Fishing Gloves

[zaxaca]

I'd appreciate any recommendations for a pair of glove to keep my hands from cramping in cold water. Can anyone enlighten me on the pros and cons of fleece vs. neoprene? Thanks.

Hank

[Betty Hiner]

I have both kinds of gloves. I like the fleece ones, as you can get them on and off easily ... and if you have the glommits (glove/mittens) the top covering folds back to allow use of the fingers. The neoprene ones are stiff, you can't get them on and off easily, and you can't feel a darned thing in your fingers while you have them on.

[nighthawk]

I have both kinds of gloves. I like the fleece ones, as you can get them on and off easily ... and if you have the glommits (glove/mittens) the top covering folds back to allow use of the fingers. The neoprene ones are stiff, you can't get them on and off easily, and you can't feel a darned thing in your fingers while you have them on.

Betty is right about the glommitts. Take a look at these:

http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/st...sted-glovmitts

I have the heated Glo-Mittens and love them. You can insert those little dry chemical heaters into the pocket on the glove. The gloves are easy to take off too. Also the flaps for the thumbs and fingers have little magnets in them that hold them open until you close them. Really nice that they don't flop around. I use mine for hunting, fishing and shoveling snow.

[sagefisher]

All of my fishing gloves are fingerless, as it is very important to feel the line with your finger tips. During the summer I wear a pair of light weight gloves (Sun Gloves) to protect my hands from the suns harmful rays and the thin leather palm gives me a good grip on the rod and the fish (we hands first).

Then winter rolls around and I put away the sun gloves. I carry three pair of gloves with me at all times during the winter, all are fingerless. I have a pair of neoprene gloves and two pair of wool gloves. As a wool pair gets too wet, hence too cold, I switch over to the other wool pair. Then the last ones I put on are the neoprene. There is less feel with these gloves but they do keep your hands warm, even when a little wet.

Something I have started doing the last couple of years is using the HotHands type hand warmer. These are packets that you remove from a plastic pouch and expose to the air and the heating process starts. They are small enough to tuck into the back side of my glove so the heat packet rests against the back side of my hands, right where all the blood vessels are located. This really warms up the blood in the hands and actually helps with the fingertips as well. Naturally you can't get your hands soaking wet when using these.

Glad to see you are getting ready for the winter fishing season, winter is a great time to fish.

Larry ---sagefisher---

[jimsnarocks]

Not one of your choices but I use the fingerless Ragg Wool gloves. Wool still insulates when wet. Sun gloves in the summer. Jim

[ducksterman]

Not one of your choices but I use the fingerless Ragg Wool gloves. Wool still insulates when wet. Jim

Me too.......

[DG]

I have used fleece, neoprene, and wool, and prefer wool by a long shot. My favorite style of cold weather fishing glove in a fingerless wool glove with thinsulate lining.

Neoprene made my hands smell, and sweat. Fleece works OK until it gets wet, then it is just wet. Wet fleece is no fun wiping your nose on, either. Wool still insulates when it is wet.

Fished many hours in intermittent blizzards today (at 10,000 feet), never got cold hands.

[doftya]

I go for wool gloves as well, but here's a trick I learned a few years ago. I used to do some rock climbing, and I read an article about winter climbing, and what they said was let your hands get a little chilled at first, then take a few minutes to warm them up again. After that they will stay warmer easier. Something about tricking the blood vessels to stay open and keep the hands warm. I've tried it and it does work. I've used it climbing, doing construction in the winter, ice fishing, skiing, and it works. Either have a hand warmer in a pocket, or just stick you hands into your pits and thaw your hands after that first chill. Don't freeze them, just let them get that first chill, to where you feel the blood flow starting to constrict. Then warm them up again and you can actually feel them getting hot, not just warm. They'll stay that way for quite a while.

[zaxaca]

Excellent feedback. Thanks to all of you. I even got an offer of a pair a neoprenes from a member!

H

[dryfly2010]

in my personal opinion, use wool. it still keeps u warm when it gets wet and if u get the glittens (glove/mittens) u can take the mitten and thumb part off. i have fished in water where it was creating ice on my line with these and not gotten cold.

Jordan