Fishing Gloves Review: Finding The Best Fishing Gloves

Fishing gloves test 2020

The best gloves for fishing in the test

Especially now when fishing in winter they are especially important: suitable fishing gloves. Fingers can quickly freeze through and need to be warmed up. If you wear too thick gloves, you will lose contact with the rod and lure, too thin gloves will not warm up enough and you will freeze again.

But not only in winter but also in summer gloves can make sense. For example for landing big fish or when many hard casts affect the fingers.

We have looked at some different models and tested them for you. In this test report you will learn the differences, what is important when choosing the right fishing glove and of course the test results from our fishing glove test.

Fishing gloves in the test: Test results

Tested fishing gloves at a glance

Fuse gloves Foldable mitten

The Fuse Foldable mittens are not pure fishing gloves, but are intended for all activities where you need free fingers, but can also warm them up in between. The tip of the mitten can be folded back and attached with Velcro, so that it does not bother you, this works very well and the workmanship is also very good. So you have your fingers free when you have to knot a new knot and you can store it again very fast. Another advantage is that the fingers lie directly next to each other and thus give off more heat to each other. This way the fingertips freeze much less and stay warm longer, but of course a good bait feeling through the finger on the blank is only possible when the glove is folded down. In this case the fingers will freeze very quickly, so the glove is only suitable for active fishing with restrictions and is not water-repellent, which means that a grip in the water should be avoided.

Gamakatsu Power Themal Gloves

The Gamakatsu Power Themal Gloves are made of thick neoprene and have a warm fleece lining, which makes them very warm but also water-repellent. The entire inside of the hand is coated with an anti-slip layer to keep caught fish safely in place for a long time, and the thumb, index and middle finger are slit so that the fingers can be exposed. The folded glove can then be fixed with Velcro. This works quite okay, but the Velcro bandage could be a little larger to ensure a secure fixation. The width of the cuff can be adjusted by means of Velcro, so that the glove fits well on the wrist and no warm air can escape or cold air can penetrate. Overall, the Gamakatsu Power Themal Glove is a very well manufactured fishing glove, which is very well suited for fishing in the cold season.

normani fishing gloves

The normani fishing glove is very similar to the Gamakatsu Armor Glove and is also made of thick neoprene. However it is not lined on the inside. Only the middle part of the palm is lined with silicone as an anti-slip coating, but the fingers are not. The thumb, forefinger and middle finger are slit, can be folded down and fastened with Velcro on the back. The width can also be adjusted by means of Velcro and thus be adapted to the respective size of the wrist. All in all a good glove, even if the anti-slip coating could have been more extensive.

Gamakatsu Armor Gloves

As the name of the Gamakatsu Armor fishing glove already indicates, the material is the main focus here. With reinforced material on the inside and the fingers the glove protects against sharp and pointed objects or even the teeth of a pike. So there is still the danger to injure oneself e.g. at the sharp teeth of a pike, otherwise the hand is very well processed and fits well to the hand. The width of the waistband can also be adjusted here by means of Velcro.

Fox Rage Fish landing glove

Unlike the other gloves, the Fox-Rage fishing glove is made of a mixture of polyester and nylon. This makes it much more susceptible to water and moisture and should be removed before reaching into the water. The Fox Rage Glove does not offer the possibility to expose the fingers and must be taken off for knotting or other very fiddly things, but the Fox Rage Glove is very sensitive. Due to the different material mix it fits best of all gloves on the hand and allows the best contact to the blank. Accordingly, the lure can be guided much more precisely. However, the material is also a bit more susceptible to wind and cold, the fingers freeze quickly than with the neoprene competitors. The inside is completely coated with an anti-slip silicone coating and thus offers a very good grip. Furthermore, the Fox Rage Glove is the cheapest product in the test and therefore a good mixture of price and performance.

What is important for fishing gloves?

In order to find the right fishing glove, it is of course important to know beforehand for what purpose it is to be used. The purchase criteria for a warming glove for the winter months are of course completely different from those for a casting glove. Nevertheless, the purchase criteria can be roughly summarised in a few categories.

Material

The material determines many properties of the glove. These include warmth, waterproofness, breathability, bite resistance and also sensitivity in combination with the fishing rod.

Materials such as cotton, neoprene, spandex or fleece achieve exactly these properties. Depending on which criteria the glove is to fulfil, this should be taken into account accordingly when purchasing.

Flexibility / sensitivity

Depending on the type of fishing, the sensitivity of the glove is crucial for the success of the fishing trip. Especially when jigging for zander, contact with the lure is immensely important. Both the baiting of the lure on the bottom and the bite of a fish must still be noticeable despite the glove.

The thicker the glove, the more difficult it is to make contact with the lure. Especially when fishing with light lead heads, it is not so easy to feel the bait being put on and fishing with gloves quickly becomes a challenge. If you are fishing a little harder, you can usually do it quite well with thinner gloves.

Waistband length

In summer this may be as short as possible due to the temperatures, but in winter you’re grateful for every centimetre. Here the personal taste is important, whether a short or long waistband length is preferred.

Size / fit

The size and fit of the fishing gloves also plays a big role. In the best case the glove should “snuggle” up to the hand and thus have the best possible fit. This ensures a better wearing comfort and therefore also a better control of the lure over the rod.

Washability

As gloves get dirty quickly when used while fishing, they should be washable in the washing machine. Especially because of contact with fish and bait it is recommended to do this regularly.

Touchscreen ability

Features such as touchscreen ability can also be a purchase criterion if this is important to you. So if you use your phone a lot and don’t want to take your gloves off all the time, make sure you have the gloves coated on your fingers.

Fishing gloves for landing fish

Landing gloves are usually made of a rubber layer to prevent slipping and allow you to safely lengthen the fish you catch. The advantage is that you can hold on to the fish well while you release the hook. Especially with pike, one or the other fish can slip away so quickly.

Another advantage is that you can release the hook when you don’t have pliers at hand. The hand bleeds quickly when you grab a pike in the mouth. Even though zander remain calm when releasing hooks, I would not reach too deep for the lure without gloves.

Fishing gloves for casting

Casting gloves have one main function: they protect the index finger from the line. This is especially important for long, particularly hard casts where a lot of bait weight is brought over long distances.

A casting glove is very helpful especially for sea fishing. But also when fishing for pike with big lures a casting glove helps to protect the index finger.

Fishing gloves for the winter

In the winter it is important to protect your fingers from the cold. Fishing gloves for winter should therefore keep your fingers warm, but still allow a certain degree of flexibility.

Winter fishing gloves are therefore available as finger gloves or as mittens, whereby the mittens are actually a hybrid variant. The outer glove can be folded outwards so that the fingers are exposed. With the finger gloves the fingers are usually slit, so that here the direct contact to the blank is made possible. Which type of glove is more suitable depends again on the type of fishing.

For example, mittens are perfect when you are sitting passively on the water and waiting. Here the fingers lie directly next to each other and can warm each other. When wearing gloves, the larger surface of the mittens allows more heat to escape and the fingers cool down more quickly. When actively fishing for predatory fish, however, it is an advantage to have your fingers on the blank at all times. Both mittens and gloves can be the right choice here, depending on your own preference.

Fishing gloves for summer

Due to the summer temperatures thick gloves are not necessary. Here rather other qualities are needed. These include UV protection to protect hands from sunburn on long, sunny fishing days.

Otherwise fishing gloves are not necessary in summer in my opinion. However, depending on your own preference, casting or landing gloves can of course be worn if this seems necessary.

Finding the right fishing glove size

Unfortunately, there is no generally valid answer to the question “Which is the right glove size for me? Although the specifications range from XS to XXL, the sizes are not standardized, so that every manufacturer is only orientated to the common sizes, but does not have to consider them 100%.

With the help of the circumference of the hand as well as the length between the middle finger and the palm, it is quite easy to find out which size should be the correct one. If in doubt, it is advisable to order several sizes and then send them back.