Hi Grant,

I have not fished much in boot waders but have tried just about every possible outer sole material and metal additive over the decades. For winter fishing, I use an old pair of Simms G3 Guide Boots that are on their 3rd set of Vibram soles. They fit loosely.

I no longer own any felt soles. I asked Quick Cobbler in downtown Vancouver, BC to change the felt soles on a backup pair of boots a couple of years ago. (In passing Quick Cobbler does excellent re-soling work.) Felt soles are awful in snow, ice, and mud. In more than a few systems in British Columbia, they are far from optimal on the submerged metamorphic rocks.

The preferred set up consists of Vibram rubber soles with aluminum pucks screwed in. The Simms alum-bite pucks are excellent but expensive. A few years back, Simms annoyed me by not making the screws available so I went out and bought a metre long length of a spherical soft aluminum bar and then used a mitre saw with a non-ferrous blade to cut/slice the aluminium rod and then a drill to make a hole for the coarse-thread screw.

I limit the number of aluminum pucks to roughly 8 per boot and place them so I can still hike, kilometres at a time if need be, with good traction. Nothing beats aluminium for traction on wet, hard rocks. Carbide studs work exceptionally well on softer sedimentary rocks. Carbide studs are for skating on the rocks that BC typically offers.

I have also spent some time fishing several BC streams -- the ones with smaller rocks -- with naked Vibram rubber soles and found the traction to be quite acceptable.

The pull-on galosh aluminum cleats I have used in the past were a) difficult to get on and off, b) tended to make me less stable, especially onshore or in shallow water, and c) are not at all conducive to hiking. I would expect the same for strap-on aluminium cleats.

For your boat on your home river, perhaps plywood floors or indoor-outdoor carpets would minimize any scratching and other damage to the inside hull.

-Erik

P.S. Let me know when you want me to take you steelhead fishing.

 

I have 2 pairs of the Patagonia River Crampons and love them. Amazing stick and I can wear with either felts or rubber soles. They’re comfortable to walk in and have a very positive fit. I generally put them on and go at the vehicle. Scary good stick when wading, but dry flat rocks can be a bit “ice rink” like at times.

 

I have not tried the Patagonia River Crampons and they do look good. Given the low profile, there should be no 'balance' issues. Might be the least hassle, lowest expense option for you Grant.

Could be handy for the odd time I drift a river in a canvas-covered, cedar-ribbed Chestnut Prospector canoe.

Thanks montanafos.

 

was this not korkers original product?

I wonder if they've managed to improve on it in 20 years.
(and how many times, hey.)

cheers,
shawn

ps. I have never looked back from patagucci foot tractors but they are stoopid heavy (out of water).

 

Korkers have a strap on Sandal rubber sole and replaceable studs has any one tried these?

Grant

 

I've tried all sorts of studded cleats...both mounted to the boot (Korkers, sheet metal screws, Patagonia RockGrip) and the overshoe style. I have landed and will not go back to any other than the Korker Rocktrax.
These are the strap and buckle style studded overshoes. I've tried the lace up style...but they were a little more of a hassle getting them on and the laces tangled and wore out.

The Korker Rocktrax are very durable...but a little heavy. They have 14 riveted in studs per pair. These can be replaced...but I've honestly never worn one down. Yes, they're a little pricey at $79.99....but well worth every penny. They can be found on sale periodically if you look around.

They also make a Roctrax Plus that has 2x the studs for more gripping power if you need it. And a Castrax with removeable cleats. Not my preferred option as they back out and the threads wear out. Loctite and rechecking tightness periodically is a necessity with these style.

Rocktrax | Rocktrax Cleated Overshoe | Cleats | Korkers

The other beauty of them is they're easy to get on/off if you jump into our car, are in a boat, or going into a gas station.

I hope this helps.

ft09

 

I have been using Simms wading shoes for several years and to add traction, I buy inexpensive snow cleats for about $10 a pop on Amazon. There are several designs but I have been using the ones in the picture more often than not. When the rivets break, I replace them with pop rivets. I usually go through two pairs of cleats per year. I get the largest size I can find. They work just fine and I can carry them in my small fishing pack or fold them up and put them in my pocket. I use them on barnacle encrusted tidal boulder fields and wave polished rocks. They take a beating but I can count on them to last at least 30 days of use.

Speaking of those Simms wading shoes, they redesigned them. Instead of making a better product, they took several steps backward. My first pair lasted four seasons. The new ones were shot after one season. Can anyone recommend a light weight wading shoe that has some staying power?

 

Thanks for the review FT09 do you find the Korkers stiff to walk with or do they have some flex?

Grant

 

Tom those look more skookum than the basic snow grips I tried I may give those a go not sure if they will fit well on the rubber boots though.

Thanks
G

 

Korker Rocktrax uses carbide steel "spikes".

Might be suitable for the home river and many watersheds in North America but I can think of a few systems in BC where they would skate.

 

G, buy the extra large. I have put them on my Muck Wetland boots before. Tight but they still work.

 

I have used Lee Valley 'ice soles' for many years, $54 CDN, screw in studs in a heavy duty Vibram sole. Remove the studs for cleats only.

Malcolm

 

Yaktrax® Diamond Grip

 

Thanks for all the great reviews and comments hopefully I can track down some Icer's locally looks like they are made in Canada!

Grant

 

Google "Free steps 6." My fly shop recommended these to me and, so far, I've really enjoyed them. They provide great traction. So far, no complaints...

 

Those look good too. I decided to go with the Icer's they seemed to fit the rubber boots well but my local cobbler has to add a bit to the rear strap as he only had the medium size. I will give you a report next week when I get them.

Thanks
Grant