Every angler knows how important their hands are to the sport, no matter whether they’re a beginner or a professional. In fact, they’d have a pretty hard time fishing without their hands on top form.
They’re needed to control the rod, bait the hook, and feel the nibbles from the fish. There is no questioning the fact that your hands need to be looked after before and during a fishing trip.
Ice fishing is a whole different experience than regular fishing. The environment is harsh and freezing, which is dangerous for your hands.
Your body’s natural response to freezing environments is to constrict the blood flow as much as possible. This is why your feet and, yep you guessed it, your hands are the first to feel the cold and turn numb.
With numb hands, your fishing ability is reduced to almost nothing and you’ll find your trip much less enjoyable and productive. This is why ice fishing gloves are an absolute necessity when planning an ice fishing trip.
They need to be sufficiently insulated, comfortable, and flexible enough to allow you to still fish properly.
Below we’ve found the best ice fishing gloves that are available right now on the market. We’ve also included a buyers guide to tell you a little more about ice fishing gloves, as well as answer some frequently asked questions to make sure that you have enough information before committing to one pair of ice fishing gloves.
Best Ice Fishing Gloves – Reviews
- Key Features – 100% waterproof – Bound stitched, and glued seams – Fleece lined for warmth – Anti-slip embossed palm – Material remains pliable in extremely cold weather conditions –...
- 100% WATERPROOF – KastKing IceRiver gloves are 100% waterproof. These gloves are manufactured with 2.2mm neoprene rubber material for excellent water resistance. All seams are bound, stitched, and...
- FLEECE LINED – The IceRiver gloves are lined with a 1mm layer of polar fleece to provide extra warm in extremely cold and wet conditions.
- Flexible Anti-slip Palm – The 2.2mm neoprene palm is design with an embossed non-slip pattern that provides additional gripping strength in any weather conditions. The neoprene material maintains...
- Prym1 Camo – “BE THE PREDATOR” with American born Prym1 Camo. KastKing is proud to partner with Stacie Walker a wildlife artist and founder of Prym1 Camo. Stay protected from the harsh winter...
- KEY FEATURES – KastKing winter fishing gloves for men or women have open finger slots for dexterity - Hook and loop catch holds fingertips open – Smart phone friendly fingertips – Anti-slip palm...
- FUNCTIONAL FINGER SLOTS –Snug fitting slots in 3 fingers and thumb permit you to expose only finger tips and not your whole hand to cold weather. Hook and loop material on the fingers and thumb of...
- SMART PHONE FRIENDLY – Special material integrated into the finger tips allows you to use touch screen phones without exposing your fingers to the elements. Can also be used as photography gloves...
- ANTI-SLIP PALM – Designed with a fleece lining, waterproof back and soft neoprene and microfiber palm, KastKing Mountain Mist gloves will keep your hands warm in cold conditions. The microfiber palm...
- Prym1 Camo – “BE THE PREDATOR” with American born Prym1 Camo. KastKing is proud to partner with Stacie Walker a wildlife artist and founder of Prym2 Camo. Stay protected from the elements in...
- Convertible Versatility: KastKing ThermoGrip Mittens transform from mittens to fingerless gloves with ease. Magnets secure the thumb and finger flaps for unhindered finger movement, perfect for...
- Cold Weather Construction: Fashioned from breathable, water-resistant, and windproof materials, these mittens showcase a shell fabric with both waterproof and breathable PU coatings. Coupled with the...
- Optimal Insulation: These mittens are designed with 4-layer construction. They feature 3M Thinsulate lining for warmth even in damp conditions. Hand-warming arctic plush fleece lining and thick...
- Enhanced Durability: The mittens come with abrasion-resistant, hydrolysis-resistant synthetic leather palm areas. This feature not only provides superior grip strength but also reduces wear and tear.
- Intelligent Design Details: They come equipped with a pull-tight cinch wrist cord that allows you to adjust the fit to your wrist size. Built-in finger loops facilitate effortless removal, while the...
- Key Features – Waterproof and windproof 4 layer construction – insulated mittens with 40 grams of 3M Thinsultate for warmth – 3M Thinsulate is considered “the warmest thin apparel...
- WATERPROOF & WIND PROOF – KastKing PolarBlast mittens are constructed with 4 layers of material to keep your hands warm and dry. The stretch poly fleece outer shell is waterproof and windproof, a...
- EASY TO MANAGE – KastKing PolarBlast mittens quickly convert from cold weather mittens to fingerless gloves. Built-in magnets hold the thumb and finger flaps out of the way for full finger movement...
- ANTI-SLIP PALM – An extra layer of microfiber leather on the palm helps to extend the life of your mittens while the printed polymer pattern provides additional grip strength in any weather...
- Prym1 Camo – “BE THE PREDATOR” with American born Prym1 Camo. KastKing is proud to partner with Stacie Walker a wildlife artist and founder of Prym1 Camo. Stay protected from the elements in...
- Exceptional Insulation: These fishing gloves are made with a 3-in-1 soft shell fabric, keeping your hands warm in cold conditions through multi-layered construction. The 3M G120 Thinsulate polyester...
- Versatile Convertible Design: Adapt to your environment effortlessly with KastKing winter fishing gloves that can be transformed into 2-finger open gloves for unrestrictive finger mobility. The...
- Cold Weather Construction: Designed to excel in cold environments, these ice fishing gloves boast water-resistant, windproof, and breathable properties. Constructed from waterproof and breathable...
- Enhanced Durability: For added durability and grip, the cold weather gloves feature abrasion-resistant PU palm material. Reinforcing this durability are stitched patches at the fingertips, ensuring...
- Smart Functionalities: KastKing fishing gloves come with user-friendly features like pull-tight cinch wrist straps for effortless adjustment and extended gauntlet cuffs with drawcord closures to keep...
- 100% Waterproof Protection: Experience unmatched waterproof protection with the 5K/5K membrane in the KastKing HydroSense Breathable Waterproof Gloves. These gloves offer complete waterproof...
- Snug Insulation: Enjoy premium warmth with the 100% polyester fleece surface and micro fleece lining. This high-performance insulation keeps your hands comfortably warm in cold weather without added...
- ErgoFlex Contour Design for Ultimate Comfort: Featuring innovative ErgoFlex Contour technology, these gloves provide a nearly seamless fit with exceptional dexterity and comfort. The pre-curved...
- Seamless Smartphone Compatibility: Stay connected and capture moments effortlessly with touchscreen-compatible fingertips on the thumb and index. Use your phone and take photos without having to...
- Enhanced Grip and Secure Fit: The anti-slip silicone print in KastKing’s “K” design on the palm ensures a firm grip on tools and your phone. Suitable for both men and women, these gloves offer...
- Unmatched Dexterity: The 3-Cut fingerless design allows for precise knot-tying, bait rigging, and effortless gear management, catering to anglers who prioritize tactile sensitivity. The remaining...
- Superior Warmth: Crafted from a blend of 50% wool and 50% nylon, these warm fishing gloves offer excellent insulation, maintaining warmth even when wet. Your hands will stay comfortable and functional...
- Durability and Grip: The synthetic leather palm provides fatigue-free protection and an exceptional grip, keeping you in control whether handling fish or fishing gear. This durable material ensures...
- Comfortable Fit: The flexible knit construction ensures a comfortable fit that moves with your hand, offering excellent dexterity and a snug fit for all your fishing activities. This high performance...
- Smart Features: Equipped with a reflective embossed logo for improved visibility in low-light conditions, these gloves are ideal for fishing, hunting, photography, and other outdoor activities. For...
Best Ice Fishing Gloves – Buyers Guide
Now we’ve looked at the best five ice fishing gloves on the market, you may be wondering how you’re supposed to choose between all the impressive options. Well, every angler is different and some gloves are going to work better for different people.
There are some important factors to consider when choosing a new pair of gloves to ensure that they’re going to work for you. Ice fishing without gloves can increase the risk of frostbite, so it is vital that you choose the right gloves for you and your fishing trip.
By remembering these factors that we’ll be listing below, you’ll be more likely to pick a pair of gloves that are going to aid you well during your ice fishing excursions.
Type of Glove
There are two types of gloves that can be constituted as ice fishing gloves, water-resistant and waterproof, which both have their benefits and drawbacks. The first type is gloves made out of both waterproof and water-resistant materials such as Thinsulate, GoreTex, and Polar Fleece. The second type is made from neoprene.
Gloves made from neoprene are similar feelings to wetsuits and are completely waterproof, provided there are no holes or faults in the fabric. As long as you don’t submerge your whole arm in the water, these gloves will keep your hand completely dry.
However, some anglers find neoprene gloves to be too restrictive and find it difficult to move their hand properly. Neoprene is also not that durable as a fabric and therefore may wear quicker than other types of gloves. On the other hand, gloves made of fabric like GoreTex and Thinsulate are almost never fully waterproof and often falter down their seams.
As you can see, there is no perfect material for ice fishing gloves as they both have disadvantages. Having said that, you still need a suitable pair of gloves for your trip so you need to do some research on your own. Would you rather completely waterproof gloves or more mobility in your hands?
The type of glove you choose will depend on what is most important to you. Some anglers need their hands to be able to move as freely as if they didn’t have gloves on, but some other fishermen cannot stand their hands to be wet. Of course, there is the fact that wet hands will become colder faster and reduce the mobility of your fingers as well.
Unfortunately, there is no clear defining answer to what type of gloves you should choose for ice fishing. You may have to test out some brands and styles to determine what type you prefer for yourself and your ice fishing style.
Size
It goes without saying that your gloves need to fit properly to be the most effective. There are two reasons why this is an important factor to remember when choosing your new gloves.
Firstly, ill-fitting gloves will allow cold air to reach your hand through the wrist cuff and allow it to create pockets of freezing air inside your gloves. This is going to affect your experience and performance.
The second reason is that if your gloves are too big, the material will be bunching up around your joints which will prevent you from being able to move your hands properly. Similarly, gloves that are too small will restrict your mobility and cause the same result.
Make sure that you check the size guide on the advert of your chosen gloves to make sure that you’re getting the correct size. You may need to measure your hand to get an accurate size, so make sure that you measure your hand with a measuring tape so that you can take out the guesswork of the size of your hand.
Durability
Your ice fishing gloves much be durable enough to last for at least the entire length of your ice fishing trip, if not season. If your gloves become damaged, you may have to cut your trip short to ensure the safety of your hands.
Your gloves will be around hooks and other sharp tools, so they need to be able to withstand touching these things.
While ice fishing, you’ll need to keep removing your gloves to tie knots and re-bait your hook. Your gloves must be durable enough to withstand being taken off and put back on repeatedly.
Things to look out for to ensure good durability is double stitching, tough materials, and additional layers.
Usability
The usability of your ice fishing gloves is in reference to how flexible they are and how much mobility they allow you to have. This is imperative due to the fact that you still need your hands to actually fish effectively. While you need to keep your hands safe and secure, you also need them to fish.
Water-resistant gloves often offer better usability as they are slightly thinner so you can actually bend your fingers further while wearing these.
It’s sometimes worth sacrificing a little insulation so that you can still use the gloves. You just need to find the right balance between warmth and usability.
Warmth
Speaking of warmth, this is, of course, another incredibly important factor to consider when choosing your new ice fishing gloves. The main reason you need to wear gloves is to keep your hands warm and away from the freezing temperatures.
As we mentioned earlier, your hands are more susceptible to frostbite than most other parts of your body.
The amount of insulation that a pair of gloves offers will affect how warm they keep your hands. Fleece is a very effective insulating material, as is Thinsulate and neoprene. For warmth, thicker materials are obviously recommended to better insulate your hands.
As we mentioned before, you have to find the best balance between warmth and the usability of your gloves. We’d suggest reading the customer reviews to see how other people found the gloves. This is a good indication of whether they’ll be usable while still keeping your hands warm.
Finger Holes
Finger holes are useful so that you don’t have to remove the whole glove for you to adjust something or tie a knot. Instead of exposing your whole hand, you’ll actually only have your finger and thumb exposed which is often just as effective as taking the whole glove off.
This also saves you time as you don’t have to put the whole glove back on. Finger holes are not a necessity for ice fishing gloves, but they are a handy feature to have, especially if you’re going to need your fingers free for a lot of your trip.
Grip
The best ice fishing gloves will also have some sort of grip on the palms so that you can hold onto your equipment and catches without the risk of them falling into the water.
No one wants to spend hours waiting for a nibble, only for the fish to slip right back into the water due to no grips on your gloves, so this is another important feature to look out for.
Comfort
Last but not least, your hands need to be comfortable enough for you to wear the gloves for your whole trip. The fit should be suitable and not digging into your hands at any point, and you should be able to use your hands properly without too much hassle.
How waterproof your gloves are may also affect the comfortability of them, as no one likes to sit around with wet hands.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I look after my ice fishing gloves?
Store your gloves in a cool, dry place after you’ve cleaned them thoroughly after using them. Handwashing them with soap and warm water will suffice, unless the label says that they can be machine washed. Leave them to dry completely before storing them away ready for next season. Make sure you keep them away from any dangers.
