Nothing shuts down my cold season fun, be it jigging for rockfish or swinging a barrel on a flock of ducks, like icicle fingers. Quality gloves help keep you on the water or in the blind longer. Before Halloween, I took inventory on the quantity and range of gloves I have, and the results are either a) impressive or b) an embarrassment of excess. You name it, I’m pretty sure I have almost every style of outdoors glove made, sans ones of an alpine variety. (Homey don’t climb frozen mountains.)
My favorites, and the ones I get the most use from, are, in order of preference: a) ragg wool, half-finger gloves with a sewn-in mitten flap. I got them as a gift many years ago. I think L.L. Bean, Land’s End, or similar outfits made them. They are super warm and allow great access and finger dexterity. If they get wet, I can wring them out, and they still keep my hands warm; b) Elbow-length hunting gloves from Avery. These are my go-to gloves for picking up decoys in icy waters. They are 100 percent water proof made of five millimeters neoprene with rubberized palms. The seams are glued and blind-stitched, and the cuffs are flared for easy on/off use; c) New to my lineup this fall are the Pro Angler gloves by Glacier Glove. I love the fleece lined two millimeter neoprene, and the opening slit on thumb and index fingers make knot tying a snap.
On a semi-serious note, frost nip is a real thing, contrary to what I previously believed it to be: a lovely buzz one gets from sipping smooth whiskey at a holiday party. Prolonged exposure to cold water and/or air may cause temporary numbness or blue-white skin color in your hands for a short time. Though normal feeling and color return fairly quickly when you warm up and no permanent tissue damage occurs, why endure it when you don’t have to?
Here's how other pros keep their hands warm:
"I rarely wear gloves. (But when I do) I like fingerless wool gloves or Aquaskinz Black Thunder gloves."
~Ric Burnley, author of "The Complete Kayak Fishermen," apparently channeling the Bill Murray line in his classic film "Stripes."
"Ski gloves when I'm driving the boat. Cotton work gloves or light neoprenes with no fingertips for when I'm fishing."
~Captain Mark Galasso, Tuna the Tide Charters
"I buy a bag of brown work glove liners (Home Depot, Tractor Supply), use them until they start getting holes, and break out a new pair. I repeat until the bag is empty, usually two years."
~Captain Walt, Light Tackle Charters
"I like a fingerless glove made by Simms, in the $50 range (Exstream Half Finger gloves, for example). I need my fingers free!"
~Pete Morris, hardcore angler
"On the boat I have several pairs of Thinsulate camo gloves that come up to above my wrists."
~Captain Kevin Josenhans, Josenhans Fly Fishing
by Captain Chris D. Dollar
Monday, December 7, 2015 - 09:00
Nothing shuts down my cold season fun, be it jigging for rockfish or swinging a barrel on a flock of ducks, like icicle fingers. Quality gloves help keep you on the water or in the blind longer. Before Halloween, I took inventory on the quantity and range of gloves I have, and the results are either a) impressive or b) an embarrassment of excess. You name it, I’m pretty sure I have almost every style of outdoors glove made, sans ones of an alpine variety. (Homey don’t climb frozen mountains.)
My favorites, and the ones I get the most use from, are, in order of preference: a) ragg wool, half-finger gloves with a sewn-in mitten flap. I got them as a gift many years ago. I think L.L. Bean, Land’s End, or similar outfits made them. They are super warm and allow great access and finger dexterity. If they get wet, I can wring them out, and they still keep my hands warm; b) Elbow-length hunting gloves from Avery. These are my go-to gloves for picking up decoys in icy waters. They are 100 percent water proof made of five millimeters neoprene with rubberized palms. The seams are glued and blind-stitched, and the cuffs are flared for easy on/off use; c) New to my lineup this fall are the Pro Angler gloves by Glacier Glove. I love the fleece lined two millimeter neoprene, and the opening slit on thumb and index fingers make knot tying a snap.
On a semi-serious note, frost nip is a real thing, contrary to what I previously believed it to be: a lovely buzz one gets from sipping smooth whiskey at a holiday party. Prolonged exposure to cold water and/or air may cause temporary numbness or blue-white skin color in your hands for a short time. Though normal feeling and color return fairly quickly when you warm up and no permanent tissue damage occurs, why endure it when you don’t have to?
Here's how other pros keep their hands warm:
"I rarely wear gloves. (But when I do) I like fingerless wool gloves or Aquaskinz Black Thunder gloves."
~Ric Burnley, author of "The Complete Kayak Fishermen," apparently channeling the Bill Murray line in his classic film "Stripes."
"Ski gloves when I'm driving the boat. Cotton work gloves or light neoprenes with no fingertips for when I'm fishing."
~Captain Mark Galasso, Tuna the Tide Charters
"I buy a bag of brown work glove liners (Home Depot, Tractor Supply), use them until they start getting holes, and break out a new pair. I repeat until the bag is empty, usually two years."
~Captain Walt, Light Tackle Charters
"I like a fingerless glove made by Simms, in the $50 range (Exstream Half Finger gloves, for example). I need my fingers free!"
~Pete Morris, hardcore angler
"On the boat I have several pairs of Thinsulate camo gloves that come up to above my wrists."
~Captain Kevin Josenhans, Josenhans Fly Fishing
by Captain Chris D. Dollar