Disappointed with Korkers Hex Disc Soles

[dennisl]

They look like they would provide insane traction on slick rocks. And they did the first three outings. After the third outing I had lost 5 discs (despite tightening all before use as recommended) and the rest were so worn down that it felt like I was wearing rubber soles. Really bad for rocky rivers like the Brodhead or Lackawaxen.

Korkers sent me a pack of replacement discs free of charge but I have a feeling I'll go through a lot of them throughout a season. Also I hate the idea of leaving big metal pieces in the water...

 

[Bamboozle]

The inherent problem with aluminum bars like everything else is they have their places where they work extremely well like rocky bottoms. However, on surfaces with deep slime or moss, they depend on sharp or jagged edges when new to give you grip when the aluminum cannot bite.

When those edges are worn, you have ice skates.

In other words, they are a compromise like any other stud or sole type. The only solution is to replace them more often or move on to something else.

I say it all the time, nothing grips like NEW Gold Ice Screws, the regular Chota studs or other ice crews but the operative works is NEW, meaning you need to replace them often. All gripping solutions lose traction once they start to wear, the faster they wear, the faster things get hairy.

 

[salvelinus]

I use the Chota long rifle carbide studs. After several seasons they are still very effective.

 

[Canoetripper]

I have the Korkers with replaceable soles and really like them. I totally agree with the above post, and at age 62 my primary fear is just falling in and ruining a day of fishing.

Almost all of my fishing is done on the Tobyhanna Creek bordering Carbon and Monroe Counties in the western Poconos. It is very tough to wade there. I am going to invest >$1,000.00 in a dry suit(NRS) so I can deal with falling in, not get wet, and keep fishing.

I am kind of an aggressive wader and do fall in. Really good waders are expensive, and the dry suit I want would be like buying two pairs of waders. Money well spent.

As Dean Wermer once said to Kent Dorfman(Flounder) in the movie "Animal House"; "Fat, drunk, and stupid is no way to go through life." Canoetripper is telling the message board that "Cold, wet, and miserable is no way to go through a canoe trip or fishing trip."

I know this from first hand experience.

I am going to replace my waders with a really good dry suit, and maybe, eventually, upgrade my wading boots.

I wish I was still 26 years young, but know full well that I am 62, and not getting any younger. Wading was a lot easier 30 years ago.

One thing that I have done as I have gained wisdom and experience as I have aged is the way I have two wading staffs on my wading belt and how to position my fly rods on my clothes.

If you know wading is going to be tough, do what you have to do to make it easier.

As Clint Eastwood once famously said in one of his movies; "A man has to know his limitations."

I know what mine are when it comes to fly fishing; casting, wading, knot tying, etc.

 

[RLeep2]

I think Bamboozle is mostly right about the relationship between wear and effectiveness with most soles and studding. About the best you can do is to keep replacing stuff PRN. It really does make a difference.

Two related thoughts that come to mind..

You can "refresh" worn felts, at least temporarily, by giving them a good scrubbing to remove some of the embedded grit and silt and then working them over some with a medium stiffness wire brush. Not too vigorous, just enough to expose some new or cleaner felt.

I love my Korkers. I've had 3 pairs of the mid-priced Buckskins and have been happy with all of them. Unfortunately, I can't be nearly as enthusiastic about some of their replacement soles, particularly the studded felts. They don't last near as long as I think they should for the $. But it is what it is and I keep buying them anyway...

 

[bigjohn58]

ANYTHING that screws into a boot sole will not stay! Just too much torque being put on them while walking a river bed. I use the Korkers studded Vibram soles and absolutely love those things. I will say this Korkers does stand behind their products! I've had great experiences with their warranty process. As for aluminum...I HATE IT! I will never use aluminum again! If the stone bottoms were more like asphalt and gritty aluminum would be great because it would allow the grit to bite into the aluminum and keep you in place. On smooth surfaces though aluminum acts like ice skates. I'm definitely not a fan!

 

[larkmark]

I tried some of the detachable soles etc. I don't like any of that stuff. Plus I often find them laying along the creeks so it seems a lot of that stuff gets lost. I stick with felt with the Simms studs. I lose one once in a while but they work well overall. I'm sure some of this stuff has uses in very special circumstances but overall it is marketing probably. I fish rocky rivers and fast current and felt and the studs work fine. Along with a wading staff.

 

[Baron]

You members that can go out there and stand in cold water for hours on end amaze me. I have so many low back infirmities that I only last an hour. I like this discussion as I often have difficulties crossing streams in summer when wearing sneakers.

 

[coyoterahn]

FWIW I think felt is hard to beat. I have the Korkers detachable soles and have never had a problem with those. Maybe I’m just lucky but never had any problems.
Baron, you may want to consider giving up the sneakers and buy a pair of wading shoes. I use wading shoes in the summer without the waders and they are a huge improvement over sneakers. Or just glue some felt onto those sneaker soles!

 

[RLeep2]

>>ANYTHING that screws into a boot sole will not stay!>>

That may be generally true, but it certainly isn't universally so. I've had Cabelas ultralight and Chota shoes where the screw-in studs never budged over the life of the shoe, sometimes 4 or more years of pretty vigorous use.

Just my experience, FWIW..

 

[timmyt2]

I couldnt be happier with the Patagonia foot tractors i got a year and a half or so ago. I wade a river with large boulders frequently and those things are flat out awesome

 

[afishinado]

timmyt2 wrote:
I couldnt be happier with the Patagonia foot tractors i got a year and a half or so ago. I wade a river with large boulders frequently and those things are flat out awesome

+1 for the Foot Tractor wading boots. I've used them this season and found them to be the best wading solution thus far both in the water and hiking to the water.

 

[timmyt2]

I did have one of the screws come loose and fall out of one of the bars. My fault, i should have checked them once in a while and did not. Patagonia sent me half a dozen of them no charge, i now make sure they are all tight after every couple trips.

I need waders, and i like the boots so much I am thinking about buying Patagonia zip up chest waders to go with the boots

 

[dennisl]

I appreciate the comments.

I think I'll invest in some of the "carbide spikes" from Korkers. I'm guessing it won't solve the problem with the spikes falling off but hopefully they will provide better traction than the discs on slick rocks.

Also sounds like I need to start retightening the spikes after every outing.

 

[Bamboozle]

You also might want to try a drop of Loctite 262 (red) on the screws for those disks, in addition to the pre-applied threadlocker when you initially install them or replace them.