The Evolution of Korkers Wading Boots & Review of the Devils Canyon

Korkers Sponsors Trout Bum Diaries

I remember when I first heard of Korkers. I was in college and AEG Media, now Motiv Fishing, released Trout Bum Diaries: Argentina. In my opinion, this movie started the "ski movie-esqe" culture that we now love, and which has re-invigorated the youth and inspired many people to get in to the sport of fly fishing.

Every kid my age that was really into it was sitting in their dorm rooms watching AEG fish ridiculously cool locations, eating ramen noodles, tying flies in our "fishing apparel," and making it to the river by at least 10 am after a night out chasing life's other passions.

Korkers was a sponsor of that first movie, and probably one of the best marketing moves a wading boot company could have made, especially one trying to break into the market. I remember Ryan Davey, Brian Jill, Chris Owens and Mikey Wier sporting these first edition Korkers.

We actually carried these first ones and, at the time, they were really cool. A wading boot that you could change the soles and tailor your boots to your needs.  However, Korkers quickly gained a love it or hate it following. This initial design had trouble with keeping the soles on the bottom of the foot, and there were some issues with breakage of the straps. BUT, for a lot of us, it was still worth it to wear them because they were the coolest boots you could buy, the AEG boys were wearing them, and fly fishing is a lifestyle that we all love to be a part of.

Korkers Wading Boots: Ten Years Later

Fast forward to 2015, and Korkers is a very different product. They have completely redone their Omnitrax soles, you can now have studded felt, Svelt, Kling On rubber, felt, bar boot bottoms, and I’ve seen prototypes for more designs they are working on. You can now get BOA lacing on your boots, which are way better than laces (I know there are haters but I just can’t understand the downside). The fit of the boots are better, there are different styles based on what your ankle support needs are, and the new sole design rarely breaks and the soles stay on really well. The new soles are much easier to replace as well. The team at Korkers has been busy since their first launch back in "the day." What I have come to understand about Korkers over the years is that they are truly striving to become the leader and innovator in wading footwear.

Test Run in Korkers Devil's Canyon Wading Boots

Now fast forward to May 2015 and the opportunity to fish the Deschutes with the Korkers team. First stop after arriving in Portland, Oregon was Korkers HQ. I got to choose any pair I wanted off the warehouse racks and I went straight for the Devil's Canyon.

By far, their most innovative and thinking forward piece of wading footwear. The Devils Canyon has 420 nylon denier outer shell that is much tougher than any other wading boot that I know of--I also put it to the test. If you haven’t fished the Deschutes, you are constantly walking up and down rock scree slides along the river up and down the train tracks because you can’t fish from the boat. We were out hustling numerous rattle snakes, ducking alder trees, but ultimately chasing redsides during a pretty epic salmonfly hatch. The boots are tough.

The boots are also ridiculously comfortable. The neoprene backs make the boots flex and fit around your ankle like a glove. I was at the Deschutes Angler, run by Deschutes legends John and Amy Hazel. John had just got done guiding and literally said, "These new wading boots you got me (directed at Nick from Korkers) are like slippers on my feet." Enough said about their comfort?

Korkers and BOA Lacing Systems

I’ll keep this part short because I can rant on about BOA laces verse regular laces for a while, but my short response is if you haven’t tried them then do. Sure, I’ve heard they can fail (mine haven’t in three different pairs- ever), but so do laces. We have been selling them for about 10 years, and we have had less than a handful of returns, and even less that were actual product failure. The Devil’s Canyon utilizes the new improved M2 BOA system which is a stronger and quicker lacing system.

The Devil’s Canyon also is made of all hydrophobic material which means they dry faster than other boots and reduces the risk of invasive species travelling on your boots. Since the material is so strong and flexible they were able to reduce the amount of seams on this boot which increases durability. Want to see some Korkers in action? Check out our Darkhorse wading boot review or the Buckskin Mary's review for the ladies.

Korkers has come a long way. When you show up to the river and both guides, and all the people from the fly shops are wearing the same brand; it’s a sign.

Want to check out how great Korkers are yourself? Take a look at our selection online.

Side note: If you are in the area, John and Amy are some of the nicest shop owners I’ve met, and their level of knowledge is arguably unrivaled on the Deschutes.  Please support them if you are in the area.