I was hit 20 years ago and have worn Hodgman boots ever since with no problems.

 

Larry, are they stingray proof ?

 

God, I've known/heard of, a lot of people the last couple years who've got hit, scares me...and yet don't really think about it when in the surf. I like to think I have a fairly high pain threshold, but I whined like a little you know what getting finned in the big toe by a hardhead.

 

A deep, major impalement in the foot by a hardhead fin is almost as bad as a ray hit IMO>:hairout:

 

Not really, stingray is worse as the toxin can put you into shock.

 

I wear raygaurd boots...as for truly stingray proof ....I guess there is only one way to tell for sure and I ain't going there on purpose

To be honest i am doubtful on any of them taking a straight hard direct hit by a good sized ray but if they can deflect a majority of hits it's worth wearing them for confidence. Step on on of the big nasty bad boys and the hit will most likely be above most of them anyways. I Shuffle feet even wearing them

 

Snake boots.

 

After stepping on a ray that politely didn't tear me up this spring I gave it up and bought me and the kid each a set of Crackshot Ray Guards from Stinky Pants. The Everlast guards have no calf protection.

http://www.stinkypantsfishing.com/Rayguards.htm

 

The Everlast guards have no calf protection.

I don't know how large your calves have to be to run out of the calf protection, but at 6'2" 190#'s, it overlaps itself across the entire back of my calf, even with waders on. They are absolutely designed to provide calf protection.

 

Snake boots and they are light weight

 

I have been hearing snake boots a lot recently and want to know if someone has been hit with them. If it worked, what boot are you wearing?

 

I have not personally been hit since wearing snake boots, but I know someone who swears they were hit. I wear the Muck brand Woody Armor boots and like them a lot.

 

X2 on the Hodgmans. But, they quit making them. We bought up all we could find because we fish a lot of shell in the winter and they hold up really well. They used to call them "Reef and Ray Boots" but they dropped the "Ray" part. Don't know if someone got hit and it went through or what. Now we wear them with Crackshot guards over the the outside. Mine are big enough I can just slip them on and off without a lot of effort. You can still find them occasionally.

 

Lacrosse fang boots. Light, and also work on snakes. Sometimes I wear them as rubber boots during teal season

 

how are the snake boots for when water gets in them? does it weigh you down - do you need to wear wade socks with those or just bare foot?

 

I prefer to wear socks with mine, but I forgot them this past weekend and I stayed comfortable and did not get any blisters. The boots I wear get a little heavy with water, but they are no worse than the NEverlast

 

You need to wear socks with them. When you get in the boat you need to empty the water out of them, but in the water the Lacrosse snake boats aren't bad to wade in.

 

Not sure if it was on here or a magazine write up where someone tested snake boots with a rays barb and it went through like butter. Stated that they were built to withstand fangs not barbs.

 

It was McTrout:

http://www.2coolfishing.net/ttmbforum/showpost.php?p=4295590&postcount=29

 

Stingray proof boots

I wade in Rocky goretex waterproof snakeproof boots from Bass Pro - about $160. Cover the foot and up to the knees. They don't stretch so important you get correct size, wear same sox.bootie you will wear wading.

 

I got hit hard on the top of the foot next to the Surfside jetties in 94. Other than back issues this was some of the worst stuff I have ever felt. I was gunshy of wading for a while then went to those ray guards They were too much of a hassle and now wade bareback casting chance and luck to the wind.

 

I use the regular Foreverlast Reef Boot with the Crackshot Ray Guards. Although I haven't been hit yet; together they seem to be bullet proof.

 

been wading 25 years, usually 4-5 days a week. never been hit or seen anyone hot. Slide your feet and keep moving forward never back.

 

I got hit by a ray 4 years ago. You can bet I wear ray guards now. I can tell you
first hand you don't want any part of a rays visit.

 

Some of y'all continue to be entertaining. Sorry, but the Hodgeman's are made of Kevlar up top, meant to stop a spinning projectile not an ice pick. (Any questions ask Lynn Smith)

We've done several test with snake boots. Sorry again. Your best bet is Everlast's Reef boots with the wrap-around guard.

By the way, I've now been hit 8 times. If some of y'all are going to offer expert opinion, especially about something that can be life threatening, please speak from actual experience or knowledge. Don't mean to dis, but what you don't know can hurt others.

 

Looks like you have the most experience with being hit. You have probably seen even more hits to fellow fishermen as well. Based on this knowledge...

What part of the foot, ankle, or calf gets the most hits?

 

I hate to see McBride give up on the Guiness book on being hit by sting ray.

I wear the boots and have both rayguards and crackshots. Still a problem if hit directly on a seam. Big difference it the under the boot strap set up. Reef will eat the strap up in a trip.

I can take my pellet gun and go thru the ray guard strips with out no problem. I had some of the old new mark black guards and cut them to fit inside the ray guards. Will it help? The pellet will not go thru the newmark and it is loose inside the ray guards so I am guessing it will help.

If you read I have not seen anything that guarantees the barb will not go thru.

 

I don't know why they just don't make some out of the shark suit material with the interlocking stainless steel rings. I had a glove made out of the same material and I couldn't stab a fillet knife through it. There is no reason why it wouldn't stop a ray. http://neptunic.com/products/sharksuits

 

I can't help it.

 

We have had different discussions on this.

Near fist fight last or year before that scheduled for the fishing show.

I wear them. The only problem is if you wade the heavy oyster reefs the soles will get destroyed in a short time.

If you do not wade the oyster they will last a long time.

Ck bk posts and Guy from Lake Charles fig out how to put old tire tread on his boots because he wades oyster reefs all the time. Post 2 years ago?

 

We have had different discussions on this.

Near fist fight last or year before that scheduled for the fishing show.

I wear them. The only problem is if you wade the heavy oyster reefs the soles will get destroyed in a short time.

If you do not wade the oyster they will last a long time.

Ck bk posts and Guy from Lake Charles fig out how to put old tire tread on his boots because he wades oyster reefs all the time. Post 2 years ago?

I've used the Hodgmans for many years and they hold up really well on the oysters. BUT, I do use the Crackshots over the outside of the boot as well. The Crackshot have a strap that runs under the boot to keep them from sliding up.

 

Just got his text...he says"80% on the top or side of the foot...maybe 10% above the ankle". I know he had a heel shot of his own a few yrs ago.

 

I can confirm this. I am a radiologist and when covering the hospitals I read all of the foot/ankle x-rays for "stepped on stingray, check for foreign body"

The large majority of hits are below the ankle,

However, the people that actually have a retained barb are almost always up high above the ankle from very large rays.

Which is why I go for a combo of good reef boots along with the wrap around style guards that cover up to the calf. The boots will save you from the smaller rays but when you step on that big one its probably going to hit above the ankle, and whether it stops it or not I cant believe that at least having something to slow it down would not be beneficial.

btw typical summer day covering a handful of ERs I see 3-4 stingray hits per day.

 

DH, Still think a lot of where you get hit is a function on what you are doing.

1. Person out walking in the water that is not shuffling top of foot depending on where you step on the ray.

2. A person that shuffle carefully all the time until?
a. they step in a hole that is occupied
b. deep mud and not able to shuffle.
c. a person that steps back with a good fish on only to find they had company eating right behind him in the mud/chum line he made shuffling.
d. the really lucky person that jumps out of the boat to wade with out checking where he is jumping first.

3. A person like McTrout that is trying to get in the record books with most stringray hits. I know a lot of the guides are competitive but....
Hey Mike glad to see you are back.