It was less than 10 years ago that long sleeve UV blocking “performance” fishing shirts were a rare sight here.  As they caught on,  those ninja mask looking “neck gaiters” began to gain popularity around 5 years ago. Buff® was the company that introduced the face and neck protection sleeves to the fishing world.  Now it’s fairly common to see sun exposed fishers covered up with cap, neck gaiter and long sleeve shirt.

Fly fishermen have always led the way with UV blocking clothes and they were the first ones to wear fishing gloves for sun protection as well as finger protection since they are constantly guiding and stripping line.  Kayak paddlers have been wearing paddling gloves for years also.  I’ve been taping my left thumb and forefinger at times to avoid line cuts from wet braid when I whip with my bait caster, but couldn’t justify wearing gloves to fish. Mostly I though they’d reduce feel and look a little *funny*.

 

 

 

 

Fishing gloves with the finger tips exposed sounded like a “kill two birds” kind of solution to pad my palms from paddling blisters and protect my fingers from line and fish cuts.  Buff® has an “Elite” glove made to provide UV, blister and cut protection, reduce bacterial growth (stink) and provide grip.  They aren’t paddling gloves per se, but seemed padded enough on the palm to serve that purpose.

The Elite gloves were light weight, breathable because the backs are made out of the same material as the neck gaiters, and I could still use my finger tips to tie knots, manipulate my reel, unhook fish and wipe my sunglasses.  I broke them in on that 6 hr kayak fishing trip I tested the Columbia PFG Terminal Tackle shorts. My hands felt much less fatigued from paddling and weren’t cut up from handling fish fins / spines and hooks.

 

I inadvertently dropped an omilu that I thought was bonked out cold but came to life as I was trying to put it in my fish bag.  Luckily it landed on my foot that was straddling the kayak, and I was able to slide my gloved hand down the pokey scutes and secure it by the tail.  Without the gloves I would have been poked and slimed and for sure the fish would have gotten away.  I felt like an NFL wide receiver catching a slippery football one handed!

I’ve worn the gloves a couple of times now and haven’t experienced any downsides. If I really need my fingers free I can quickly take the gloves off and put them on again. And when they get stinky I can machine wash them. Definitely gonna wear gloves whenever I kayak fish, and want to try another pair with more of the finger tip exposed.

The Buff® Elite Gloves sell for $45 on the buffusa.com website.  I’ve worn them twice and machine washed them twice and they are holding up fine.  If they work out as well as I expect I’ll add a product endorsement.