THE FLY FISHING PLACE BLOG: OREGON LEGISLATURE LUKEWARM ON FELT SOLE BAN

THE FLY FISHING PLACE BLOG

OREGON LEGISLATURE LUKEWARM ON FELT SOLE BAN

A national movement to ban felt-soled waders – shoes that fly fisherman and other anglers use to keep steady in slippery waters – has made its way to Oregon. But, unlike the boots, a bill to outlaw their sale and use by 2015 doesn't seem to have much traction.

Today, the House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee took testimony which could potentially affect more than a half million Oregonians with angling licenses.

The felt, proponents say, is a particularly good hiding spot for tiny, unwanted organisms. As anglers move from stream to stream, those organisms get carried along like passengers and deposited in places they don't belong. Meanwhile, opponents say that felt offers the best grip. "It saved my life," Dennis Richey, the executive director of Oregon Anglers told the committee.

Richey, the only one to speak against the bill, was outnumbered at the meeting.....Read More