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[Chehalis_Steel]

Hey guys I just wanted to get some opinions on good waterproof AND warm gloves for steelheading and which stores have them. I tried neoprene and fleece ones but they were both pretty useless and didn't keep my hands warm very long, esp. in the rain. I found a pretty sweet spot where I caught my first one on the fly in December last year so I hope to repeat, but without freezing my fingers off this time 

[vancook]

I wear wool gloves. They keep your fingers warm even if they're wet.
But just remember to take them off before you handle a fish

[Stuart Dickinson]

Hey guys I just wanted to get some opinions on good waterproof AND warm gloves for steelheading and which stores have them. I tried neoprene and fleece ones but they were both pretty useless and didn't keep my hands warm very long, esp. in the rain. I found a pretty sweet spot where I caught my first one on the fly in December last year so I hope to repeat, but without freezing my fingers off this time 

I have always struggled with the cold... (I guess it is good I live in Florida now!)  I found the best setup for me was to buy a pack of the smaller cotton gloves, and layer them with neoprene gloves on the top.  I felt that still gave me enough sensitivity to control the spool on my pin, or when I was using my flyrod I even had a little notch cut in the finger where I was stripping line.  The cotton gloves are really inexpensive and dry fast, so if I got my hands wet or cold I could change out the liners a few times during the course of the day. 

But my best advice is - keep your core warm.  Layer big time, even layer your head - maybe a thinner polypro stretch cap with a wool hat on top, ear flaps if possible.  If you start out warm and stay warm your hands & feet will stay warm longer, but when your core starts to drop the hands and feet get cold first.

[Noahs Arc]

X2 wool

[Tex]

Contrary to what Stuart suggests, cotton gloves are a very bad idea IMO.  They have minimal heat retaining qualities when dry, and when wet they speed up how quickly your hands get cold.  That said, different things work well for different people and maybe - like stuart - you'll find his suggestion works for you.

I think you'll find however that there are better routes to go.

Personally, I love wool gloves - I really do - they're relatively cheap, easy to find, and they keep your hands warm even when wet.

That said, the Simms Windstopper gloves I use now with a flap for your fingers are by far the nicest gloves I've ever worn.  They are NOT waterproof... but they can be wrung out and dried fairly quickly, they keep the wind off, and they're sleek enough to not impact handling your rod or line too much.  They do develop an "odor" after a lot of use - you'll have to judge how important that is to you.

Wool fingerless would be my close second choice though, and I often carry a spare set in my pack.  

[Sterling C]

I wear wool gloves. They keep your fingers warm even if they're wet.
But just remember to take them off before you handle a fish

BINGO.

If it's really cold out you can consider getting some hot shot hand warmers and putting them in your pockets for the purposes of warming up your hands from time to time. Although I've never done this personally I've heard of people taping them to the underside of their wrists.

[cutthroat22]

If it's really cold out you can consider getting some hot shot hand warmers and putting them in your pockets for the purposes of warming up your hands from time to time.

I found found my butt and thighs to be the best hand warmers.  Just stick your hands down your pants and warm em up. 

[Easywater]

I think a reasonable combo that I have seen mentioned is wool gloves with disposable latex (or nitril or ?) over top.

You may need to have fingerless wool depending on your need for sensitivity.

That way your hands stay warm and dry but you can still handle the fish.
Latex gloves (or neoprene) work much like your hands and won't knock off much slime.

[Sterling C]

I think a reasonable combo that I have seen mentioned is wool gloves with disposable latex (or nitril or ?) over top.

You may need to have fingerless wool depending on your need for sensitivity.

That way your hands stay warm and dry but you can still handle the fish.
Latex gloves (or neoprene) work much like your hands and won't knock off much slime.

The issue with this sort of system is that in order to actually be able to use your hands the gloves need to fit snugly, which unfotrunately limits circulation and will ultimately cool your hands.

Best bet is to use the tried and test wool gloves. I personally use fully fingerless gloves so I am able to bait my hook without removing my gloves. When it comes to landing fish it only take a second to remove the gloves and everyone is happy.

[adriaticum]

If you are not fishing with bait use those thin wool gloves you can find at Army&Navy for a couple of bucks.
When fishing with bait use those cutout glove that have mitts to cover all the fingers.

[Every Day]

I echo what Stuart said...
Best way to keep your hands warm is to keep your core warm and make sure you have good circulation to your hands.

If it gets REALLY cold out, I'll throw on a pair of wool gloves and ditch the bait for artificial's.

[bigblockfox]

the only problem is half of the wool glove ends up in the gears of your bait caster. i use a centerpin but sometimes i use a levelwind and that's the problem i have found with them. just bought the simms ones but haven't had a chance to try them yet.

[Animal Chin]

X4 wool gloves

The $10 fingerless wool beige ones at MEC come in 3 different sizes, they fit... well like a glove...very tight around fingers and hand. Work pretty good. I'd buy 2 pairs and leave one in the car. While wool does keep you warm when wet, it's not super comfortable or anything to put after you're warm again driving to the next spot.

[Stuart Dickinson]

Contrary to what Stuart suggests, cotton gloves are a very bad idea IMO.  They have minimal heat retaining qualities when dry, and when wet they speed up how quickly your hands get cold.  That said, different things work well for different people and maybe - like stuart - you'll find his suggestion works for you.

Cotton by itself I would agree with you for sure.  I found that either cotton or polypro 'liners' if you will - the very thin gloves used under a waterproof neoprene - allowed me to layer on my hands.  I tried wool but found it cumbersome for fly-fishing in particular as you can't strip line effectively, and also my grip on the rod & sensitivity on the pin were not as good as I would like.  I found that layering neoprene with cotton worked really well, especially if I brought a couple of extra pairs of the cotton liners, I used to keep them inside the cap of my thermos and then they would be toasty when I changed up!

[Stuart Dickinson]

The funny thing is, now I have the opposite problem.  Living in South Florida and fishing in the summer can be brutal.  I kayak fish offshore, and unless you are out before dawn and in by 9-10am it is oppressively hot out on the water.  I resorted to a gallon milk jug with the bottom cut out and I just dump water over myself to cool off!  A little taste of the action down here - baby blackfin tuna:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EjhF-AJ_Nyg&feature=share&list=UULbqAm8PyvUK-QikEFCTkIQ