Spinningukindad: isiklik kogemus valiku kohta

Surely all anglers who are fond of spinning fishing, have long noticed that almost all organized spinning anglers in the person of numerous athletes and various rank of experts regularly appear in fishing photos and videos wearing gloves. Gradually, many of us also joined these items of equipment. Although there are still enough of those who consider it all just a tribute to some fashion and even call such equipment in everyday life as ponts. Let’s try to understand unbiased from the point of view of common sense, how much is actually needed and whether these accessories are so important in practice. In other words, in the words of a famous movie character: “What is the power, Brother?”.

Gloves for winter fishing

Fleece and wool are the most popular materials for winter gloves

If we talk about winter fishing, and in our case it is winter spinning, then everything is quite clear here – minus temperatures and even a slight thaw quickly and clearly lead us to the realization that without mittens hands will quickly freeze and require regular warming in pockets. That is, if you forget gloves, then fishing will be very uncomfortable. As for the options themselves, there are more than enough gloves for winter spinning on sale. The main difference between winter fishing gloves and just winter gloves is often their uncomplicated device, which allows you to easily and quickly bare a couple or three fingers when you need to change the bait or tie a new leash. Most often such gloves are made of warm polyester (fleece) or wool and are equipped with elements of reinforcement of problem areas on the palm side of the leather, rubber, or synthetic. Such reinforcement makes gloves more durable, and most importantly, protects hands from unnecessary wetting, cuts, punctures and contributes to greater comfort when handling caught fish, because it is much more difficult to slip out of such gloves than from a bare hand with frozen fingers. Although it is better to take fish in winter with the help of lipgrip to reduce the possibility of getting your gloves and hands wet, respectively.

On a number of models of winter fishing gloves there are devices for fixing the “hinged fingers” in the removed position, in order to deprive them of the possibility of interfering with our manipulations with lures or lines. Usually Velcro fasteners are used as fixers, except for the pluses these very patches of Velcro can carry certain disadvantages. The fact is that our cheeks and nose on a cold day begin to freeze, especially in the wind, and we machine habitually rub them with gloves, while the plastic hard brush of such Velcro can easily and very unpleasantly scratch the face. And sometimes braided cords can get caught on all these sticky rivets. To be honest, I either buy gloves without Velcro or cut them off after purchase.

Membrane materials are good for wind protection

In addition to fleece, wool and leather with fur, winter gloves can also be made of neoprene, or, more correctly, sewn with neoprene. Such gloves are good in the case when you have to regularly wet your hands while fishing for any reason. Neoprene does not give wet hands to freeze, and if not as the main, then as a backup option gloves made of this material in cold weather can be very useful.

Often on different insulated gloves you can see the inscription Windstopper, this indicates the presence in these gloves a layer of a special kind of membrane Gore-Tex, designed primarily to protect us from the wind, not from precipitation. It has a very good vapor drainage, but do not think that it is also a reliable protection from moisture.

Sometimes Chinese comrades slip us such gloves with a similar logo, but without the word Gore. Curiously enough, some of these products are really working and warm, but you should not look for stable quality in them and it is better to pay attention to real well-known manufacturers.

Membrane does not guarantee protection from water

Thus, we have all sorted out and consciously understand that in the cold season gloves on fishing are simply necessary. First of all it is protection from cold, the rest is secondary, although useful, well there are all these chips with hinged fingers, with protective layers on the palm side, with membranes, etc. As for late fall and early spring, the same winter gloves also work there, except that you can get additional slightly less thick and warm.

For the convenience of working in the cold, winter gloves are supplemented with hinged fingers

Gloves for warm weather

And now the most interesting thing. Now we will talk about gloves for warm weather. I myself started wearing gloves for warm season fishing only about ten or twelve years ago. It all started with trout and grayling fishing, that is with ultralight and forest wild rivers, where we had to move a lot on rough terrain, overcoming all sorts of obstacles, wading through different thickets of thorny bushes and sharp or stinging tall grass. Trying to wear leather gloves on such trips, I immediately began to cut and scratch my hands many times less often on the way to the cherished reservoirs. Besides, on fishing in gloves see was much easier to take the caught fish – it practically stopped slipping out of my hands , and my hands stopped getting dirty with fish slime and scales. Well, and professing the most correct principle “caught – let go”, in gloves it can be done with minimal harm to the fish, not causing it burns from hot hands and with minimal time spent on letting go, because it is not necessary now to spend it on long attempts to hold a bare hand slippery, desperately tearing to freedom fish. And a little later, another plus was added – the hands in the sun became less black with tan, no longer looking like the gloves themselves.

In any business you realize gradually that everything is known in comparison. And it is the same with gloves for summer spinning. I started, I remember, with some unknown Chinese devices from the category of “nooneym”, which, of course, lived their life of one-day gloves, quickly falling apart right on my hands, sometimes literally on the first day of fishing or within two or three fishing trips. And yet, the need for gloves for summer spinning became absolutely clear to me. As soon as I began to wear gloves for fishing, immediately on the hands stopped appearing cuts and abrasions, the fish stopped slipping out of my hands, trying to drive a hook or its barbs into my finger, and the rod to manage in gloves, as it turned out, more convenient.

Having finished experimenting with cheap junk, I switched to the products of well-known factories, trusting my hands to their gloves that were developed by professionals, and not by anyone and do not know what for. Therefore, I will tell readers a little about those companies whose devices I really liked and served for a long time with maximum comfort.

In the first place I would put here the products of the company Shimano. The range of this Japanese brand has a lot of different models, and every angler can find there for himself literally anything. By all parameters – materials, cut, design, wearing comfort and durability – Shimano gloves are just flawless. I especially like their leather models. I don’t know how they make the leather and what they impregnate it with, but the result is stuff that is definitely worth the money. These gloves fit like a glove on the hand, and after contact with water they do not deteriorate, but just take their original appearance, without shrinking, cracking or staining. There is nothing better than such soft, supple natural leather, made to work in a wet environment and direct contact with water. I would especially emphasize the Nexus series, which combines natural thin leather in the gloves with LEZANOVA®sheep fabric. Also – the small magnetic pockets on the outside of some models can be useful for storing spare clasps or hooks.

Shimano gloves fit perfectly

Many very good models of gloves can be found in the assortment of Shimano’s main competitor – Daiwa. I am most pleased with gloves from their Tournament series, they are more suitable for early-autumn and late-spring fishing, as they are supplemented with a membrane layer Windstopper ® from the company Gore, and the leather on them is thicker. And on the palm side there are also reinforcements on the leather, which makes such gloves convenient for working with paddles or when preparing wood for the fire, when you have to work with a saw or hatchet. Often these models, as well as Shimano gloves, are equipped with magnetic pockets for small things.

Gloves made of synthetic materials can also be of high quality

There are also not so expensive gloves from manufacturers, so to speak, the second echelon. For example, as an option, the company Tsuribito offers spinning anglers quite decent gloves for a small amount of money. The materials in them, of course, are simpler, mostly synthetic, but very high quality, and the cut is designed for fishing. Of course, they will not compare with leather gloves from Shimano and Daiwa in terms of durability, but they will live their “motor hours” adequately. I use their model Tsuribito LFG-110, for example, as a spare pair of gloves, in case when the main ones suddenly turn out to be so wet that they should really dry in the breeze, not directly on the hands.

The main thing is that the cut was thought out exactly for fishing

Models for hot weather

I often use thin and very light gloves Tsuribito SFG-8016 in the hottest weather. As the main gloves they do not last long due to their thin fabric materials, but they are also quite inexpensive. The lower surface of these gloves on the palm side is studded with rubber dots of numerous pimples, which reliably hold any fish, rod, and other objects.

Before buying it is worth spending time to try on several models

There are a lot of good gloves and other manufacturers: Simms, Owner, Varivas, Alaskan, Norfin…. The main thing in the choice is to focus on a brand with a good name, with a reliable reputation, on those who really develop gloves for fishing, and not just anything. Before buying it is best to try on a few different gloves, choosing those in which you are as comfortable as possible, which are fastened and retracted convenient for you straps on Velcro, buttons or something else. Gloves should sit on the hand tightly, but not too much pressure, all kinds of locks and Velcro should not cause discomfort, scratching your skin or tingling at certain movements. Pay attention to the overall quality of the cut – any protruding threads and knots indicate poor quality and the possibility of seams to diverge in the process of wear, such gloves are better to refuse, even if they are offered at a good discount – the miser always pays twice, or even more. Good luck with your choice!

Autor: Bob Nudd on asjatundlik kalamees, kellel on üle 20 aasta kogemusi ja kes on võitnud mitmeid võistlusi.