooling with such an invader. These guards worked well. The slid down easily. They hung tight. And they kept the gravel out.
Two fly box pockets
If you’re like me, you like to take as little gear as possible to the river. On the short trips where I didn’t need water, these pockets let me slide fly boxes and tippet in on my chest, and leave my backpack in the pickup. On the longer trips, the pockets gave me quick access to my favorite flies—the crawfish, the hopper, and the Beetle Spin of flyfishing: the wooly bugger. The zipper pockets were a bonus.
What Doesn't
For how I fish, there’s nothing about the waders that does not work. There are things, however, to consider.
Price
At $900, the waders are expensive. To say otherwise would be disingenuous. So, they will not match the budget and interests of everyone. Some folks may prefer to use that money to buy 1,100 single-state scratch-off lottery tickets and play the odds that a ticket will pay off. There’s others, though, who spend hours and days in waders—due to profession or deep passion. And for those folks, if they are fortunate enough to have the resources to invest in comfort, then with the price of these waders comes value. It’s no gamble to bet on that. And those same people likely have a flyrod that costs as much or more.
To be fair, those who are young and aspiring and new and frugal, occasional, more tolerant to discomfort, or otherwise inclined, can fly fish in cut off jeans. And they can fly fish in cold water in hardware store waders. I’ve done both. It is a different experience. But you can cast just as accurately, just as beautifully, just as effectively, and you can work a fly— and a fish will bend your rod just as well. And no this: however you come to flyfishing, you are most welcome.
Final Word
Simms is a premium brand. No doubt. And with the latest incarnation of the Simms G3 Pro waders they build upon a tradition of delivering gear that works and works better than well. I’ve worn all manner of waders and never—not once—have I worn waders like this. I will wear them on every trip possible. And, I may even fish more often because of how they pack and wear and fish.
The technical specifications will tell you these waders have a three-layer Gore-Tex upper, a four-layer Gore-Tex lower, articulated leg seams, upgraded suspenders, and fleece-lined handwarmer pockets. That the gravel guards are abrasion resistant and the neoprene stocking feet are compression resistant, and so on. If you’re a tech nerd like many of my buddies are, you’ll love that. But if you’re like me, these details are not so important.
What’s important to me is not what they did or how they did it, it’s what they didn’t do. They didn’t intrude. And so, for miles and for hours, I could be outside, on trail, not thinking about waders.
Just fishing. And that’s the point, after all.
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