A recent presenter to our club mentioned that "felt sole boots are illegal in Utah". A few members decided to check this out. Calls to DWR, UAC, and Fish Tech seems to have gotten to the bottom of this claim.

It appears that there is NO mention of 'felt sole boots/shoes' being illegal in the waterways of Utah. There's no mention of this in any of the fishing regulations, waterways policies, nor any of the DWR webpages. Fish Tech's Byron Gunderson said that they are 'not recommended for use because they are often not properly maintained or sterilized after every use'. He went on to say that "to the best of his knowledge, they are NOT ILLEGAL in the State of Utah."

It is true that felt soles can pick up aquatic creatures and transplant them to the next waterway you might wade. With proper care this can be greatly minimized. Some who wade to fish like the felt sole over the hard sole common on our boots.

As of right now (May 2025), felt soles are just fine to use in Utah.