B & B Sports Ltd co-owner and professional fishing guide Bryan Burgess, of Gore, said the way the ban had come about was disgusting.
"A lot of local fishermen are not very happy. I just think they [Fish & Game NZ] have lost the plot to be honest,'' Mr Burgess said.
B & B Sports has 19 pairs of the feltsoled boots in stock for the coming fishing season and has been told to throw them out.
"They're not worth anything now,'' he said.
Fish & Game NZ said the ban on feltsoled wading boots when freshwater sports fishing was to curb the spread of waterway pests such as didymo, as the boots were considered a high-risk carrier of microscopic aquatic organisms.
The ban has been agreed to "in principle'' by Conservation Minister Steve Chadwick but is yet to be formally approved by the minister or included in the proposed 2008/09 Anglers Notice for Fish & Game Regions.
If approved, the ban would be effective from October 1.
Fish & Game Eastern Southland officer Zane Moss said Eastern Southland fishermen would obviously be aggrieved about the ban.
"They may not see the ban as necessarily beneficial to Southland. It's unfortunate, but necessary. We're still concerned with the spread of didymo at a local level.''
Anglers should accept the ban for the greater New Zealand good, Mr Moss said.
Fish & Game NZ said the ban should come as no surprise to most anglers as the use of felt-soled waders was strongly discouraged during the 2007/08 season.
Mr Burgess disagreed and said there had been a lack of communication as the season was only two months away.
"I don't think they've done it [the ban] properly. Didymo has been around for four years now . . . we live with it, as we had to and we've cleaned all our gear,'' Mr Burgess said.
He said he told clients of the rules and regulations before leaving the shop to ensure they did not spread pests like didymo.
Earlier this year Fish & Game NZ consulted with agencies and stakeholders on the proposed ban and formal submissions supporting the ban were received from the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry's Biosecurity division, the Ministry of Tourism and Environment Southland.
Of the 43 submissions made, 20 supported the ban, 17 opposed it and six supported the ban with various conditions.
Some opposing the ban cited the safety provided by felt-soled boots, as felt or fibrous soles provided a good grip on slippery boulders and had become popular with anglers.
Mr Burgess was concerned about what could happen if older fishermen were to cross the Mataura River without felt-soled boots.
"It really scares me,'' he said.
