Ice fishing is a popular sport. It is known as one of the coldest sports as hunters are subjected to withstand extremely cold temperatures. Therefore, insulated fishing boots are one of the most important items when ice fishing as you will be walking on ice and cold snow mostly.
The challenges faced during ice fishing is walking on the ice itself. The ice is slippery so you will need shoes with sturdy soles and deep tracks for extra grip to prevent slipping. Wind and cold are a normal occurrence during ice fishing hence good insulation is important to give you warmth. Your feet might be exposed to the icy water when ice fishing so it is vital to get waterproof boots and preferably removable layer of insulation in your boots.
Apart from that, the factors to consider when buying ice fishing boots are firstly, insulation. Insulation is essential to provide warmth and comfort to you when fishing. The size of your boots matter as well, it should be lightweight but also thick enough to keep you well-insulated. There should be good traction to give you good grip when walking on ice. Besides that, if your eyes are sensitive towards the sun, consider getting yourself a pair of polarized sunglasses that is really useful in any lighting conditions for your eyes!
You also need to consider socks for ice fishing. The socks ideal for ice fishing are waterproof to keep your feet dry, heated and preferably fleece socks as they are very well-insulated. All in all, it is best to get a great pair of boots no matter the cost because in the long run, it will be worth your investment. Not forgetting the things you pack when you go on your ice fishing trip, a backpack will always come in handy for you to store your equipments.
Top 5 Rated Ice Fishing Boots Comparison Table
| Name of Product | Weight | Insulation | Waterproofness | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sorel Men's Intrepid Explorer Extreme Snow Boot | 2 lbs | High | High | $$$ |
| Lacrosse Hunt Pac Extreme Boot | 4 lbs | High | High | $$$ |
| Muck Artic Pro Camo Ice Fishing Boot | 2.1 lbs | High | High | $$$ |
| Baffin Men's Snow Monsrer Insulated Boot | 2 lbs | High | High | $$$ |
| Kamik Men's Canuck Cold Weather Boot | 4 lbs | Moderate | High | $$ |
Weight
Your ice fishing boots should be lightweight so it is easy for you to travel and walk-in them. The weight is not determined by the size, so it is fine if your boots are huge as long as they are not too heavy and comfortable for you to walk in.
Your socks donned on with the boots are mostly thick so getting a heavy boot will just slow you down. It is fine if your boots are huge to accommodate your thick socks as well as be spacious enough to ensure your maximum comfort when ice fishing.
Insulation
Insulation is one of the most important factors to look at under extreme cold conditions. A well-insulated fishing boots will ensure that your feet stay warm and toasty the whole time you are out in the cold. This will make it easier for you to move around and keep the blood running in your legs.
Some boots come with removable liners in which the layer of insulation can be removed while others have it built-in. You can even get extra toe insulation as your toes are most likely to get cold easily compared to the rest of your foot.
Waterproofness
Your boots are most likely to be subjected to icy water from ice fishing from either drilling the ice or wading in the icy waters. Therefore, it is highly essential for you to get a waterproof fishing boot to ensure your feet stay dry at all times and prevent wet feet occurrences as a result of icy water entering your boots.
Sorel Men’s Intrepid Explorer Extreme Snow Boot Review
Sorel’s fishing boots features a rugged boot specially designed for winter conditions. It is equipped with a waterproof upper with lace-up shaft as well as a gaiter built in which uses a barrel lock closure system. This system comes with an excellent design to keep the snow and cold out from entering your boots.
Apart from that, you can even tighten it under or over your pants to completely prevent the cold from slipping in your boots, hence ensuring and trapping maximum warmth under extreme cold conditions. The boots comes with a rubber sole which is highly comfortable as it has a lot of cushion.
These boots are huge in size, but lightweight so you can easily go about fishing and walking short-distances. However, it is not advisable to use it to travel long distance as they are bulky in size. The dimensions of the fishing boots are as follows, the shaft measures up to 15.5 inches from the arch while the platform measures 1.5 inches.
In terms of traction and grip, this product is equipped with multi-directional lugged outsole for enhanced and improved traction as well as a 12mm EVA internal midsole. Both the outsole and midsole are designed as such to improve the grip of your boots on the ground which comes in handy when walking on slippery ice especially to prevent you from slipping easily.
The thickness of the sole, which are the outsole, midsole and footbed combined gives you a great and thick barrier between your foot and the ice. Therefore, you are able to survive the freezing temperatures easily. Moreover, this product is good and waterproof. In other words, you won’t be experiencing any wet feet during ice fishing.
This fishing boots has an excellent insulation. It comes with a 13mm Thermoplus felt inner boot with Omni-Heat reflective lining. On the bright side, the inner boot lining is removable so you are able to remove it to dry it out from moisture easily. The EVA footbed in the boots which provides extra cushion is also removable which makes it easier to be dried and cleaned.
Suitable for :
- Multi-directional lugged outsole
- Barrel lock closure system
- Removable Omni-Heat reflective lining
Lacrosse Hunt Pac Extreme Boot Review
Constructed fully by leather, this ice fishing boots provides excellent performance insulation that will give your warmth in the snow and rain conditions. Therefore, this product is ideal for extreme cold weather conditions and serves its purpose well to shield your feet from the cold temperature hence, you can fish with ease and with maximum comfort.
Moreover, Lacrosse’s fishing boots are equipped with a waterproof barrier which allows moisture to escape as a result of your feet sweating inside, but preventing water and cold from seeping in the boots. Therefore, this further ensures that your feet is dry and comfy all day long during the ice fishing period.
The liners of this boots however, are not removable thus you need to dry them using a boot dryer overnight from the accumulation of moisture in the boot. The cleaning also must be done without dissembling the inner lining of the boots. Apart from that, this fishing boots has a well-built and tough construction. It is constructed using full-grain leather and 1000 Derier nylon to ensure maximum durability and comfort during extreme cold conditions.
In terms of traction, this products comes with reinforced heels and a toe cap to provide maximum abrasion resistance and better grip when walking on ice, hence reducing the probability of you most likely slipping. The traction is further improved by the unique lug pattern on the outsole of the boots which sheds snows and debris in heavy wear areas, thus clearing the path for you to walk in with ease.
Besides that, this product is a little heavy and bulky nevertheless you are able to walk short distance or ice fish with high comfort and ease. The sole of this ice fishing boots on the other hand is rigid and strong, however the boots size are a little too small so you should go for a size bigger especially as compensation to your thick socks.
Suitable for :
- Waterproof barrier
- High performance insulation
- Unique lug pattern on outsole
- Reinforced heel and toe cap
Muck Artic Pro Camo Ice Fishing Boot Review
This ice fishing boots with synthetic construction has a rugged design as it comes in a camo color. Apart from that, it provides maximum comfort as well as is known to be ideal to withstand extreme cold temperatures.
Moreover, this fishing boots is equipped with a stretch-fit topline binding which prevents the cold and water from seeping in your boots. And since it is stretch-fit, it will cling tightly to your leg hence keeping the warmth trapped inside and the cold out. The length of the boots on the other hand is up to the top of your calf but below your knee.
This product consists of an aggressive bob tracker outsole to provide maximum stability as well as EVA midsole. Both this outsole and midsole provides great traction hence giving you good grip when dealing with the ice to refrain yourself from slipping. The liners on the other hand are non-removable so you should get a boot dryer to absorb the sweat and moisture from your boots overnight before using it again.
Always get a boot one size bigger than your actual size so it would be a perfect fit especially when you put on thick wool or fleece socks to further keep your feet warm. Your boot should perfectly fit you and be comfortable so you can easily walk in them. Also, this product comes with a contoured footbed so there is extra thickness which gives thicken the barrier between your feet and the ice.
In terms of insulation, this ice fishing boots comes with a 8mm CR flex foam with four way stretch nylon as well as a 2mm thermal foam underlay to ensure your feet is warm and is well-insulated from the freezing cold temperatures. Also, there is a breathable air mesh lining in your boots hence making it easier to clean as well as for the moisture to escape.
Suitable for :
- Stretch-fit topline binding
- Contoured footbed
- Camo design
Baffin Men’s Snow Monster Insulated Boot Review
Baffin’s ice fishing boots consists of the shaft dimension measuring up to 11 inch from the arch as well as the heel dimension measuring up to 1.5 inches. This product is well-built and constructed from both leather and fabric with a synthetic sole attached at the bottom of the boots.
Apart from that, the base of this ice fishing boots consist of an artic rubber shell, EVA midsole and polar rubber outsole. Both the designs on the outsole and midsole provides excellent traction therefore giving you better grip when walking on ice for instance and preventing you from slipping.
The shell and thick soles of this product ensures that there is a thick barrier between your feet and the ice thus keeping your feet warm and toasty. The thickness of the boots is further increased with a multi-layer inner system featuring a waffle-comb footbed. Not only that, this ice fishing boots is equipped with waterproof seam-sealed upper with snow collar.
The waterproof upper prevents water from getting in your boots if it is submerged for instance meanwhile the snow collar keeps the cold from getting in your boots, hence it is very suitable to withstand long-term cold exposure.
Moreover, you should consider getting boots a size larger than your usual size so it can accommodate your thick socks and is spacious therefore easy for you to walk in. Baffin’s ice fishing boots provides maximum comfort as it has a lot of cushions. Also, this boots are pretty light for their size.
This product features a knee high boot with a bungee-chord speed lacing system and an adjustable circumference. With the bungee-chord system, you are able to enjoy maximum comfort as you can simply fasten your boots on and off by adjusting the quick draw string. The liner in the boots on the other hand are removable, so you can easily dry them off from moisture or clean them.
Suitable for :
- Bungee-chord lacing system
- Waffle-comb footbed
- Waterproof seam-sealed upper
Kamik Men’s Canuck Cold Weather Boot Review
Constructed from fabric material, Kamik’s ice fishing boots consists of a rubber sole. The boots are quite large so it is best to get one size smaller than your usual if you are wearing normal average socks or your usual size if wearing thick socks.
Besides that, this product features knee-high winter boots in 1000 Denier waterproof nylon material together with rubber shell at foot. These rubber shells are waterproof, flexible and designed with heavy thread which in return improves the traction on your fishing boots so you get a better grip and improved slip resistance when walking on ice.
There are adjustable bungee cords at the ankle and opening of these fishing boots. This bungee cords consists of a drawstring collar as well as a toggle closure at the top part of the boots. The drawstring collar functions to keep the warmth trapped inside meanwhile the toggle closure ensures that your boots are tightly secured to your calf preventing the coldness from seeping into your boots.
Moreover, the outer part of the fishing boots are waterproof as well so icy water will less likely enter your boots. These boots also consists of a removable 8mm Zylex liner so you can easily remove it during cleaning or fully dry it from moisture from your sweat.
Apart from that, the boot is quite thin in terms of thickness of sole so you are advised to get additional inserts for more cushion on your soles. This will also increase the barrier between your feet and the ice thus keeping your feet warm and toasty under sub-zero temperatures especially when ice fishing.
Suitable for :
- Adjustable bungee cords
- Slip-resistant thread
- Waterproof rubber shells
Conclusion
In a nutshell, it is important to get a good and well-insulated pair of ice fishing boots for the first time despite the expensive price because it will be worth your investment in the long run. Factors such as insulation, waterproofness and weight should be taken into consideration when choosing the right ice fishing boots well-suited to you.
Therefore, I hope my review guides you in making your decision.