Can't beat a duckbill pole in the wetlands I hunt. Just buy the hinged bill and bolt to a 6-ft piece of 2" wood rail. I keep one on the bottom of each of my Duckers. They also sometimes come in handy for stabilizing the boat in deep water on windy days, as the Duckers have holes through the hull for that. Never tried aluminum, but you want something that will float and take a lot of stress and abuse.