Today we take a look at the Due North All Purpose Traction Aids and how they stack up in the ice fishing cleat world.
As discussed earlier in the week with the Ice Trekkers review, ice fishing cleats are a must have for the modern ice fisherman who is on the move constantly and chasing fish until he find them. The modern ice angler will have all the latest and greatest ice fishing gear, but only the stuff that actually helps him stay on the ice and catch more fish. Nothing ends an ice fishing season faster than a major injury, and slipping on the ice is the most common way to cause such an injury while hard water fishing.
So let’s look specifically at the cleats now. The due north traction aids are not the cheapest option out there, but at around $20 per pair they definitely are not the most expensive either. They come with 6 spikes per boot and has a couple of replacement spikes with them. Tungsten carbide is what the spikes are made of and having them be replaceable allows for years of use out of the same pair of ice cleats. The cleats go out from the boot about ¼” and afford quite a grip on the ice. And the system is very easy to put on and take off your boots. Something that would be nice for the angler who has a nice wheel house that he doesn’t want to screw up the carpet, but wanders out with a portable or outside during the day.
The main detractor for these cleats to me is that they are a little uncomfortable on hard surfaces (the places where the spikes are lead to pressure points on the bottom of your boots). Other than that I think these are a solid pair of cleats.
Final verdict:
If price were not an issue I think I would go with the Ice Trekkers I reviewed yesterday. However, since these are half the cost of those cleats I think you need to think long and hard about how often you plan to use them. For the fisherman that is likely to be trudging through the snow and maybe only needs cleats 2 to 3 times a year I think these are the choice. The $20 savings is too good to pass up in that case.
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