Best Kayak Fishing Gloves
Kayak Fishing is one of my favourite forms of fishing. That feeling of freedom, anticipation, tranquility and excitement as you first push off from shore never fades. And there is something very unique when a fish hits while on a kayak! I could write about Kayak Fishing for ages, but I better not!
Key Criteria For Kayak Fishing Gloves
Kayak Fishing has particular requirements for fishing gloves. The main and unique requirement is to be able to control your kayak, paddle and rudder as well as your fishing rod and be able to manage fish that you catch. Then you usually want protection from the elements while kayak fishing. This means sun protection in summer and warmth in winter are key factors for choosing the best kayak fishing gloves. Immediately this tells us that we need fishing gloves with good dexterity, grip, durability and at least sun protection. This means kayak fishing gloves will be made of lightweight material. Obviously heavier material for winter fishing, but still lightweight when compared to say offshore fishing gloves that need to handle large game fish.
Materials
Kayak gloves should be made from lightweight materials. Common materials are synthetic suedes, synthetic leather, stretchy lightweight and quick drying fabric (combination of polyester and spandex. The palms and straps are usually made with a synthetic leather type material while the rest of the gloves are made of a purpose made fabric.
Weather Protection
Fishing gloves should provide sun protection. Look for gloves with 50 UPF protection. The best sun protection fishing gloves will have the SFP rating as as part of material and not sprayed on the outside which could deteriorate over time. Ideally the kayak fishing gloves should be endorsed by The Skin Cancer Foundation to give assurance of adequate sun protection. Obviously in summer, warmth and water repellent becomes a priority.
Comfort
Kayak fishing gloves really do need to be super comfortable as these will stay on for pretty much your entire fishing adventure. They should feel like a second skin and you should feel naked without them!
Palm Protection
Holding a kayak paddle and paddling for long distances can put stress on your palms. A good set of kayak fishing gloves should have padded palms. Even if you have have a pedal or fin style kayak, you still used your hands to control the kayak. Good palm protection reduces the chance of blisters.
Dexterity
There is so much going on when fishing for a small boat such as a kayak. There are rods, tackles, lures, nets, knives, paddles and pliers all within arms reach. Maintaining dexterity is important to keep safe while fishing. A test for your kayak fishing gloves is to see if you can do all your necessary fishing tasks easily with your fishing gloves on your hands.
Fingerless Or Full Finger Kayak Fishing Gloves
I would say that most kayak fishing gloves are fingerless to provide maximum dexterity. While fishing kayaks are stable, they still rock in the waves or currents. Tackling up or tying on lures can become a little more risky from a kayak when comparing doing this from the shore. Fingerless fishing gloves have a clear advantage here.
Winter kayak fishing is a different story. Warmth and keeping your hands dry becomes a top priority. Full-finger fishing gloves are preferred for winter fishing and accepting the compromise of reduced dexterity.
Our Top Recommended Kayak Fishing Gloves
KastKing Sol Armis Fishing Gloves
kastKing market their products as affordable innovation. There Sol Armis fishing gloves live up to this goal.
Named from the Latin term for Sun Armor, the KastKing Sol Armis fingerless gloves were designed for protection, function, and fashion with the help of our team of elite outdoorsmen.
These UV gloves are rated UPF 50 and are made to protect your skin from sun damage without having to lather up with sunscreen for kayak fishing.
Features:
- SPF 50
- Breathable poly-spandex material for stretch
- Microfibre palm provides grip
- Extended cuffs for added sun protection
- Great protection for index and middle fingers
- 4.5 star average review rating
- SPF 50 sun protection
- Easy pull on/off tags
- Selection of colours
- Palm protection area is small
These are a great value pair of kayak fishing gloves. They absolutely tick all the essential boxes for summer kayaking fishing. The bottom line is that they are super comfortable for all day kayak fishing, they provide UPF 50 protection and have been designed to meet the demands of kayak fishing. This includes pointer and middle finger protection for when handling fishing line and also allows better grip of kayak paddles.
The variety of colours means you can match to your other fishing gear. These kayak fishing gloves provide solid protection from the sun.
Our #2 Recommended Kayak Fishing Gloves
Palmyth UV Protection Kayak Fishing Gloves
The Palmyth UV Protection kayak fishing gloves are a quality option for your kayak fishing needs. Palmyth is a know for their well designed and manufactured fishing gloves. These kayak fishing gloves are no exception. These are a next level kayak fishing glove, at a very attractive price. These gloves are very similar to the KastKing Sol Armis Kayak Fishing Gloves.
Features:
- UPF 50+ and SPF UV Protection
- Partial synthetic leather Reinforced palm
- Stretchy, lightweight, breathable quick drying fabric
- Both wrist pull and finger-tip pulls
- Machine washable
- Excellent comfort for all day use
- Excellent sun protection
- Protection in all the right places – pointer finger protection from fishing line, middle and thumb protection for fish handling
- Good length cuffs to provide excellent sun protection
- Easy to wash and maintain
- Fishing Gloves will likely begin to smell if not washed
- Could be improved with full thumb protection for casting with a baitcaster reel
Our Recommended Kayak Fishing Gloves for "Winter"
Mustad Casting Gloves
The Mustad Casting Gloves are a ripper pair of winter and casting gloves for kayak fishing. The full finger design helps keep your fingers warm by protecting from the wind.
The Mustad Casting glove is marketed as a versatile fishing glove. Whether you are casting, popping, jigging, fly fishing or poling a skiff the Mustad classing glove is durable yet sensitive enough to feel the bite. Also great for offshore fishing when casting big lures on heavy tackle. The glove features a comfortable fit, adjustable Velcro wrist strap and heavy-duty padding on high stress areas being in contact with heavy mono or braided line.
Features:
- Solid palm protection
- Highly breathable
- Grip pads on the finger tips
- Double stitched
- Velcro strap
- Provides a good balance between warmth and dexterity
- Full length thumb is great for casting baitcaster rods and reels
- Great fit and comfortable
- Durable and easy to wash
- Not water repellent (but is quick dry)
You may find that you do need to remove these fishing gloves when rigging up.
Conclusion for Kayak Fishing Gloves
Kayak fishing gloves are an important piece of fishing kit when out on the water. I use kayak fishing gloves everytime I am out on the yak. I go with a fingerless pair of kayak fishing gloves for most of the year as I like the comfort factor, dexterity and sun protection. Then I switch to full fingered kayak fishing gloves which I really appreciate in winter! I literally can’t stay out on the water in cold winter morning without my kayak gloves. There is not much worse that cold, stiff and numb fingers and hands.
A good pair of kayak fishing gloves should be versatile. Kayak fishing gloves need to excel at several functions, including, handling fish, rigging up tackle, operating the kayak, protection from mother nature and be comfortable for all day use. You need to decide which of these factors is most important and then find the best kayak gloves that suit your requirements.
There are a number of good options and hopefully this guide has helped point you in the right direction.
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