It's Gotta Be the Shoes

Over the course of the last two weeks I fished with a total of seven anglers who make their living on the water. They ranged in age from 24 to 68, with the majority of them in their 40s and 50s – and all of them wore footwear that is top-rated for comfort and health.

The brands I noticed included Brooks, Asics, Skechers, On, and Hoka One One.

It might’ve been a coincidence, but I think not. If you’re going to be standing on one foot all day to run a trolling motor, with brief interludes of busting through spine-busting waves, you’d better take care of your wheels. I know this personally because I was lackadaisical about my fishing footwear in years past and have started to pay the price with plantar fasciitis and other painful maladies. That has made me much more aware of what I wear, and the brands that other anglers I respect wear on a daily basis.

At nearly 52 years old, I’ve visited the podiatrist, gotten orthotic inserts and downed piles of Advil, but the biggest help has been avoiding flip flops and non-supportive shoes when I’m going to be on my feet all day. The pros seem to agree.

Mars Blackmon was not consulted for this blog.