Fishing Gloves Compared

Why Many Anglers Choose to Wear Fishing Gloves

If you fish a lot, then wearing good fishing gloves should be a no-brainer. Your hands are one of your most valuable tools when fishing, so it is important to protect them. Gloves protect your hands from the harmful (think skin cancer) rays of the sun, from biting winter cold, from cuts, punctures, bites, and any other number of things that slowly wear down your hands.

This also includes the numerous infections you can get from handling sea creatures. Even for the most weather-worn hands, gloves make it easier to hold on to your rod when reeling in big fish, removing hooks, and handling sharp or slippery fish.

Fishing Gloves For Your Next Fishing Trip (Buyer’s Guide)

Intended Use

Glove Type/Style

There are a few different styles of gloves to choose from. Full gloves cover your whole hand while fingerless gloves leave your fingers exposed, so you have the dexterity you need to tie certain knots. There are convertible options with fingertips that pull off and slit finger options with small slits to poke your fingers out of when needed.

Among these styles, the biggest consideration is how protected you need your fingers to be and how much dexterity you’ll need. Convertible gloves often strike the best balance between protection and versatility.

Durability & Material Type

The durability and functionality of a glove mostly comes from the material it is made out of. Fishing gloves are usually made from rubber, wool, fleece, latex, mesh, neoprene, fabric, leather, or some combination. Rubber offers excellent waterproofing and durability, but it isn't very breathable. Wool, on the other hand, is a good insulator, breathes well, and helps wick sweat and moisture.

Fleece is basically in the same class as wool, it is just less waterproof, while materials like latex and neoprene are a lot more like rubber. Mesh and fabric are very breathable but don’t offer much in the way of protection, while leather, ultimately, is very tough, but not breathable. Some of the best gloves utilize a balanced combination of various material types.   

Grip

Fishing gloves come equipped with different types of grip. Reinforced palms offer a boost to grip strength and are great for fighting bigger fish. Other gloves are fitted just for one or two fingers to provide protection when casting; these are known as casting fingers. There are fishing gloves for almost every style and environment. 

Fit & Comfort

A glove's fit and comfort is essential and not always easy to determine. The glove should never be too tight or constraining at any point, especially around the wrist. You don’t want to cut off blood flow to your hands. Many gloves offer a one size fits all style with an adjustable wrist strap. For bigger fish, though, you’ll want the best fitting glove you can get. 

Breathability

For many anglers, breathability is the most important factor in a glove. This is determined by the material the glove is made out of. Gloves that incorporate materials like wool and mesh will be more breathable, while those with more rubber in them will be less breathable. If you are wearing these gloves for more than an hour, you will want the most breathability you can get.

UV Protection & Water/Wind Resistance

Price

Anytime you buy new fishing equipment, make sure you are getting the best value possible. With fishing gloves, this means paying an affordable price for gear that offers all the traits and protections you need. For slightly more extreme environments, it is sometimes necessary to pay a little more, but, in that case, you get what you pay for. It is always worth it to buy the best protective gear you can get.

1. Berkley BTNFGG

Berkely gloves are a classic and, even outside of fishing, they are well known. These aren’t the kind of gloves you pay a lot for and then use for life. These are affordable and durable gloves built to take a beating and then be replaced when needed.

This versatility and affordability are what earned them our top spot for the best fishing glove. These heavy-duty gloves have a no-slip grip construction, which works exceptionally well. Even the wettest and slimiest fish can be securely and safely gripped, making the experience better for you and the fish.

The neoprene body of the glove helps keep your hands dry and warm, although the slit finger design prevents them from being completely waterproof. Even so, they seem to dry fairly quickly. Also, despite not having an SPF/UPF rating, these gloves do offer full wrist and hand coverage from the sun so you are protected.  The simplicity and toughness of these gloves make them the best fishing gloves on our list. 

2. KastKing Sol Armis

The KastKing Sol Armis fishing gloves are a perfect example of a versatile sport fishing glove. They are made with a very comfortable second skin poly-spandex material that moves as your hand does. This material is very breathable and dexterous, so you can comfortably wear the glove all day long. Wildlife artist Stacie Walker designed the unique Prym 1 Camo print that covers the material too, giving it a distinct style.

The glove is fingerless, which aligns with the emphasis on dexterity in this glove. The overall design focuses on usability and protection. A microfiber palm and pull tabs offer the glove additional durability while also making it easy to put on and take off.

Most importantly, the entire glove is rated for SPF/UPF 50 sun protection as well. Protecting your hands from harmful UV is one of the main benefits of these gloves. They are even designed with an extended cuff to offer greater sun protection. This is the glove to buy if wearability and sun protection is what you need.    

3. Glacier ICE BAY

4. KastKing Mountain Mist

The KastKing Mountain Mist fishing gloves are a perfect choice for anglers who need protection from the cold without compromising on dexterity. They are made with a fleece-lined neoprene and fitted with microfiber palms for an anti-slip grip. This makes for a warm, flexible, puncture-proof glove. Wildlife artist Stacie Walker’s Prym 1 Camo design covers the gloves and gives them a distinct stylistic look. 

Functional finger slots accommodate the thumb, index finger, and middle finger, adding to the overall dexterity and functionality of the gloves. This allows you to work intricate knots on hooks and baits without removing your gloves. Unlike many other gloves, you don’t even have to uncover your fingers to use your phone.

A special material is integrated into the fingertips allowing you to use a touchscreen without removing your gloves. A specialized hook and loop wrist closure comfortably secures the gloves to your hands, too, helping to keep out the cold. Once you get these gloves on, you can keep them there, keeping your hands warm and protected.      

5. Rapala Marine

Saltwater has a knack for finding its way into fishing gear and slowly destroying it. This applies to gloves to and, in this sense, not all gloves are created equal. Thankfully, the Rapala Marine Fishermen's Glove was made to withstand the sea. Rubber, cotton, and polyester all go into the construction of these gloves, and a durable latex coating is applied to offer added protection.

This latex layer improves both the non-slip fish handling grip of the glove as well as its resistance to the pernicious effects of saltwater. These gloves are made to be abused. If they end up flying overboard, they float so you can just fish them back up. 

If, however, a rogue wave does take them away or a particularly nasty fish ruins them, these gloves are incredibly affordable. They are actually one of the best value pairs of gloves on our list. Many anglers buy more than one pair of Rapala fishing gloves so they have a backup just in case. 

6. The Fishing Tree

The Fishing Tree fingerless fishing gloves are another top contender for gloves that offer fantastic sun protection while still allowing appropriate dexterity. These well constructed fingerless gloves are made from quick-drying breathable spandex with an Amara faux leather grip. This provides excellent flexibility and durability to the wearer along with a superior non-slip grip for holding onto slippery fishing. These gloves are made to be worn all day.

One of the greatest innovations in these gloves is that their 50 SPF/UPF sun protection is actually woven into the fabric and doesn’t require any artificial spray-on chemicals. This means the UV protection factor won’t wash off when the glove inevitably gets wet.

This also means that you can easily wash these gloves in any washing machine without having to worry about them. Some other brands are limited to being hand-washed only. If you need great sun protection and dexterity in your gloves, then these Fishing Tree fingerless fishing gloves are the way to go.

7. Lindy

Fishing gloves are needed under many different circumstances, so some gloves, like the Lindy fish handling gloves, are tailor-made for one thing. They are built for handling fish. This means their focus is on a sure anti-slip grip and unbreakable puncture proofing.

They do both extremely well because their gloves are made using a proprietary Super Fabric brand material that offers more cut and puncture resistance than most other gloves on the market. Reviews and comments from anglers that use the gloves are proof of that.

These gloves are perfect for removing hooks, handling sharp, slippery fish, and for filleting your catch at the end of the day. These gloves fit quite well and offer a surprising amount of dexterity for the cut resistance they offer. For anyone handling fish regularly, these gloves will save your hands.   

8. Glacier Glove Pro

The Glacier Glove Pro Angler fishing glove is a unique combination of great cold-weather resistance, puncture protection, waterproofing, and dexterity. Usually, gloves have to compromise on one front to achieve another, not with this glove.

The glove is made from 2mm thick fleece-lined techline neoprene, which keeps your hands protected and warm under extreme conditions. The material is formed and built to offer a seamless palm design, so you don't have to worry about getting snagged on a fishing line or something else.

The fingers are then pre-curved to form fit to your hand and allow greater dexterity. With other thick cold weather gloves, the lack of this pre-forming is what makes them feel so thick and difficult to work in.

A slit finger is also included for the thumb and index finger as an added layer of dexterous ability in the glove. All of these features combine to keep your hands warm while still allowing you to fish. Any cold weather angler should definitely consider these gloves.

9. Rapala Fillet

Care Tips For Your Fishing Gloves

After every outing with your gloves, you should hand wash them with fresh water and soap. Then, turn them inside out to air dry.

For gloves that are particularly dirty and stinky from handling fish, you can try soaking them in vinegar and then washing them. Sometimes it is necessary to do this a few times. You can increase the lifespan of your gloves by keeping them clean and dry between uses.   

People Also Ask (FAQs)

What are the best fishing glove brands on the market?

There are quite a few big-name brands out there making fishing gloves, so anglers are spoiled for choice. Top brands, also featured here, include Rapala, Glacier Glove, and KastKing. More often than not, these are the brands that fishers turn to, even in extreme environments. Gloves from these brands have been tested from the frigid reaches of Antarctica to the balmy weather of the Bahamas.

Can I just use regular gloves for fishing?

You should not use regular gloves for fishing. You can, but you shouldn’t. Regular gloves can mean many things, and almost none of them offer the unique protections you get in fishing gloves. Fishing gloves guard against the heat and cold, they filter out UV radiation, they resist infectious puncture wounds from fish, they hold off razor-sharp fishing lines and more.

How much should I spend on a pair of quality fishing gloves?

You can find amazing pairs of fishing gloves well below $50, so it’s fair to say you'll almost never need to spend more than that. The $20-$40 price range appears to be the most common. Still, some specialty gloves and custom-fitted gloves can cost much more, and, in some cases, this is worth it. For most anglers, though, the affordable gloves that are available are perfect.

Are all fishing gloves true to size?

Unfortunately, not all fishing gloves are true to size. This isn’t just a problem when buying gloves online, either. Some gloves seem to shrink or stretch after purchase, and they can lose that amazing fit they had in the store. The best defense against this is to buy well-reviewed gloves from trusted sources. 

Where is the best place to buy these fishing gloves?

Amazon is one of the best places to buy fishing gear in general. It is great when shopping for fishing gloves because you can see comparative ratings and read reviews from people who have already tried the gloves. Amazon also offers fishing glove options that are no longer available directly from the manufacturer, so you have a better variety of choices as well.

Conclusion