Has anyone else noticed people fishing in what appears to be a pair of black latex gloves? I have recently been seeing more and more of this and decided to do a little research behind it. I’ve learned that they are Nitrile Gloves and cold water anglers are beginning to swear by them as they keep your hands warm while not hindering any dexterity. They are sold in your local hardware store and after giving them a try, I do agree in their effectiveness. For sizing, you want them to be nearly skin tight while wearing. They are not insulated but they will keep your hands dry which is important for warmth, especially in windy environments. I know a few different well respected guides and cold water anglers who now do not fish in the winter without them.
My initial thought was that the gloves would definitely aid in cutting down the wind chill but I was a little hesitant to use them to handle fish. It is well known that most all fish should be handled with wet hands to not damage the protect mucus layer on the fish’s body. I have heard people claim that these gloves do not harm the fish but with lack of evidence behind that, I still remove them whenever handling the fish just to be safe. I will say the gloves are surprisingly durable and really do a great job of keeping your hands and fingers warm. They also offer protection from the sun and bugs so they might have a place when fishing in the summer as well. The advantage of the Nitrile material versus latex is they are not slippery when wet so you still get a great grip on the rod and fly line. Like I said, I am still new to the game here but figured I would share this as many of us still have a couple more weeks of cold weather fishing ahead. Have any of you played around with Nitrile gloves before?
More On Winter Fishing:
I tried Nitrile gloves years ago, and switched to latex gloves because they are more durable. I wear latex all fall even when it’s not too cold as the gloves protect your fingers (I wear them under half-finger gloves) from nicks, line cuts and the like. When it gets cold, my hands begin to sweat, but body heat warms the moisture up and my fingers are much warmer than if I didn’t have the gloves on. This is true down to just below freezing . . . about the time that ice forms on the guides.
At well below freezing, the latex advantage disappears as the sweat gets cold and your hands are at least as cold as if you didn’t have the gloves on at all. At that point, I ditch them and wear either thin Merino glove liners under Kast gloves, or just the Kast gloves. (I slit the index finger and thumb on the Kasts, and sealed the cuts with Aquaseal. It’s cumbersome to tie knots, but a lot better than taking the gloves off.)
Other suggestions:
1. Put them on at the beginning of the day when your hands are dry, and don’t take them off during the day if you intend on putting on another pair. It’s hard as hell to put them on with wet hands.
2. Snip the tips of the latex gloves when you put them on. Just a tiny slit is all you need. As needed, you can roll the fingers back a joint when you need to tie a knot. When done, unroll the material and your fingers are completely covered again.
3. I don’t handle any fish with these gloves on. Just leader them and unhook them (keeping their heads under water).
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Despite being so thin, these gloves are durable. At the end of the day, one or two of rolled-unrolled fingertips will be in tatters, but everything else will be intact and your hands will be warmer and less cut up than they otherwise would.
Nitrile gloves -yes Boots-yes, enjoy a full day in the water- yes, Tie a 12-15 pound test loop knot with gloves on-most certainly.
My Recipe is a women’s pair of wool gloves, Nitrile over that, and a pair of fingerless gloves to lock all of that in place.
Why- I want to be comfortable standing in my steelhead river, I want my left hand that is always wet to be dry and I love that the rubber grips my running line on the cast.
As for the fishes well-being, she gets pulled in a little on the green side, the hook gets turned in at least two foot of water, and she scoots away in the softer waters, I may lose them with that extra energy and at this point in fishing I could care less. I go out to enjoy a full day on the river, relax and be comfortable is #1, as my home river returns bite the big one.