Contributed by Padillac
Have you ever been paddling all day and had sore hands from friction caused by the miles to get to your favorite spot, or notice your hands are the only sunburnt portion of your body? Fishermen have gadgets, products, and clothing for almost every occasion. One item that seems to be controversial in the community are gloves. Some swear by them, and some never touch them. I am here to tell you gloves can benefit your fishing experience and protect some of the key appendages we fishermen have.
I tested out a couple pairs of lightweight gloves to replace the constant reapplication of sunscreen. I am a finesse fisherman and did not know how gloves would impact my already mediocre fishing ability. I picked up the NRS Skelton and NRS Castaway gloves. Both feature an Ultraviolet Protection Factor (UPF) of 50+. I’ll spare you the math, but that means both pairs block 98% of UV radiation. The Skelton and the Castaway are fingerless and are comprised of a 6.3 oz. nylon spandex blend. The gloves are lightweight, but don’t provide much warmth as they are designed to provide comfort while paddling and stripping line.
The Skelton has grip dots on the palm, and the Castaway have a more substantial synthetic leather palm with ventilation holes. I found the Skelton more comfortable and like the added protection without the layer of leather between my palm and the paddle. The sizing of the gloves is suited for slightly long and slender hands. The wrist opening was tight for my wide hands, and I had to go a size up causing the finger sleeves to be slightly longer than intended. The first and second finger have a little more length on both gloves for line stripping protection.
The Castaway adds to the protection with reinforcement of synthetic leather on the first and second fingers. This was truly noticeable while fly fishing, but I did not like the leather between the fingers when finesse fishing a spinning reel.
Both pairs have snaps on the cuffs allowing the gloves to be snapped together for storage. This made it easy to keep them on or in a PFD. The nylon and spandex blend was quick drying. Even after submerging my hands the gloves would be dry in 15 to 20 minutes on a 70 degree day.
Though I found some minor sizing and comfort issues, I will definitely be adding these gloves to my fishing kit. The Skelton cost $19.95 and will be my all around use gloves. The Castaway at $29.95 were not ideal for my style of fishing small ponds with finesse, but I do recommend them for long paddles or fly-fishing in the salt.