Question:
Which gloves are best for fly fishing in Alaska this month? Forecast: Temps high 50s to low 60s and rain every day.
Thanks!
Answer:
Hi and thank you for reaching out to us,
Finding the right glove can be tricky as it all comes down to presonal preference. If your hand do not get cold easily, a standard fleece or wool fingerless is probably going to be good. If you hands get cold very easily like mine do, then look for a glove that has a Gore-Tex membrane. This helps in cutting the wind, which drastically cuts back with heat loss. Also wear a good warm hat. keeping you head warm helps in overall heat retention.
Look for a glove that is easy to put on and take off. Most standard fleece and wool gloves fall into this catagory. Gloves that have a Gore-Tex membrane tend to fit pretty tight and can be difficult to take on and off. These are meant to fit tight. Look for ones with pull loops on the fingers or consider going up a size.
The two style of gloves I use are standard fingerless and flip mitt or fold over fingerless. Full finger are ok, but can be difficult with line handling and retrieval. Flip Mitt or Fold Over Mitts are great because there is the option of covering all of the fingers when not fishing. The downside to fold overs is that they are a bit bulky and can get a bit cumbersome if the finger pouch gets loose while casting.
I use Gor-Tex lined flip mitts when I go on multiday trips when the weather forecast is crud. I also keep a pair of regular fleece fingerless as back ups or for sitting around the fire. The nice thing with fleece is that they are really warm when wet as long as there is no wind.