Fishing gloves: which kind to wear, and when to skip them

Most anglers never wear gloves, and plenty of days do not call for them. But your hands take more abuse than any other part of you: sun on the backs of them all day, cold wind and wet line, hours of cranking a reel handle, and the sharp edges of the fish themselves. A glove is the right answer to some of those problems and the wrong answer to others. This guide sorts out which is which.

Fingerless gloves keep the fingertips free for line and knots. This photo was taken in Makati City, Philippines.

What a glove can and cannot do

• Sun: it shades the backs of your hands, which catch more sun than almost anywhere else because they sit out in front of you while you cast and reel.
• Cold and wet: it slows the heat that wind and spray pull off your hands, and it keeps your hold when a handle is slick.
• Blisters: padding under the palm and at the base of the fingers takes the rub from long retrieves and long fights.
• Cuts and punctures: it can take the edge off a rough fin, a gill plate or a hook point, but only if the glove is built for it.
• What it cannot do: make a spiny or toothy fish harmless to grab, or protect you from a leader or braid that is pulling hard.

Sun gloves

Look for a UPF number on the tag. UPF measures how much ultraviolet light gets through the fabric. The Skin Cancer Foundation says a UPF 50 fabric blocks about 98% and lets through about 2%, and that wet or stretched fabric protects less. So a snug glove pulled over wet knuckles will not match the label.

Fingerless sun gloves are popular because they leave your fingertips free for knots, hooks and small parts. The trade-off is that your fingertips and the edge of your knuckles are now in the sun. Put sunscreen on whatever the glove leaves bare. The American Academy of Dermatology suggests SPF 30 or higher, broad spectrum and water resistant, put on 15 minutes before you go out and reapplied about every two hours or after sweating or swimming.

A padded palm with open fingers on a fly rod: the padding takes the rub, and the line stays in bare fingers. This photo was taken at Margate, South Africa.

Cold and wet gloves

Wind is the real problem. The National Weather Service explains that moving air pulls heat off exposed skin, which is why a breeze makes the air feel colder than the thermometer says. A wet hand loses heat faster again. For that reason a waterproof shell matters more than thickness.

A common setup is two layers: a thin warm liner you can keep on while you work, and a waterproof outer glove for running a boat, hauling a kayak or fishing in rain. Fingerless wool gloves are a favorite for re-rigging in a norther because the fingertips still work. Whatever you wear, carry a dry spare pair, because a soaked glove is colder than no glove at all.

Thick gloves and knots do not mix. Take them off to tie, and put them back on right after.

Disposable hand warmers

A two-pack of disposable, air-activated hand warmers.

A disposable hand warmer is a sealed pad that warms up when it meets air. This pack says it is ready to use, air activated and good for up to 10 hours of heat. A retailer's copy of the label adds that you take the pad out of its outer package and shake it, that it takes 15 to 30 minutes to reach full heat, and that actual time depends on use and storage.

• Where to put it: inside a glove, a mitt or a jacket pocket, with a layer between it and your skin. The label says to use it only on the palms of your hands, never on other bare skin, and to take it off at once if it gets too hot or uncomfortable.
• Burn caution: the label gives a maximum temperature of about 158°F (70°C). MedlinePlus warns that numb skin can burn without you feeling it when heat is applied. In the cold your hands may be numb, so check the skin under a warmer every so often.
• Who should skip it: the label says infants, people who cannot feel heat, people who are sleeping, and people with diabetes, circulation problems, nerve damage or frostbite should not use one unless a doctor says to.
• Keep it from sitting in one spot for long, and keep it from being pressed against your body in tight clothing, both of which the label warns against.
• Pack a few, and open one 15 to 30 minutes before you need the heat, since that is how long the label says it takes. They are a boost between casts, not a replacement for dry, windproof gloves.
• After use, put the pad in regular trash, as the label says, and carry the trash out.

Grip, blister and fighting gloves

If you retrieve a lot of line (jigging deep, working a heavy lure from the surf, fighting big fish), a half-finger glove with a padded palm and a tacky surface is worth having. It spreads the pressure so you get fewer blisters, and the rubbery palm holds a wet handle. Skip it when you fish light tackle and need to feel a tap through the line with a fingertip, because a glove dulls that feel.

Try a glove on with a reel in your hand if you can. A seam in the wrong place turns into a blister of its own.

Handling fish and leaders

Some Texas fish are painful to grab. TPWD says the hardhead catfish has a sharp, barbed spine on its back and on each side, that the slime on the big dorsal spine is mildly toxic, and that a puncture causes severe pain and swelling. Its advice is to hold the fish with pliers or another tool while you take the hook out, and never to hold it down with your foot, because tennis shoes and leather soles do not stop the spine. A glove helps with the rough edges of many fins and gill covers, but on a spiny fish the pliers do more for you than the glove.

If you plan to let a fish go, TPWD says to use a wet rag or glove, or wet hands, before you handle it, and to avoid removing the slime layer that protects it from parasites and infections. So wet the glove first. A dry glove is the wrong tool for a fish you are releasing.

Offshore crews use heavy gloves for the person who handles the leader on a big fish. Do not wrap a leader or line around your hand, gloved or not. If the fish runs, whatever is wrapped around your hand is pulled tight. Leave that job to experienced crew.

Fit and care

• Snug, not tight: you should be able to make a full fist and still feel the reel handle.
• Check the palm seams: the base of the fingers is where blisters start.
• Rinse in fresh water after salt water, then let gloves dry in the air, not on a hot dashboard. Salt and sun break down stitching and stretch.
• Replace sun gloves when the fabric looks thin or stretched, because thin fabric lets more ultraviolet light through.

Keep reading

• What to wear fishing in Texas
• Catch and release: handling a fish well
• Fishing sunglasses
• The powerboat angler's kit

For more reading, we suggest these articles

• AFTCO: Fishing Gloves, Complete Guide (a tackle maker, May 19, 2025) (checked 2026-10-21)
• Skin Cancer Foundation: Sun-Protective Clothing (last updated Aug. 2025) (checked 2026-10-21)
• American Academy of Dermatology: sunscreen recommendations (checked 2026-10-21)
• National Weather Service: Wind chill (checked 2026-10-21)
• TPWD: Hardhead catfish (checked 2026-10-21)
• TPWD: Catch and release, handling your catch (checked 2026-10-21)
• Stop & Shop: HotHands hand warmers, 2 count (a retailer's copy of the package label) (checked 2026-10-21)
• MedlinePlus: Frostbite (checked 2026-10-21)

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