# Sting ray protection Whats best?



## ROBALO23 (Jul 7, 2011)

So what do you guys wear? I have the ray guards but not a big fan of the reef boots.Anyone wear Lacrosse snake boots? And don't say Jus shuffle your feet.... Come down to cottons an greens and do that.....


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## team cut em deep (May 14, 2010)

Lacrosse snake boots are the way to go IMO


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## Mrschasintail (Dec 8, 2004)

I waded there yesterday in my everlast ray guard boots.


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## bearwhiz (Jan 30, 2011)

Best protection, stay in the boat. I only had to get hit once to realize I didn't enjoy that type of fishing.


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## kapman (Aug 3, 2006)

which model of lacrosse snake boots is everyone using? hearing a lot about them, and has anyone been hit wearing them?


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## bragwell (Apr 15, 2010)

kapman said:


> which model of lacrosse snake boots is everyone using? hearing a lot about them, and has anyone been hit wearing them?


I'd like to know too.


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## Dougb123 (Jan 7, 2013)

I read or heard somewhere that snake boots are NOT stingray proof, but I'm not sure if that was accurate info. I use Crackshot shin guards over rayguard reef boots and like em so far.


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## D-kirk2 (Sep 4, 2007)

I have the crack shots and like them a lot.


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## finaddiction (Aug 8, 2005)

I use Crackshot guards over Simms wading boots.


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## rjc1982 (Sep 27, 2005)

finaddiction said:


> I use Crackshot guards over Simms wading boots.


X2


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## Lone-Star (Dec 19, 2009)

crack shots over simms flats sneakers.


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## Mitchellinspring (Oct 31, 2012)

hey all. got a ray close to jamaica beach late saturday night. watch your step out there


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## makoclay (May 25, 2004)

I have always wanted to know if anybody has ever been hit by a ray while wearing stingray boots. I am guessing it would be a very tense moment followed by a bit of satisfaction that you were prepared. I am still pretty sure that I would scream like a little girl when I felt it move under my feet.


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## aguaflaca (Aug 11, 2005)

makoclay said:


> I have always wanted to know if anybody has ever been hit by a ray while wearing stingray boots. I am guessing it would be a very tense moment followed by a bit of satisfaction that you were prepared. I am still pretty sure that I would scream like a little girl when I felt it move under my feet.


this would be interesting to know. I know several people that got hit not wearing stingray protection, but have never talked to anybody who was hit and the boots stopped it.


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## eesmike (Aug 18, 2010)

rjc1982 said:


> X2


x3


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## Orion85 (Apr 11, 2013)

Sounds like one of those "rather have it and not not need it, than need it and not have it" situations.


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## fishguy74 (Oct 13, 2011)

I use the lacrosse fang boots, get them a size bigger and then they will fit with your waders as well, they last about a good year before oysters will tear them up, but I also fish about 60-80 times a year as well.


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## SpoonFedRed (Mar 30, 2010)

Crackshot over Foreverlast Reef Boots...


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## fishin shallow (Jul 31, 2005)

Can't remember who or what article it was but someone tested out the snake boots with a ray barb and the barb went thru them like butter. They are made for fangs not 2-3" barb.


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## fishin shallow (Jul 31, 2005)

makoclay said:


> I have always wanted to know if anybody has ever been hit by a ray while wearing stingray boots. I am guessing it would be a very tense moment followed by a bit of satisfaction that you were prepared. I am still pretty sure that I would scream like a little girl when I felt it move under my feet.


Quote taken off another site:

_"I been hit twice wearing my Rayguards, the barb didn't penetrate either time but my heart stopped for a brief second lol. One hit just cut the cordura kind of a glancing shot, the second hit was about half way up my calf in the back where the double wrapped portion around your calf. That 2nd hit had some oomph behind it and is the one that stopped my heart lol..........shuffle shuffle even with the gear on!"_


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## sferg (May 26, 2004)

I have felt a ray hit the toe area of my ray guard boot. Its double or triple layered rubber. If felt like a bird pecking on the end of the boot. I have seen stingrays over in the greens/cotton bayou area while wade fishing the shallows that you could not measure the width with a yard stink and I don't want to meet the business end of what they have to offer!


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## Lexy1 (Jul 12, 2012)

fishin shallow said:


> Can't remember who or what article it was but someone tested out the snake boots with a ray barb and the barb went thru them like butter. They are made for fangs not 2-3" barb.


x2


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## Captain Dave (Jul 19, 2006)

*Wear a Jock ...*

I use Reef boots with the Ray guards separately. I tried the Mucks, but I could not find anyone that has em that has been hit . They also had a lil soft spot that i was not banking on. I know many guides that wear em, especially in Matty and they have not been hit. I asked em to test em with a shotgun blast..

Any ways I returned em. They would work for most, but not me..

While wading many pasrts of the Tx coast, im glad i was not hit when in chest deep waters by swimming schools of Rays that are up to 3 ft. I would need a protection up to the neck lol .. Wear a Jock... lol

http://www.muckbootsonline.com/Woody_Armor_Premium_Hunting_Boots_p/sbrmobu.htm


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## dparkerh (Jun 24, 2011)

Simms Oceantek Boot + Ray Guards if you're nervous.


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## Trouthunter (Dec 18, 1998)

> And don't say Jus shuffle your feet.... Come down to cottons an greens and do that.....


That's all I do and have been doing it at Cotton's and Greens for 45 years lol.

This stingray protection is pretty new stuff. For many more years than stingray guards have been around people have been wade fishing and floundering without them. It's a good idea and folks that want to wear them should; I just don't care for them.

I don't know of any snake boot that is stingray barb proof and if a pair is advertised that way I don't know about it.

TH


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## fishNwithfish (Aug 17, 2011)

Fila toe shoes. I feel like if I get kissed by a stingray while fishing at least I'm doing what I love.


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## speckcaster (May 5, 2012)

sferg said:


> I have felt a ray hit the toe area of my ray guard boot. Its double or triple layered rubber. If felt like a bird pecking on the end of the boot. I have seen stingrays over in the greens/cotton bayou area while wade fishing the shallows that you could not measure the width with a yard stink and I don't want to meet the business end of what they have to offer!





dparkerh said:


> Simms Oceantek Boot + Ray Guards if you're nervous.


oceantek's are nice boots but a ray barb will go right through them!


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## speckcaster (May 5, 2012)

fishNwithfish said:


> Fila toe shoes. I feel like if I get kissed by a stingray while fishing at least I'm doing what I love.


until you or someone your fishing with get's hit.....then you wouldn't get in the water without better protection....i guarantee it!

after 30+ years of wet wading barefooted in the surf or just in tennis shoes in the bays.....I've been lucky and so has anyone else who's pushed their luck (knock on wood) but with age & kids comes wisdom! especially when see what a ray hit can do to someone....it can ruin your way of life (ability to walk!!!!) and the damage could cost many thousands...FILA TOES SHOES DON"T CUT IT.....good luck!

speckcaster


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## Run-N-Gun (Jul 5, 2007)

I've personally been hit twice(once in HS while in surf and 2 summers ago during LOTB tourney because I let wife wear my boots, which I'm glad I did), both time I was only wearing neoprene boots and not proper protection. Since I didn't learn my lesson the first time I for sure have now! Nick and I both wear the lacrosse snake boots as shown below and won't get in the water without them. They last about a summer(75ish trips) and then need to be replaced but are so much more comfortable than the ray guard boots. I've never personally been hit while wearing them so I'm not sure what will happen, but I'm just fine if I never have to test it.


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## Flounder Face (Jun 20, 2012)

Lexy1 said:


> x2


 post last year debated the snake boot theory. They did not hold up. Get the rayguards or a kayak. That is what people tell me.


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## aguaflaca (Aug 11, 2005)

Trouthunter said:


> That's all I do and have been doing it at Cotton's and Greens for 45 years lol.
> 
> This stingray protection is pretty new stuff. For many more years than stingray guards have been around people have been wade fishing and floundering without them. It's a good idea and folks that want to wear them should; I just don't care for them.
> 
> ...


TH
I haven't been able to make myself wear any protection either, because I haven't found anything I like.

my dad is and has been an avid wade fisherman for appx 50 years.

a few years back, he got hit in arch/ankle area while fishing in Port Mansfield. It broke off deep in his foot. he was a long way from boat, boat was a long way from dock and dock was a long way from nearest medical care. my dad was a motocross racer from the late 60s to the early 80s and was involved in several bad crashes. he has had 2 major back surgeries, both shoulders and both knees done.

my dad is a tough old fart and I have never seen him in as much pain as from the ray. 
he immediately bought some of the first ray-guards made and wears them religiously. he is also wary of where he gets out of boat and if he starts seeing rays he is ready to move.

my point is: it can happen to any of us and you probably won't like it when it does.

did it make me wear protection? NO
because I'm hardheaded and I like the comfort of my soft wading shoes.


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## Run-N-Gun (Jul 5, 2007)

Speaking from someone who has been hit, I wouldn't wish it on anyone! Both times I was hit I would consider myself lucky because neither time did the barb break off in me and the last time I was in front of our family doctor within 10 minutes of it happening(he was fishing just down the shoreline from us and had everything on board to take care of it). I would consider myself a relatively tough person, but it was the poison that got me the last time as it hit me directly in the back of the heal and was directly into by blood flow. I'm was passing in/out with 30sec and had to be drug back to boat. If I wouldn't have been around anyone I'm not sure what would have happened. I'm not saying this to scare anyone because I still love to wade and didn't think twice about jumping back in the water, but with protection. Learning from someone else's mistakes is easier and I promise you'd wish you would have after you get hit. Here's a link to the pictures of my foot after the last time I was hit just so you get an idea: http://www.run-n-gunadventures.com/report/viewtopic.php?t=183


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## Rippin_drag (Sep 2, 2008)

Here's a link to some pics of a stingray hit on some Crackshots that i posted last year.

http://2coolfishing.com/ttmbforum/showpost.php?p=4306006&postcount=65


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## Just One More (Jan 30, 2008)

Yep, hurts like a mother...Got hit last year in the surf at Surfside. Must have been a small one. Went through my neoprene wading boots like nothing, and luckily didn't break off. That's still all I wear :headknock


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## lamar44 (Nov 26, 2011)

I got hit three years ago in the big toe. That toe is still deformed. I for sure wear rayguards now.


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## YAKATTACK-ZAK (Feb 6, 2011)

Staying in the boat lol


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## Major29 (Jun 19, 2011)

Anybody know where I can pick up a pair of the crack shot ray guards? I've always used foreverlast, but these look like better quality to me.

Sent from my HTC One X using Tapatalk 2


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## Bustin Chops (Feb 3, 2008)

http://crackshotcorp.com/


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## Major29 (Jun 19, 2011)

Bustin Chops said:


> http://crackshotcorp.com/


Thanks. I saw that, but was hoping someone in the Houston area carried them in stock.

Sent from my HTC One X using Tapatalk 2


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## JimD (May 25, 2004)

Take a look at these pictures of McBride's hit back in 08 or 9. 
They almost started to call him "Peg Leg) Mctrout after he got Vibro along with the stingray stick.

http://2coolfishing.com/ttmbforum/showthread.php?t=211452&highlight=McTrout&page=6

Fwiw. I took my pellet gun and it blew thru the regular guards with the plastic shields. I have a couple of pairs of the old black neumark guards out of 400 denier material and the pellet will not go thru this material.

I have both crackshot and foreverlast guards but I have cut the old neumarks to fit on the inside of the guards to give me a floating layer of protection. You cannot tell the inter layer is there.

Have I tried it out "no" because I shuffle and been really lucky so far.

A lot of people get hit shuffling when they step off in a hole or more commonly stepping back when they get a fish after shuffling the rest of the time.


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## RobRed (Jan 9, 2011)

Major29 said:


> Anybody know where I can pick up a pair of the crack shot ray guards? I've always used foreverlast, but these look like better quality to me.
> 
> Sent from my HTC One X using Tapatalk 2


http://www.stinkypantsfishing.com/

Give Jason a call I'm sure he can get them to you ASAP ...


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## cpthook (Jan 16, 2008)

*West Bay*

I got hit in West Galveston Bay about 3 summers ago. I ws on a solo trip and about 100 yards from the boat. I had seen a shark rocking my top water earlier in the morning so when I got hit a million things popped into my mind. Did the shark hit me, did a sting ray hit me, did I walk into a steel rod and get jabbed, etc. I was wearing my simms waders and because it was late spring I didn't have anything underneath them so they were doubled over. I was freaking out trying to get back to the boat and thinking I hope whatever it was does not come back. My body shut down pretty quick after I got to the boat. I pulled my waders off and realized it was a ray. The barb went thru 2 layes of waders but did not get lodged in my leg thank god. As you can see the hit was up high on my leg so the ray shoes would not have done any good. I purchased the RayGaurd leggings or they may be the Everlast not sure, to wear with my rayguard or everlast boots but they do not have the under the shoe strap so they slide up, because of that I do not use them. The crackshot leggings look pretty good but do they have the under the shoe strap to keep them form sliding up?


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## Rippin_drag (Sep 2, 2008)

Yes the Crackshots have a strap that goes under your foot to keep them secure.


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## McTrout (May 22, 2004)

fishin shallow said:


> Can't remember who or what article it was but someone tested out the snake boots with a ray barb and the barb went thru them like butter. They are made for fangs not 2-3" barb.


I did a test at the dock, and yes, barbs go thru snake boots like butter. Sorry guys....


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## rc10j1 (Jul 15, 2010)

I can catch fish in the boat. Why buy a boat if you have to get out and fish.


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## [email protected] (May 24, 2004)

I hear all the talk about puncturing booties, wading boots, snake boots, leggings, etc., with all manner of sharp implements, and shooting them with pellet rifles and shotguns, at specified distances. That's all very nice and informative I'm sure; it'll tell you exactly what those devices can do to whatever object or material you're testing. But folks - It ain't a stingray!

I set up a real-life demo with Capt. Gary Gray and Billy Gerke years back when Billy's Ray Guard boots first hit the market. Caught a pretty decent sized ray and put him in a kiddie pool, and terrorized him half to death with a ForEverLast Ray Guard boot mounted on a piece of 2x4 stud. *The ray went berserk flapping and slashing and jabbing, but the boot was never penetrated!!!* I photographed it, wrote a story, and published it in TSFMag.

Y'all wear whatever you want. I wear Gerke's big ol' clunky ForEverLast Ray Guard Boots every time my butt slides over the gunwale. Size 10 for summer wet wading and size 12 with waders. -EJ


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## makoclay (May 25, 2004)

[email protected] said:


> I hear all the talk about puncturing booties, wading boots, snake boots, leggings, etc., with all manner of sharp implements, and shooting them with pellet rifles and shotguns, at specified distances. That's all very nice and informative I'm sure; it'll tell you exactly what those devices can do to whatever object or material you're testing. But folks - It ain't a stingray!
> 
> I set up a real-life demo with Capt. Gary Gray and Billy Gerke years back when Billy's Ray Guard boots first hit the market. Caught a pretty decent sized ray and put him in a kiddie pool, and terrorized him half to death with a ForEverLast Ray Guard boot mounted on a piece of 2x4 stud. *The ray went berserk flapping and slashing and jabbing, but the boot was never penetrated!!!* I photographed it, wrote a story, and published it in TSFMag.
> 
> Y'all wear whatever you want. I wear Gerke's big ol' clunky ForEverLast Ray Guard Boots every time my butt slides over the gunwale. Size 10 for summer wet wading and size 12 with waders. -EJ


That is what I wear and they are great. I really don't understand why anybody would have an issue with them (or any other boot) being clunky when wading. I can't see why it would matter. If fact, you could make the arguement that the more surface area that you have on the soles of your feet the better because you will sink in the mud less. I put them on sitting on my back porch and go straight to the boat once I have them on so it is not like I am walking up and down the street in them. If I have them on and decide to fish from the boat, I just take them off - clunkliness solved.


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## jtbailey (Apr 29, 2012)

THANK YOU EJ ..... That should put it all to rest, BUT unfortunately for the hard headed "namebrand" lovers who want nothing but comfort, but they will soon enough find out how "comfort" a ray's barb feels.... I'll stick with safety over comfort


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## Capt sharky (Feb 22, 2012)

Lacrosse are very good a little heavy and pricy about 200.00 Jonnys sport shop in eagle lake is best place to find them and anything else mike and Wayne are good folks


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## Foreverlasthp (Mar 28, 2007)

Hey guys saw this discussion don't get on here much but for people that are looking for protection we offer the best that we feel we can make for an affordable price, ForEverlast Ray Guard Boots, Ray Guard Shields, and Ray Guard Reef boots offer the protection you need and you can get in a pair for a reasonable cost compared to the alternatives out there. And to top that I am going to offer you guys a special deal only for 2coolers, go to our web site and enter 2cool when checking out and we will get you in a pair of protective gear for an additional 20% off of an already great priced product, hope that helps that is what we intend to do with our products this offer will expire 6/27 so act fast and share if you like with your pals! Enter 2cool when checking out and it will calculate the new cost of the product for ya, you can see entire selection at www.foreverlast.com
Thanks guys


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## InfamousJ (May 21, 2004)

[email protected] said:


> Y'all wear whatever you want. I wear Gerke's big ol' clunky ForEverLast Ray Guard Boots every time my butt slides over the gunwale. Size 10 for summer wet wading and size 12 with waders. -EJ


Seems like a win win to me... stingray protection plus a workout wading... who doesn't want to get stronger and be in shape? 



Foreverlasthp said:


> Hey guys saw this discussion don't get on here much but for people that are looking for protection we offer the best that we feel we can make for an affordable price, ForEverlast Ray Guard Boots, Ray Guard Shields, and Ray Guard Reef boots offer the protection you need and you can get in a pair for a reasonable cost compared to the alternatives out there. And to top that I am going to offer you guys a special deal only for 2coolers, go to our web site and enter 2cool when checking out and we will get you in a pair of protective gear for an additional 20% off of an already great priced product, hope that helps that is what we intend to do with our products this offer will expire 6/27 so act fast and share if you like with your pals! Enter 2cool when checking out and it will calculate the new cost of the product for ya, you can see entire selection at www.foreverlast.com
> Thanks guys


wow, thanks for that.. great deal.


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## InfamousJ (May 21, 2004)

Foreverlasthp said:


> go to our web site and enter 2cool when checking out and we will get you in a pair of protective gear for an additional 20% off of an already great priced product, hope that helps that is what we intend to do with our products this offer will expire 6/27 so act fast and share if you like with your pals! Enter 2cool when checking out and it will calculate the new cost of the product for ya, you can see entire selection at www.foreverlast.com
> Thanks guys


ooops, din't work for me.. will try again later on...


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## Gilbert (May 25, 2004)

Foreverlasthp said:


> Hey guys saw this discussion don't get on here much but for people that are looking for protection we offer the best that we feel we can make for an affordable price, ForEverlast Ray Guard Boots, Ray Guard Shields, and Ray Guard Reef boots offer the protection you need and you can get in a pair for a reasonable cost compared to the alternatives out there. And to top that I am going to offer you guys a special deal only for 2coolers, go to our web site and enter 2cool when checking out and we will get you in a pair of protective gear for an additional 20% off of an already great priced product, hope that helps that is what we intend to do with our products this offer will expire 6/27 so act fast and share if you like with your pals! Enter 2cool when checking out and it will calculate the new cost of the product for ya, you can see entire selection at www.foreverlast.com
> Thanks guys


do you price match? :spineyes: :rotfl:

http://www.academy.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_10151_10051_14427_-1__?color=Tan&N=83518989

http://www.foreverlastonline.com/Ray-Guard-Reef-Boots_p_30.html

http://www.academy.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_10151_10051_14415_-1__?color=Tan&N=83518989

http://www.foreverlastonline.com/Ray-Guard-Wading-Boots_p_32.html


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## Foreverlasthp (Mar 28, 2007)

Sorry we hold to the retail pricing to protect our retailers we cannot go below suggest pricing but with 20% and free shipping you will be in better shape anyway! We had an error on our web page but you can now use the web to order if any problems call Kelli at 361-798-1531 and she can get the order taken. Coupon code for free shipping is simply Free Shipping. Reminder 2cool gets you an additional 20% off,
Thanks guys good luck and tight lines!


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## McTrout (May 22, 2004)

makoclay said:


> That is what I wear and they are great. I really don't understand why anybody would have an issue with them (or any other boot) being clunky when wading. I can't see why it would matter. If fact, you could make the arguement that the more surface area that you have on the soles of your feet the better because you will sink in the mud less. I put them on sitting on my back porch and go straight to the boat once I have them on so it is not like I am walking up and down the street in them. If I have them on and decide to fish from the boat, I just take them off - clunkliness solved.


Agreed. However, the testing I did on snake boots should have been fairly accurate. I just used a real barb with a pair of pliers...and it didn't take much to penetrate the fabric. Out of everything I tested, the only protection that stopped penetration were the reef boots from Everlast.


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## McTrout (May 22, 2004)

[email protected] said:


> I hear all the talk about puncturing booties, wading boots, snake boots, leggings, etc., with all manner of sharp implements, and shooting them with pellet rifles and shotguns, at specified distances. That's all very nice and informative I'm sure; it'll tell you exactly what those devices can do to whatever object or material you're testing. But folks - It ain't a stingray! -EJ


Agreed. However, the testing I did on snake boots should have been fairly accurate. I just used a real barb with a pair of pliers...and it didn't take much to penetrate the fabric. Out of everything I tested, the only protection that stopped penetration were the reef boots from Everlast.


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## Hot Diggy (Jan 27, 2013)

well all this was helpful, now me being new to wading I wear a pair of everlast flats predator wading boots with the ray guard shield am I protected or should I look in to getting something else


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## txjustin (Jun 3, 2009)

Do the ray guard shields by foreverlast cover front and back of lower legs? Or just front?


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## Hot Diggy (Jan 27, 2013)

txjustin said:


> Do the ray guard shields by foreverlast cover front and back of lower legs? Or just front?


the cover front and back to there website and you see them


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## Blue Water Roughneck (May 22, 2004)

What is the difference between the Ray Guard Reef Boots and the Ray Guard Wading Boots? It looks like the Ray Guard Wading boots come with the upper leg shield but nothing for the reef boots?


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## Main Frame 8 (Mar 16, 2007)

Stay in the boat.


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## Bankin' On It (Feb 14, 2013)

anyone mention a cup? I'd wear a cup.


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## brian02 (May 24, 2006)

*Simms*



speckcaster said:


> oceantek's are nice boots but a ray barb will go right through them!


Fyi...I emailed Simms Customer service and asked them what the best they was and they said the following:

From Simms: Thank you for contacting Simms Fishing Products. We do not carry a â€œstingray proofâ€ boot. The best we have to offer is the Oceantec Boot. It is the most puncture resistant boot intended for saltwater use.


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## rjc1982 (Sep 27, 2005)

Like EJ I wore the Foreverlast boots for years because of the thick rubber protection. I did switch last year to the Simms boots simply because they are lighter. I always was concerned that if I stepped off too deep that I would not be able to swim in the heavy Foreverlast boots. I do wear the Crackshot guards, they seem a bit more stout that the Foreverlast ray guards.


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## Major29 (Jun 19, 2011)

I just ordered a pair of Simms zip it booties. They look nice and the price is right. I also ordered a pair of the crack shots to go with them. My 10 year old foreverlasts with rayguards are about to bite the dust, but will still be my back up pair....this thread got me thinking and convinced me to go ahead and replace them.

Sent from my HTC One X using Tapatalk 2


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## Gottagofishin (Dec 17, 2005)

I mostly just stay in the boat these days. Boat that drafts 4" and a MK I pilot. I can cover any water I want as well as wading.

When I do wade, I have the ray guard boots with built in shin guards.


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## [email protected] (May 24, 2004)

rjc - put your Foreverlast Rayguard boots on and get in a swimming pool. You're in for a surprise. Waders too! I did a story on what would happen if you ended up in deep water based on what happened in the pool. I dove to the bottom and simply could not stay there. The boots have incredible buoyancy and the air in the waders will float a truck if you keep an elastic belt cinched around your upper abdomen. Being land based creatures we assume if we have to swim in our wading gear we're doomed. Not so! Try it!


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## mysteryfisherman (Jun 19, 2013)

Two buddies and I went wade fishing about a month ago. We were all wearing foreverlast gear but the weber still got hit by a sting ray. Went straight through the guard and into his leg. Pretty wide, pretty deep, pretty nasty.

Even with the right gear on, it's an excellent idea to maintain safe practices.(I know you don't want to hear it but...) Shuffle like the wind!


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## speckcaster (May 5, 2012)

brian02 said:


> Fyi...I emailed Simms Customer service and asked them what the best they was and they said the following:
> 
> From Simms: Thank you for contacting Simms Fishing Products. We do not carry a â€œstingray proofâ€ boot. The best we have to offer is the Oceantec Boot. It is the most puncture resistant boot intended for saltwater use.


that's what i thought they'd say.......their great boots......but not ray proof! with today's technology why in the world doesn't somebody make a ray proof wade boot! they'd make a killing if someone would get off of their arse and build one....they can build them no doubt....with all of the body armor technology out there I just can't understand why someone hasn't yet!


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## [email protected] (May 24, 2004)

If there was a killing to be made in stingray protective footwear somebody would already be making it. What you have to realize is that apart from Texas there is very little wade fishing market. Even here in Texas, world capital of wade fishing, there's probably fewer than 150,000 to 200,000 of us. Now factor in that you'll probably sell expensive protective footwear to only a few...for sake of argument we'll call it 10%. That describes the market -now the process. Every size boot has its very own molds for soles, lasts, uppers, etc., unless they are made by hand (both methods very expensive.) Then what about all the sizes, and how many to stock of each? And then what about the retailers with their "no questions" return policy...guy fishes once a year and wears new boots every trip...Ha! 

Hence the reason nobody's making a killing.


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## Slick8 (Jun 28, 2010)

makoclay said:


> I have always wanted to know if anybody has ever been hit by a ray while wearing stingray boots. I am guessing it would be a very tense moment followed by a bit of satisfaction that you were prepared. I am still pretty sure that I would scream like a little girl when I felt it move under my feet.


I got hit about 4 years ago while wading a cove at Greens in West Matty.

It was late in the evening and I was moving very little as I was surrounded by tailing reds and stingrays. At one point, I counted 12 rays without moving. At some point I stepped on one that was buried up in several inches of grass. He was a little one about 15" across but didn't take kindly to me stepping on his head. He hit me about 3" above the ankle and left a mark on my boot and nearly left a stain in my britches.

They're heavy and not the most comfortable but to me they're as good as it gets.


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## Smackdaddy53 (Nov 4, 2011)

I wonder how that puncture resistant glove material would work if incorporated into a neoprene wade sock? Then you could make four sizes and wear whatever boots you wanted to over them...may look into this more.

http://www.fishingscout.com/scouts/SmackDaddy


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## winmck (Sep 27, 2006)

I wear the Lacrosse Fangs and was hit last summer. Scared the **** out of me but all it did was cut the outer fabric on the boot. After that "test" I bought boots for my kids!


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## aqua vita (Feb 21, 2011)

Wading East Galvston Bay a couple years ago I felt a flutter under my foot and a tail wrap around my calf kind of softly. I was wearing foreverlast boots and their shin guards. Thankful to be protected that day. To think I used to wade with converse shoes, dive booties and sometimes even barefoot.


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## Captain Dave (Jul 19, 2006)

I read somewhere that to really test a boot / shield besides actually getting hit is to choot it from some odd distance with buckshot to compare the force that the ray administrates... Any takers ?


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## Smackdaddy53 (Nov 4, 2011)

Was the puncture resistant wade sock a bad idea? If it wont penetrate I can live with a bruise

http://www.fishingscout.com/scouts/SmackDaddy


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