Went out today on the Red and did some euro nymph fishing and my new Chris Barklay 5 pc. 7’ 9’ GP worked great.Anyway after 20min. and 6 fish my fingers got numb and I quit for the day.The gloves I used have the finger tips exposed.What do you guys use that works.......thanks Aurelio

Aurelio:

I hate wearing gloves, mostly because I hate having all of that bulk on my palm area which never gets cold.

I have the original wool "Millar Mitts" but as you said, your fingertips still get cold which is why I now use the Simms Headwaters Foldover Mitts which give you the option of leaving your thumb tip exposed or not, and exposing the tips of all or just a few of your fingers as necessary.

I like 'em and if they had a really thin neoprene palm, I'd love 'em.

On the rare occasions when I wear them, I leave just my index finger out of the finger tip flap and my thumb. If they get cold, I cover them up. I also use glove grabber things like my mother put on my mittens as a kid so I can pull them off with my teeth if I want to get rid of them completely and not worry about dropping them in the water.

I forget the brand that I just got, but they're merino wool fingerless. I've used them once while musky fishing and they worked great, although it was only in the low 40s....but, my hands did get wet (a real killer) and stayed warm because of the wool (I'll be using them again tomorrow in colder temps, so I'll be able to report more later...cold, rainy--barely, and windy). I have yet to try it, but some friends swear by wearing nitrile gloves underneath to keep their hands dry. As Bulldog mentioned, fleece just doesn't cut it since when it gets wet, it's useless.

I like the fingerless wool gloves. But they're pointless if your digits get cold. Whatever you choose, latex gloves underneath also does wonders.

Edit: I think spell check does more harm than good.

I was using Filson fingerless wool gloves. The pair I had were too thin (for me) and didn’t offer much insulation and eventually started to unravel, YMMV but I don’t think my experience is unique, judging from some of the reviews.

I just picked up a pair of Barbour fingerless gloves (via Orvis) for Christmas. Haven’t tested them yet but they seem much better quality and thicker than the Filsons. Same price too, $35.

-Dwight

Thanks,I will try the latex gloves underneath my glacier glove which give me the best feel,the rag wool seem a little slippery, the fold over mitts I had were the warmest but to bulky.......Aurelio

Aurelio
I think any mitt which folds back with fingerless gloves will work. I use these for waterfowl shooting too.

Les

I've got the Simms fleece fingerless gloves/over mitt. They stay warm when wet and when my fingertips get cold, I can put the over mitt on until they warm up again.

Keeping your core body warm by using good long underwear, warm hat, layered clothing with windbreaker etc. will help a lot in keeping fingers warmer. Wool is GOLD for warm clothing, while cotton kills. Wool fingerless gloves are about the best thing to wear on the hands when dexterity is required.

well, my merino fingerless gloves worked great. Buuuut, now I'm after something that is fingerless but has the mitten flip-over in wool. Air temp was 38, water temp was 44 and it was raining sideways periodically on my (short) musky outing today. I knew it would be brutal out there, but I had an itch that had to be scratched. Fish were active (saw multiple fish rolling) but they didn't care about my stuff (as far as I could tell, but visibility wasn't the best). Still made it home in time to watch some football.

Cheers!

A small towel tucked into the front of your waders to dry your wet hands.

I wear the folding wool mitt things but usually yank them off when needing dexterity or sticking my hands in the water.

working outdoors dark to dark for about 50 winters I've used a lot of "this is best" gloves and always end up with the ambidextrous brown jersey. Nothing is a better value in cold weather, buy 25 pairs at a time and carry an extra pair of dry ones and a shop towel. Keep the gloves dry as possible by taking them off before wetting your hands and drying your hands before putting the gloves back on. Exam gloves will be wet inside in about 90 seconds if you aren't even close to water- your body is water and these create a vapor barrier.
Wool does retain some heat when wet, polypropylene doesn't seem to get wet, but the brown jersey beats both overall. and if the temperatures are warm enough to allow wearing of wet wool, it's too warm for gloves anyway.

Simms gloves with the tips that fold, fingerless wool gloves, neoprene gloves for cold water kayak fishing, gloves with the fold-over mitt....pretty sure I’ve used every most variations available. Wool is best. Barbless hooks are mandatory!

And I’ll fish through the winter as long as it’s above zero (an arbitrary guide that I’ll overlook occasionally).

The absolute key is extra gloves and warming up periodically. I use Hestra Pull Over Mitt. They are worth the price. Once cold, slide these mitts on and move your butt for a few minutes; hike to a new spot or just walk about.

Overall warmth is key to keeping your hand warm.