What do you like to wear in the boat? An old family friend could swim like a fish, he wore slip on rubber overshoes in a boat. He had to swim for it once, and his leather boots were enough, he did not wear them again in a boat.
An old pair of ragged sneakers. (Merrels) Loosely laced and easy to kick off. 12ft fishin aluminum boat, elect trolling, and 9.8 Tohatsu. The Merrels stay in the car to add to the fresh air aroma on hot days 'till I start unloading the boat.
90% of the time, my shoes come off when I'm in my boat...
Barefoot or flip flops in summer. Tennis shoes in spring and fall and the warmest boots I can find in winter.
Thanks men, the trouble with rubber Wellingtons is , they can be hot. A bit of ankle support is nice if I want to get out of the boat, and climb a rock shore, like there are many of in Ontario.
I fish about every day in my Lund fishing boat and I wear some cheap knee high rubber barn boots to launch. Once in the boat I pull out an old pair of crocs which stay in the boat. When I take the boat out I slip on some hip boots which stay in the back of the truck since normally I have to get into the water to get it back on the trailer.
Depending on time of year, I wear everything from knee high rubber boots to sandals.
Something you can kick off if you land in the lake. For me, that's Beans rubber bottomed moccasins in summer. For cooler fall temps, I switch to Sorels that are only laced and tied half way up. They're warm and you can still kick them off if you have to.
Casting for salmon or just bottom fishing- bare foot usually if it's warm, Puma classics if not.
Running down riggers - old puma classics.
Offshore - Xtra tuffs or the Pumas.
The pumas grip well on most any deck, super comfy, and don't leave a mark. Off shore or pulling gear with others around, I like the protection of the Xtratuffs.
Just enjoying the water or tossing some bait, barefoot is great.
Crocs, Grundens Boots or Muck Boots
Rugged Shark Captiva. THE best water/boat shoes I've ever tried. Good traction, good rock protection and comfort, good at keeping debris out, and they weigh about two ounces each. No fears about swimming with them. And under $50.
WEBSITE
I usually wear Keen sandals in the summer. If I need to walk in the water to load/unload the boat its no big deal and they dry out pretty quickly. They keep your foot strapped in but are open enough to allow airflow and the soles are similar to a hiking boot so you get good traction. I think I got mine on sale for about $40 at Cabela's 2 years ago.