Korkers TRIPLE THREAT ALUMINUM HEX SOLES

The number of sole options for Korkers boots seems to have exploded. I recently bought a pair of the Korkers TRIPLE THREAT ALUMINUM HEX SOLES when I stopped in Mossy Creek Fly Fishing on my last trip down to VA. The hex cleats seemed like a much better option than the aluminum bars, which don't really allow for much flexibility in the soles of your boots. I've avoided wearing the studded felt soles (banned in an increasing number of places) in an effort to prevent the cross contamination that is ruining many of our streams, and have generally used the less aggressive studded cling-on soles. I also wondered how the Hex Soles would fare in a saltwater environment, rock hopping on jetties. Would they be as effective as my Korkers RockTrax? Busting ass on a jetty at night is not fun! After a several trips out in a variety of terrain environments, I have to say my overall impression is pretty positive. They excel in all of the river bottoms I waded, from smooth and slick, snot covered rocks to sharper, jagged bottoms. They grip everything and I could wade with confidence. That should easily translate to the salt, right? Here, I still have to go with the RockTrax for two key reasons. As the tide drops, you get rocks exposed that are covered in much heavier layers of seaweed and other stuff, and the spikes just cut down through this better. I also noticed that they wear pretty quickly, especially on rough, dry jetty rock, so I'll probably be ordering another $30 package of hex discs pretty soon, and using these mostly in rivers. However, if you're a predominantly freshwater guy that does an occasional surfcasting trip, these will more than meet your needs. 

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Why?

Friends and family often ask me why the heck I drive 5 hours to upstate NY in the dead of winter to stand all day in waist deep water in sub-freezing temperatures. Even the guys I drag up there, like my brother, are pretty skeptical when I assure them that it will be into the double digits and quite balmy by lunchtime. My friend and guide Scott Glazier sent me a photo two days before my last trip showing a morning low of 22 BELOW! It's cold enough that waders can stand on their own.



If you had proposed this to me when I lived in Virginia, I would have thought it nuts as well. After all, in well less than five hours I could be standing in the surf at Hatteras. What it boiled down to was my cabin fever reached a point where I would give just about anything (other than staring at a 6" hole in the ice) a go. What upstate NY holds is a truly wonderful winter fishery, full of big, angry steelhead who will strip your reels and get your adrenaline pumping. The meek have called it quits for the winter, leaving the hardy to enjoy a lot of space in this productive fishery.

Want to know why I do it? Here's why!

Fish Off!

Salmon River NY, where "Fish Off" is almost as common as "Fish On." It's ton's of fun catching steelies on light fly and spinning gear. I was hoping this would be a spring crushing, but Mother Nature chose not to cooperate. Snow and cold water means that most of the spawning run has yet to arrive, which is great news if you are still planning to head up. Spawning beds on the upper section were all sporting "Vacancy" signs, with the few fish in hanging just back in some of the holes or under heavy cover. This meant you had to work for your catch, and make the hookups count. With the weather looking more favorable, and water temps bound to warm towards that 40 degree mark, the fishing should really start to pick up. I would love to be able to head back up in the next few weeks, but with an upcoming trip to the UK, another shot at spring steelies just isn't in the cards. If you can make the trip, you should be rewarded with some great fishing. Check out Scott Glazier at Tinker Tavern Lodge, 'cause if there are fish to be caught, he will put you on them. Landing them is up to you.