Need a lil advice. I'm slowly getting into fly fishing, been practicing around home on pounds and on the lake a lil. I'm heading up to Beavers Bend in late Sept, early Oct. for a week. Do I need chest waders to fish Mt. Fork or can I get by with my hip waders I use for duck hunting. Don't wanna go unprepared.

Most places you could get away with hip,but if the boots are rubber soled it will be like ice skating in alot of places. Get a decent pair of breathable chest waders and at least if you have your belt on goo if you fall your not soaking wet.

Is felt soles allowed on Mt. Fork? Or would studded souls be better?

I would not get felt soles, they are slowly becoming banned on many rivers. Also, I have been rockin some Magellan from academy for a couple years and they have been working great.

I use felt with cleats works great. Check weather when u go, it might still be warm enough to wet wade.

I've used both and both worked well enough. My old boots were felt only and they worked well on the rocks, but not so much on mud or grass.

My newer boots have the vibram rubber soles and carbide studs. They grip everything very well.

I think there have been some re-considerations on the felt bans. Some of the major manufactures like Simms that said they would stop making felt have started again. Alaska is the only major destination that has banned them. Here are the others

Maryland
Missouri
New Jersey
Ohio has a River by river rule
Rhode Island
Vermont

I know Didymo aka Rock Snot can be spread by as little as one cell in a shoe lace, dog hair or numerous other modes of transport with or without fishermen in the streams. Whirling spread by tiny spores as well.

Between felt and rubber there is no comparison. I have the old Simms Freeston Boot(Felt) and their newest river walker (rubber). Simms and other companies claim that they have rubber soles that grip like felt or even better, but this is not true in most situations. I think the safest bet is a rubber sole with studding capability. Regardless of what you have clean your gear thoroughly if you have been fishing in a stream known to have diseases present.