What are fishing gloves for?

A Serious Dive into the Use of fishing gloves

The average person likely doesn’t think of or place much importance on using gloves for fishing. What are fishing gloves for, and how important are they? Is it applicable to always wear fishing gloves? This article tackles what you need to know about a pair of fishing gloves.

Interestingly, specialized fishing gloves exist at all levels of the fishing industry. Ice fishing gloves are a given, for example, but other types of gloves are designed for all sorts of specializations. Fishing gloves offer different specs, depending on the style, that do something to protect your hands. From the low end of danger to the high, here are the most important facts about what fishing gloves are for.

The first level of protection we want to discuss is from the sun. Sun protection might be on the lower end scale of immediate dangers to avoid, but it is important regardless. Fishing is an outdoor activity, and the sun is often relentless on open water. Even in winter, where a full-fingered glove, like glacier gloves, is needed, gloves simply make fishing better. Holding fishing rods all day, preparing bait, and checking lines mean that your hands are constantly exposed to the sun. Over time, heavy exposure to UV rays can lead to skin irritation and extremely uncomfortable damage. UV exposure can also contribute to skin cancer on a more serious level. A fingerless design on a glove can help protect you from the sun and still give you a good tactile feel and dexterity.

On top of protection from the sun, though, wounds are what fishermen everywhere deal with most often. There is so much about fishing that involves your hands and sharp objects. Fishers are all too familiar with a little blood loss from bites, slices, and abrasions. Even handling the fish can be difficult, with most fish having teeth or sharp fins. Fishing gloves can make a big difference depending on what the gloves feature. Things like a leather palm or strong synthetic leather are some features you’ll want that can prevent those common injuries. These types of materials even make it easier to hold the gill plates keeping your index fingers safe.

Another factor to consider is slime and other more difficult to avoid aspects of open waters. Some fish have slime coating, which can irritate your skin or slow you down. Gloves help mitigate this subtle yet annoying problem in a big way. Open salt water can also carry irritants that build up over time and become painful or itchy. In contrast, you’ll probably benefit from fishing gloves by reducing insect bites when freshwater fishing.

Gloves make the little tasks of fishing so much quicker and more efficient. Often, anglers have to handle taut lines that can cut, de-hook their catch, or even prepare a good catch. Using gloves will increase personal confidence when doing all of these little fishing tasks. Confidence means more time fishing and less time fumbling around with the little details

As a whole, there are many different types of fishing within the fishing industry. Interestingly, from pros to amateurs, a standard glove is usually available for whatever type of fishing you are interested in. Sport anglers, for example, tend to use high-quality fingerless gloves made from incredibly durable and performance-centric materials. In the industrial sector full fingered work gloves with the right grip and maybe lower quality materials are more common.

It may not be the most obvious choice to take gloves along on your fishing outing, but, If your goal is to be fishing for a long time, no doubt getting used to some gloves will benefit you. So get your gloves, get that Velcro strap tight, and see what a huge difference fishing gloves really make.