TT Interview: Strike Footwear, Technical Shoes Made by Anglers for Anglers

Introduction: For anglers, footwear has long been one of the most overlooked pieces of performance equipment on the boat. Rods, reels, electronics, and even technical apparel have evolved rapidly over the last decade, but many fishing shoes still rely on traditional deck shoe formulas with only incremental updates in traction or comfort. Strike Footwear is taking a broader approach, designing purpose-built footwear for anglers that blends traction, drainage, stability, comfort, and modern styling into a complete lineup built for life on and off the water. With roots in saltwater fishing and a growing presence across multiple angling categories, Strike has made a name for itself through performance-focused designs and its partnership with the International Game Fish Association. We caught up with Andy Gilbert, Strike’s President, to talk about the company’s origins, the technology behind the footwear, and how Strike is working to push fishing footwear forward.

Strike Footwear was founded by a lifelong fishermen and expert shoemaker and today offers performance driven shoes that are designed to deliver comfort, grip, and durability

Zander: Thanks for taking the time to tell us more about Strike footwear. Please tell us more about your company and products and if you saw a gap in angling footwear that your footwear addresses?

Andy: Strike Footwear is a brand and company that was founded by Anglers for Anglers.  We view the market through a performance and preservation lens.  We believe everything we do from our product design through our use of materials and partnership with IGFA helps to preserve the sport of fishing for future generations.  When we look at the market, we see many brands who make deck boots and other footwear products as well as apparel companies that are making singular items that address fishing.  We felt we could offer a more comprehensive footwear assortment that includes deck boots, boat shoes, clogs, sandals and other products that not only function at a high level with technology, but look great.  We are not one dimensional in terms of our offering.  We believe we offer a more comprehensive assortment targeted to and for the user, that takes him from the boat and the fishing environment, to more casual applications for the footwear.

We sit down with Andy Gilbert, President of Strike Footwear, to learn more about the company and their newest products

Zander: Your designs feature elements like advanced drainage and specialized upper and outsole materials - what are the key technologies that truly separate Strike from traditional deck shoes?

Andy: Traditional deck or boat shoes usually offer sipped soles made from TPR or thermal plastic rubber.  Our footwear offers a comprehensive drainage system (Aqua Sluice Gill midsole) that allows water to successfully migrate from inside the shoe, down and through the midsole onto the boat deck.  Additionally, we use Solum rubber which is a plant based material that has a high COF or coefficient of friction on wet surfaces and allows for better stopping power and stability.

The Bluefin Lace Sneaker features advanced traction and drainage. The upper is made from breathable SEAQUAL YARN utilizing upcycled marine plastic to combat ocean plastic pollution

Zander: From a design standpoint, what’s harder to achieve: maximum grip on a wet deck or all-day comfort, and how does Strike approach balancing the two?

Andy: You shouldn’t have to compromise comfort.  We focus on the technology for functional reasons (e.g. non-slip, stability), but comfort is the “price of entry.”  Most fishermen spend a big portion of the day on their feet, so comfort is a must.  We use responsibly sourced compression molded EVA in our boat shoes as well as soft, yet supportive inner soles or sock liners that allow for a relaxed and comfortable fit.

The Strike Bigeye Boot is constructed with tough aeroprene mesh and vulcanized rubber for durability. It is designed to offer waterproof protection and exceptional traction

Zander: Our readers are all about the performance in the field. How does Strike validate performance? Are there specific testing methods or benchmarks you use to measure traction, stability, and durability?

Andy: Since my partner is an avid sportsfisherman, we do more than just lab based testing.  Our products are used in the environment and on the boat decks by the brands founder as well as our development team.  Each shoe is tested both prior to full scale manufacturing and after production to ensure our shoes perform.  We also use lab tests for things like traction to ensure they meet slip resistance standards. On the durability front, we use high quality materials to ensure both durability and performance.  Our deck boots for example, use a high quality and “thicker” rubber on the upper which helps ensure durability when exposed to the sun over long periods of time on boat decks.  Sun and salt/fresh water can ultimately dry out upper material on deck boots and result in cracking, especially in the forefoot area.  As a result, our deck boots will be slightly heavier, but more durable.  We also have a constant feedback loop from our team and users of our product (influencers, captains, fishermen) that allow us to incorporate their feedback and make changes to production as needed.

The Bigeye is a good option for both saltwater and freshwater anglers looking to stay dry and protected. Strike is well known among saltwater anglers as it is the official footwear of the IGFA

Zander: I think the first time I heard about Strike was in the saltwater category and as the official footwear of the IGFA. Saltwater anglers deal with constant exposure to corrosive environments and unpredictable footing. What were the biggest pain points you engineered Strike to solve inshore and offshore challenges?

Andy: Strike’s initial foray was into the saltwater category, especially given our association with the IGFA.  The biggest pain points are comfort, stability and general traction.  Durability is also key, but we solve for the durability issues by using the highest quality and responsibly sourced materials.  One example I can give you on stability and traction is with our Bluefin Sneaker.  Many footwear companies use “running” type sneakers for fishing which have a high degree of comfort.  For in-shore fishing, where you have more stable conditions, this tends to work ok.  But offshore, where seas can vary greatly, stability is key.  When designing our Bluefin sneaker, we created more of a “cupsole” with a stabilizer chassis which allows your footwear to sit down inside the shoe/sole instead of “on-top” of the shoe  and creates a more stable product to fish in.  Finding the balance between comfort and performance is always the challenge. We believe the stabilizer chassis on the Bluefin series, does exactly that.

Many of Strike's shoes feature special designs to improve drainage and fast drying materials

Zander: If an angler tries Strike for the first time, what should they notice immediately?

Andy: A new user of Strike Footwear will notice how “substantial” our products are.  Meaning, they are made in factories where “high quality” footwear is produced, specifically with our standards.  This brand was ultimately founded by an artisan shoe maker with 50 years of experience, both in shoe making and fishing.  Our products are simply “built to last.”

A TPU toe bumper adds protection for anglers on the lightweight Bluefin sneakers

Zander: A lot of our readers are bass anglers fishing lakes, rivers, and destination fishing. How does Strike footwear translate to freshwater applications like bass boats, kayaks, and bank fishing?

Andy: We believe our products are great for both salt and freshwater.  In many of the “Bass fishing” scenarios, boat decks are carpeted and provide greater traction than boats specifically made for salt water environments.  While traction is less of a concern, all day comfort, quick drying and cleaning capability is key.  Additionally, while our products tend to be more performance oriented, they provide a bridge for applications from the boat to more casual wear which makes them the one-stop shop for the day.

Strike also offers clogs for easy wear and high traction

Zander: When anglers are fighting larger fish, whether offshore or in heavy freshwater cover, how important is lateral stability and foot lockdown compared to pure grip?

Andy: It’s hard to say which is more important when fighting larger game fish.  To be honest, you need both.  You can’t compromise on grip or stability.  We do our best to incorporate both into all of our footwear.  The Bluefin series sneaker and sandal is a great example of enhanced stability while providing outstanding slip resistance.

The Strike Dogtooth Clog features a molded EVA upper and an adjustable backstrap for personalized fit. A number of Strike's shoes including the Dogtooth are designed to slowly release plant based nutrients back into the environment as they wear

Zander: It looks like you are incorporating several sustainable materials into your designs, can you tell us more about these and how do you ensure those choices still meet the durability expectations of hardcore anglers?

Andy: A big part of the mission of Strike footwear is the preservation of the sport for generations to come.  The IGFA has a sustained environmental campaign to help clean our oceans of the plastics that plague our sport.  With every pair of shoes sold, Strike donates a portion of our sales (not profits) to the IGFA to help address this issue.  Simply put, there will be more plastic in the ocean than marine life by weight in the near future if we don’t do something about it.  Additionally, we use things like Sequal yarns (Made from upcycled marine plastics) along with recycled polyester that help alleviate landfill issues.  Sequal yarns provide breathability, durability and quick dry performance.  Our leathers also are PFAS free.  Essentially this means, we don’t use “forever chemicals” in the waterproof leathers we use on our boat shoes.  This has no impact on the actual waterproofness or performance of the leather, but prevents these forever chemicals from showing up in the environment.  There are other examples, but we believe you shouldn’t have to compromise performance when using responsibly sourced materials.

Strike also offers sandals for comfort in warm conditions

Zander: What’s been the most surprising or valuable feedback you’ve received from anglers and prostaff during development, and did it ever change the direction of any products?

Andy: Simply put, it’s fit.  Since we have a nice balance of sales and distribution across the globe, we created a size standard based on European fit.  This is quite different than the US market.  Euro fit standards are smaller than the US and we adjusted production to reflect the appropriate fit standard, specifically for the US market.  We are in constant contact with our anglers and we use their feedback along with our own, to constantly tweak and adjust to ensure maximum performance and satisfaction of our product.  Having said that, we can’t make everyone happy all of the time, but where we can make changes that address fundamental performance issues, we do just that.  We are fisherman as well, so we are our biggest critics…

Zander: Looking ahead, where do you see innovation in fishing footwear going over the next few years, and what should anglers expect next from Strike?

Andy: Strike Footwear will continue to push innovation in our product performance and as part of our ethos.  We believe performance and innovation will set you apart from the rest of our competition.  You will see at iCAST, examples of some of our latest technology in the launch of some new items.  Additionally, you will see a greatly expanded assortment of color and materials during the show.

Strike's Aqua Sluice Gill System channeling water away from the foot to promote faster drying and comfort

Zander: One last question… do you see Strike staying primarily in footwear, or expanding into adjacent categories? Like apparel or accessories?

Andy: I can’t say for sure that we will expand beyond footwear.  We have so much work to do on footwear and we believe this should be our focus. Other categories at this time could result in distraction and we want to remain focused on footwear. Once we feel we have created a strong position in our core category, for the sake of brand building, we may look to other categories.  However, our brand philosophy around performance, innovation and comfort will have to be consistent and something we cannot compromise.  If we add additional categories, they will need to embody the core brand philosophy.

Zander: Makes sense and it is refreshing to see a brand want to stay focused rather than expanding for the sake of trying to hit more segments. Thanks for the time today and we look forward to slipping on a pair of Strike shoes and seeing how they feel on everything from banks to boat decks.