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 – 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...
- 【 Insulation 150g Cotton】 Using cotton, breathable and waterproof glove insert which keeps your hand warm and comfortable in cold weather. 【Extended Wrist Elastic Design】 Extended snug fit...
- 【Waterproof& Windproof & Breathable】The front fabric of the gloves is made of water-resistant polyester which keeps freezing wind and cold water off your skin. The gloves insert a windproof TPU...
- 【Sensitive Touchscreen Fingertip】Featuring non-slip touchscreen leather on the thumb and index fingertips. 50% more conductive material added to touchscreen fingertips than others. Featuring high...
- 【Anti-Slip Palm Grips】High-end SBR diving neoprene and anti-slip silicone reinforced palm for a better grip and durability on fishing rods, cameras, or phones. Without worrying about it slipping...
- 【Applicable People】Our winter warm gloves are suitable for fishermen, anglers, hunters, photographers, cyclists, runners, shooters, hikers, and outdoor athletes. It can be used for fishing,...
- Convertible Mitt: Easily converts from warm mittens to fingerless gloves with magnets; Thus freeing your fingers for fishing, knot tying, line stripping, pocket opening, photography, texting, running,...
- 3M Thinsulate: The gloves are insulated with 40 grams 3M thinsulate, orange microfiber fleece and 4-Way stretch shell that provide warmth without excess bulk or loss of dexterity. The insert windproof...
- Silicone Palm Grips: Partial synthetic leather and premium Anti-Slip silicone enhance grip and prevent daily wear and tear; Ergonomic leather in palm to gain the better grip on the fishing rods,...
- Enhanced Nighttime Security: Reflective strips across the back of each of these mittens help the wearer be seen during the short, dark days of winter. making you more visible during those early...
- Size Tips: The gloves are labeled as men's size, women should choose gloves a size smaller than you normally wear. If you usually wear women's size L, you should choose size M when buying. Please...
- CONVERTIBLE ICE FISHING MITTENS: Designed for the tough conditions of ice fishing, these mittens give complete coverage of fingers and thumb, easily converting to fingerless gloves to allow for...
- BUILT WITH 3M THINSULATE FOR WARMTH : Our warm fishing gloves will keep hands toasty and warm all day long, even in temperatures as low as 20 degrees Fahrenheit. Built with 3M Thinsulate throughout,...
- RUGGED CONSTRUCTION BUILT TO LAST: Mittens for ice fishing need to be built to withstand the elements and tough environments. Our durable shell and reinforced palms are designed to stand up to even...
- GRIPPY PALM MATERIAL: Don't let a single fish get away because of a slippery glove. The patented silicone grip on our fishing gloves cold weather can't be challenged to deliver maximum tackiness to...
- READY FOR WINTER WEATHER: Our gloves are fully windproof and water resistant, thanks to the rugged TPU shell. The elasticated cuffs in our ice fishing gloves waterproof men use on the ice prevent...
- 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...
- TOUCHSCREEN FINGER TIPS allow you to answer calls while keeping your gloves on. But let's be honest, these are still winter gloves, so NO you will not be able to have texting conversations with your...
- WATERPROOF - We are talking stick your hand in the water, your hand ain't getting wet waterproof. So go ahead stick your hand in that ice hole and pull up that beast of a walleye. Or shred that powder...
- RUGGED CONSTRUCTION - First we take a Cordura nylon shell (none of that thin nylon crap that rips your first use), then we put a hipora liner(this is what makes it waterproof, it is basically...
- STORAGE - You can't ever have enough pockets, so we put pockets on the back of the gloves. These pockets are big enough for a credit card, a hand warmer or your key. We put a water resistant zipper to...
- AMERICAN COMPANY, DESIGNED IN MINNESOTA - With a headquarters in Minnesota and warehouse in Michigan, we know cold, wet winters. We designed these gloves for all the great outdoor activities that take...
- 2mm fleece lined neoprene
- Seamless palm design
- 100% waterproof
- Sharkskin textured
- Blind stitched and glued
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.
