Westfly Review, 02-24-2009
by Scott Richmond

If you use a float tube for fly fishing in lakes, you need fins to you from A to B. If you have a kickboat with oars, you still need fins so you can move while holding your fly rod, regardless of whether you're fishing a lake or a river.

So if you have either type of watercraft, you need fins. What should you look for when contemplating buying a pair?

What To Look For

First, of course, your fins need to propel you through the water. I took this part for granted until someone loaned me a poorly designed pair of fins. Hoo boy; I could kick like fury and it would take half an hour to go a hundred yards. So, don't assume all fins are alike.

Second, while fins are for propulsion in the water, it's actually their performance on land that causes most of the problems. We do a lot of walking around in them--or at least we would if we could. "How do ducks do it?" you wonder as you stumble toward your kickboat, then trip and fall on your favorite rod.

Third, they need to be comfortable to wear.

And fourth, they should go on and off easily. However, they should not fall off in use; they could end up in a weedy, silty, murky edge of a lake, never to be seen again.

(Trivia question: who invented swim fins? Answer at the end of this review, but no fair peeking until you've read the rest of it.)

The Gold Standard

For years, the gold standard for many fly fishers, me included, has been Force Fins. They have good power in the water, working on the upstroke of your kick (which would be the downstroke if you were a scuba diver). The edges turn up, so walking short distances is possible if not entirely graceful. They are comfortable if you wear a pair of neoprene booties over your wader feet. And they come on and off easily, although I recently lost one in the weedy, silty, murky edge of a lake, never to be seen again.

New Kid on the Block

Now someone has come along to challenge Force Fins. The Amphibian Flip Fins from Omega Aquatics take a revolutionary approach: the blade is hinged and spring loaded. Release the blade and it flips up next against your shin. Now you can walk on land like a real person instead of a drunken duck. Step into your tube or kickboat, snap the blade into place and you're good to go.

Practical Test

I've tried the Navigator model in the river, and they propelled me as well or better than any fins I've used in the past, including Force Fins.

On land, they did what they were supposed to do--they stayed out of the way and let me walk around almost normally--far better than any other fin I've every used. And they were comfortable, easy to get on and off, and didn't fall off in the weedy, silty, murky edge of a lake--or even in the rocky, fast edges of the Clackamas River, where I used them for a day last week.

It was easy to get the blade released so it would go up and out of the way. Just hit the release with the heel of your other foot, and up it goes.

I found it a little trickier to get the blade back down, however. The theory is that you get settled in the water, give a swift kick, and the blade locks into place. That wasn't my experience. I had to put one foot on the river bottom and push down with the other foot. The swift kick thing might work for other people in a different kind of boat, but it didn't work for me.

Other Features

The buckle system on the Navigator Fins is well thought out. You can undo either side with a plastic pinch-lock. This makes it easy to get into the fins and buckle them on because the inside lock is very accessible.

The strap is wide and adjusts easily via a cam-lock. The strap is designed so that it will not come out of the buckle if you accidentally hit the cam-lock. There is a molded loop on the back of the strap for you to attach a safety cord so you don't lose your fins in the weedy, silty, murky edge of a lake.

The fins can be worn over a pair of wading boots, which is handy for fishing rivers because you might want to park your boat on dry land for a bit and wade the shallows sans fins.

Like Force Fins, your primary propulsion comes as you kick up. The fins are a weedy color, although you could get some bright orange ones if you prefer to scare fish and get skunked for the day.

Navigator Fins come in several sizes; see the website to pick the correct size for you. Remember that the right size for fitting over a stiff wading boot may not be the best size for a soft bootie. You should try the fins with your boots to make sure they fit. I got a good fit over a pair of Orvis boots, but even the extra large fins did not fit properly over a pair of size 12 studded Simms G4 Guide boots; admittedly, that Simms model is the tallest, clunkiest boot I know.

The fins are made out of virgin polypropylene and TPE, the materials used in pretty much all fins on the market today. They should last forever. The torsion springs are made from military grade stainless steel, so there should be no issues with rusting or getting weak with usage, and the springs should hold up to saltwater use.

(Answer to Trivia Question: Ben Franklin, who was an enthusiastic swimmer, is credited with the invention of swim fins.)

Bottom Line: Revolutionary concept for fins. Definitely worth serious consideration by all kickboaters. Reviewer Rating: 5

Scott Richmond is Westfly's creator and Executive Director. He is the author of eight books on Oregon fly fishing, including Fishing Oregon's Deschutes River (second edition).

Uploaded 02/24/2009.

http://www.westfly.com/feature-article/0902/feature_1003.php

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