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I’m still amazed at those ice anglers who can fish in arctic conditions completely gloveless. It’s great if you can, as full dexterity is a definite bonus when you’re fishing.
For the vast majority of us, not blessed with a constitution amenable to extreme cold, a good set of gloves is an essential kit.
If you’re anything like me, feet, hands, and head are the 3 places that allow the cold in and chill you to the core.
Today we’re looking at keeping your hands warm and frost-free.
For that, there’s a brilliant range of gloves for all budgets that’ll keep your fingers from turning to icicles, taking a bit of the extreme sport out of ice fishing.
Let’s take a look at 5 sets of gloves ideal for ice anglers. I won’t be arguing that these gloves are the best for you specifically, that’s always subjective.
But I will guarantee you that these gloves are all worth consideration and entry on a shortlist.
Firstly, we’ll take a look at the glove selection, and then we’ll take a brief look at the qualities of a good set of ice fishing gloves.
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5 Best Ice Fishing Gloves
Last update on 2024-10-09 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
Top 5 Ice Fishing Gloves Reviewed
1. End Game Pro – Best All-Rounder
Sometimes we want just one set of gloves that are supremely comfortable in most situations. We want gloves we can rely on throughout the year.
The End Game Pro Gloves are excellent for such a purpose. While they keep the cold out during chilly winters, you’ll also find them brilliant offshore tackling Marlin and Shark.
Features include touch screen-capable fingers, which many will find a must for operating phones, flashers, and other touch screens.
Kevlar reinforcement keeps line cuts and fish handling injuries at bay while adding a significant level of endurance and longevity.
Water-resistance is satisfactory, but I wouldn’t go submerging them – they’re not designed for this.
Construction is excellent, and you’ll find them hard-wearing. Dexterity is suitable for general fishing and filleting etc, but they may need to be removed for tying complex knots.
These ice fishing gloves are brilliant for all types of fishing applications, from deep blue water to hard water.
Anglers with a wide range of fishing applications can benefit from these gloves throughout the year.
Features
- Kevlar Reinforced
- Touch screen fingers
- Water resistance
- Velcro Secured
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2. Glacier Glove Waterproof Slit Finger – Best All-Round Cold Season Gloves
Some Neoprene products can be a little too bulky, with seams on the larger side, getting in the way if poorly considered.
The Glacier Glove keeps seams at the edge of palms and out of the way while adding three-finger slits to ensure excellent dexterity without having to remove your gloves.
The Neoprene repels the water and wind, while the fleece lining ensures your hands are comfortable and warm.
The fleece and neoprene combination delivers excellent warmth but isn’t as bulky a combination as you may think.
Pre-curved fingers enhance comfort and dexterity, reducing any restrictions that are common with these materials.
You won’t feel that your hands are restricted, and you won’t have that frequent urge to pull them off to complete tasks.
I like the wrist straps for keeping out wind, snow, and cold. It also adds a level of support while keeping annoying flared glove ends contained.
The Glacier Waterproof Slit Finger gloves will suit the dedicated winter sports angler, whether you wade the streams for winter trout or chase pike through ice holes.
Features
- Neoprene and Fleece construction
- Well placed Seams
- Excellent water repellent
- Pre-curved fingers
- Thumb and finger slits
- Wrist strap
3. Fish Monkey YETI PREM ICE Fishing Glove – Editor’s Choice
These ice fishing gloves are perfect for professionals who enjoy sports activities on the ice.
For the ice angler fishing in the most extreme conditions, this is where you start.
When the mercury is dipping beyond 25 below, with no signs of slowing, you want Fish Monkey gloves on your hands.
The fabric is water and windproof. Full-fingered and pre-curved for comfort and dexterity you’ll be surprised at the number of delicate tasks you can accomplish.
The goatskin palms deliver excellent grip, a beautiful feel, and outstanding durability.
With the use of Thinsulate and Advanced Cotton Insulation, the backs of the hands remain warm, while Thermo-Conductive Fleece Lining absorbs, retains, and transfers heat throughout the entire glove.
For a large glove, they’re incredibly lightweight and never feel like you’re wearing cumbersome heavy protection.
On the contrary, they’re extremely comfortable, and you won’t want to take them off. Nor do you have to, as they’re touch screen compatible.
The adjustable wrist strap eliminates wind and snow from getting into your hands while providing wrist support.
The drawstring in the sleeve hem adds another barrier to prevent wind, water, and snow ingress.
While not cheap, you will get a change out of around $100 (depending on the supplier).
These gloves will suit the ice angler who hunts fish regardless of the arctic temperatures and the most extreme winter conditions.
Features
- Thermo-Conductive Fleece Lining
- Pre-Curved Fingers
- Water and Windproof Fabric
- State-or-the-art materials and construction
- Adjustable Wrist Strap
- Premium Goat Leather Palm
- Touchscreen Compatible
- HIPORA 100% Waterproof technology
4. Storm Typhoon – Best Neoprene Grip and Dexterity
Fits like a glove comes to mind when considering storm typhoon. While sounding a little trite, the truth is I love the fit of these ice fishing gloves.
Strong waterproofing is achieved via glue and blind stitching. The seams are waterproof yet remain very flexible.
While you can’t submerge these gloves and keep the water out, they are indeed waterproof. Lifting a fish from the water won’t result in soggy fingers.
Kevlar in the thumb and index finger protects the fingers from braid and wire trace cuts. This adds a significant level of durability and longevity to the gloves.
When conditions are icy, things get slippery as well as cold.
The grip on the palm is thermal bonded and non-porous. It’s tacky (but not sticky), promoting a sure hold on even the slipperiest of surfaces.
This makes them great for demanding treks to the hard water, where climbing over rocks and through forests is essential.
Despite the fact these are lightweight, they are surprisingly warm.
The wrist is adjustable, ensuring a tight fit around the arm and preventing snow and wind ingress.
Importantly, these gloves will appeal to those who like neoprene but demand a high level of dexterity.
Being lightweight, not bulky, and very flexible, completing intricate tasks is possible without removing them.
These gloves will suit the all-season angler looking for dexterity and a sure grip. Ideal for the ice angler, they’ll also suit the winter wader, as they’re perfect for traversing slippery rocks where a spare hand for stability is essential.
Features
- Ultra-Durable
- Superior Grip
- Kevlar thumb and Index Finger
- Waterproof Unless Submerged
- Snug Fit
- Slim and Lightweight
- Warm and Comfortable with Adjustable Wrist Closure
5. Memphis Glove N9690FCL Ninja Ice FC – Best on a Budget
The Memphis Ninja gloves are the best budget ice fishing gloves on the market. This makes them the perfect gloves for those on the strictest budget.
The FC double layer glove is constructed in the US from polyvinyl chloride foam sponge palm and 100-Percent nylon back.
The knit writ delivers an excellent wind seal and is warm and comfortable adjusting to fit all wrist sizes.
With smell a common issue with gloves worn over long periods, Ninja Ice is treated with actifresh to mitigate the outcome of clammy, sweaty hands.
No doubt you will have thrown away ice fishing gloves that are perfectly serviceable, yet you simply cannot get rid of the smell. Not with Ninja.
HPT is a strong and effective water repellent, keeping your hands dry, and ensuring a more secure grip.
The coating also ensures that extremely cold temperatures as low as -58 will not impact the glove’s flexibility or suppleness.
Dexterity is great, allowing a host of high dexterity tasks without having to remove a glove. They’re lightweight and slim-fitting yet keep the cold out.
The Memphis Glove N9690FCL Ninja Ice FC gloves will suit all ice and cold season anglers looking for great value, warmth, dexterity, and durability on the tightest of budgets.
Features
- Double-layer glove
- Made of polyvinyl chloride foam sponge palm and 100-Percent nylon back
- 7-Gauge acrylic terry liner on the inside and a 15-gauge nylon liner
- Treated in actifresh and promote freshness
- Knit Wrist
- Fully HPT dipped
- Best budget ice fishing gloves
How to Choose the Best Ice Fishing Gloves
Different ice fishing gloves are constructed with different features to perform better under particular conditions and circumstances.
The best ice fishing gloves for you will come down to your budget, fit, and fishing application.
Here’s a list of common glove properties to consider when you’re out hunting for good ice fishing gloves.
Sometimes, it can be a wise investment to get several sets of ice fishing mittens covering a range of applications and conditions.
Material
Many of the materials used to create ice fishing gloves or cold weather gloves are synthetics.
Many gloves will use between 2 and 4 different types of key materials in their construction.
Quite often, you will find materials that have been treated with chemicals and solutions to keep them water-resistant and waterproof, and supple.
Materials will impact comfort, warmth, suppleness, bulk, and weight. Few if any will cover everything, I.E., there’s no perfect solution for everything.
For example, looking for the warmest and most waterproof will impact dexterity, as the materials or combinations of materials used are thicker and therefore heavier and less flexible.
A good example would be to compare the storm Typhoon and Monkey gloves listed above.
For dexterity and slim fit, you’d go with the Typhoon. For warmth, waterproofing and robustness, you’d choose the Monkey.
Waterproof vs Water-Resistant
This is an important differentiation where you need to read the fine print. Often the marketing material can blur the lines between water-resistant and waterproof.
Waterproof means that water cannot penetrate the glove at all. You could submerge the glove, and no water at all will penetrate the material.
Water-resistant means that the material will deflect or repel water, such as splashing, rain, snow, or even a quick partial dunk.
However, if you submerge or saturate gloves that are water-resistant, water will eventually penetrate the material.
For most ice fishing applications, you will find water-repellent gloves to be a happy medium.
However, if your hands will be in ice slush frequently or even submerged, you might find waterproof gloves better for you.
Completely waterproof gloves will often come at the cost of bulk, dexterity, and flexibility.
On the other hand, rubber gloves, for example, might be waterproof but have little if any thermal protection.
See Also: Top 5 Ice Fishing Suits To Keep Warm
Warmth
Gloves will vary in warmth, often considerably. For example, from the list above, there’s a big difference between the Glacier Glove and the Ninja Ice.
When selecting gloves you will often be making a trade-off between warmth and dexterity. Often the warmer the glove, the less dexterity.
The tough thing about making claims about warmth is our individual experience of the cold. By and large, we feel cold differently.
If I had no problem with the cold, I’d be choosing the End Game Pro every day. They’re affordable and will suit my applications year-round.
However, I feel the cold very badly, and it hampers my ability to do simple things with my ice-cold hands.
Because of this, I’d be selecting the Monkey gloves, as the full waterproofing and supreme warmth would suit me best.
I’d be happy to take the compromise of removing my gloves to sift through hooks or tie knots, having colder hands for a very short time, than having cold or partially cold hands all day for the sake of dexterity.
Again, it’s a trade-off.
Dexterity
The holy grail is achieving perfect dexterity while keeping your hands warm and protected from wind, snow, and water.
Dexterity is the ability to perform tasks that require fine motor skills while wearing gloves.
Obviously, there are several key tasks while fishing that require fine motor skills and manual dexterity.
Put on a pair of your best skiing gloves, then try to select a small hook and sinker from your smallest tackle tray. Then rig up. It’s nigh on impossible, if not time-consuming and frustrating.
Big thick waterproof, and windproof gloves are awesome for keeping the frigid temperature out but challenge dexterity.
Now put on a pair of surgical gloves, select tackle, and rig up. No problem. Surgical gloves deliver outstanding dexterity, allowing you to perform fine tasks such as well…open-heart surgery.
Now take the same surgical gloves and remove the ice crusting up your ice hole. In fact, just step outside into minus 40. Yes, your hands will turn to ice in minutes.
Dexterity will come at the expense of warmth. Therefore, whatever gloves you buy will compromise either warmth or dexterity, depending on conditions.
Dimensions and Fit
This is where I run into problems. I’m not a fan of large bulky gloves, but I can’t function with cold hands.
The more warmth, hand protection, and durability, the bulkier the glove. I like a slim, lightweight fit which puts me at odds with my need for warmer, better-protected hands.
For a great fit, Ninja, End Game, and Storm Typhoon gloves are very appealing to me. They’re lighter, fit tight to my hand in a snug fit, and don’t feel like a bag hanging off the end of my arms.
By now you’re picking up a theme of compromise. Generally speaking, the better protection from the elements, the bulkier the glove.
When conditions are mild, and when you can get away with it, go for a compact, snug-fitting glove.
There is an element of personal preference here too. Some people will feel restricted with a tight-fitting glove, uncomfortable and ill at ease with a restricted feel.
For others, the snug fit is a must. The only way we can assess comfort effectively is to try them on.
Even then, the real test is to wear them over a longer time period to assess function with comfort.
Fortunately, ice fishing gloves, with a few exceptions, are quite affordable.
Comfort
Comfort, in many respects, covers the overall performance of the gloves and can be assessed on several levels.
For example, A pair of gloves may feel very comfortable on your hands while in the shop. A soft fleecy inner, gentle wrist closure, and flexible with easy movement.
However, in the field, water penetrates easily, snow gets past the wrist closure, and they begin to stiffen up as the temperature drops. They are no longer comfortable.
When it comes down to it, comfort is everything. But comfort has a significant list of variables that will be unique to the user.
Consider everything I’ve outlined above – these are the criteria that will impact your feeling of comfort out in the field.
Here’s the exception. You will have heard somebody say, “My hands are warm and dry, and I have reasonable dexterity, but my hands aren’t so comfortable.”
Glove sizes are a generic fit. They’re not tailored to fit your hand specifically, let alone comply with your specific sense of comfort.
For me, I feel very comfortable in the Monkey gloves. While there’s a compromise on dexterity, my hands feel great during long sessions on the ice.
Finding true comfort, that also loosely complies with functionality will come down to trying several types of gloves.
But on a positive note, there are plenty of different styles, fits, and designs from which to choose.
So you can be sure there will be a set of gloves that cover your comfort demands, as well as your ice fishing, and fish demands generally.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are The Warmest Gloves for Ice Fishing?
The earnest gloves for ice fishing are fleece or terry lined, as well as completely water and windproof.
Of the list above, the Monkey Gloves are easily the warmest. The inner layer is soft, comfortable, and has a gentle feel on the hands.
But the outer layers prevent water and wind ingress and seal in two places on the wrist and arm.
What are the Best Cold Weather Fishing Gloves?
Cold weather is slightly different from ice fishing and implies a lack of ice and extremes. It can be cold at any time of the year without being freezing.
The best cold weather gloves would be the Glacier Glove Waterproof Slit Finger. However, the affordable Ninja gloves also fit the bill perfectly.
Are Wool Gloves Good for Fishing?
While wool has natural oils that repel water, they still get wet. And if saturated, they fail to achieve what you need in an ice fishing glove.
Gloves that have an internal woolen lining, however, can be very comfortable and very warm.
Keep in mind that wool will need to be cleaned and aired as it can get smelling from sweaty palms.
Generally speaking, some people like wool, but I prefer other materials, and modern synthetics tend to handle the extremes better.
What Materials are the Best Fishing Gloves for Winter Made From?
Modern synthetics such as Gore-Tex, Nylon, Neoprene, Spandex, and Latex (and other rubbers), make the best Ice fishing gloves for winter.
It should be remembered that chemical treatments and dipping, such as PVC coating can make a huge difference to base materials also.
While hides, leather and such, and other natural materials such as wool have their place in fishing gloves, it’s the synthetics that cover most bases when it comes to warm, and dry hands that are still free enough to complete intricate tasks.
