My fishing season ends way earlier than I would like because of my cold hands.  As a young man, I had hot hands.  I would ski most of the winter in a spring weight glove.  They could be full wet and as long as I kept moving, my hands were fine.  This morning it was mid 50s and cold hands drove me off the pond.  

 

I have heated glove liners I use but they are magnets for hooks and still don't allow me to tie knots, operate clips and the like.  

 

So, let's hear it.  What are your cold hand strategies?  Arthritis strategies?  

I have not found a perfect solution for this. Every option I’ve tried has trade offs. 
 

I’ve tried:

Finger gloves (like cycling or gym gloves) made from fleece or other similar material. Easier to tie knots but not that great because your fingers still get cold and you’ll eventually reach a point where your fingers are frozen 

 

Same as above but it’s a mitten that can fold back. Great for when you’re not fishing to keep your hands warm. But once you’re fishing, same issue as above.

 

As for tying knots, I’ll take them off. It’s way faster than trying to tie knots with any glove on.  
 

This season, I am going to if those chemically activated hand warmer packets might help while inside my mittens and shoes. . 
 

 

 

 

  My Fish Monkey fingerless wool gloves are pretty warm. I slip on full finger gloves while running down the lake. I've found if I keep my core and head nice and warm, my hands are usually ok. 

I can't comment specifically to a medical condition but I can offer some wisdom living in the Great White North.

 

I use some extremely tight fitting glove liners. They are warm and windproof (depending on brand) and allow me dexterity. They are so tight, I am able to use a spinning rod with them on. Knots? I learned how to tie them with forceps with gloves on (thanks, fly fisherman! ) I also have a couple of line threaders should I need to run line through the rod eyes after a break or re-rig. This can be done with gloves on.

 

For toes? Electric socks. Yea, they work. And quite well! Used these for winter motorcycling where wind chill is extremely problematic. Have also used them for outdoor winter activities. They make liner versions which work very well with Merino socks. If you don't like electric, expedition weight/heavy weight Merino wool socks are fantastic on their own.

 

And among the best supplemental hand warmers I've tried are Zippo hand warmers. These take lighter fluid. These have (mostly) been supplanted by battery operated rechargeable hand warmers and I'd imagine work just as well. Zippo makes an electric one too.

 

Not sure if any of this is helpful, but thought I'd share.

I wear the hydro gloves from USG.  They keep my hands warm enough most days.  If they aren’t enough I put on beaded Jersey gloves.  I only use the Pitzen knot which I can tie with gloves on.

I have rechargeable hand warmers that I bought from Amazon. I slip them into my gloves or wear them on my body. Here:

 

https://www.amazon.com/Rechargeable-Electric-Portable-Christmas-Accessories/dp/B0CG65PYBV/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?crid=2B45Y4VDXO8R0&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.44TzHbFQYSdQOky6nIDVrf8-7mYmqb7rR1dqZZacSmmzJc1Qi0Ugynd7jr0p09yfTmD7RvnYTef1KCMnJvCLWsJHp7O8NyKpXxjxGG_oZmvQH6am_rf9Zs6oR0CD2fj1n1rJtlXJ28JIfGbngQ-k9pD1ZqYdVuLHZXtu3iDMvu-WbST4cIHQ1Btne1Imswla6PVkt8p35fLr_74s8F-7dq7bU8Kd08SNuXUDZXRlQ7pQNQ6377gJoKRXmSLrRepO9occ36DOHGZ_x8Z7PGtzG3hEx5bwJ8HyysGaAkbgn6A.tJ8mX8HeAm5VtTMlkNPGU07ElXkq97Hi0XC5CRF16sQ&dib_tag=se&keywords=rechargeable%2Bhand%2Bwarmers%2B2%2Bpack&qid=1759317824&sprefix=rechargeable%2Bhand%2Caps%2C146&sr=8-1-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGY&th=1

I use a pair of Browning Shooting gloves with the flip back index, middle and thumb, similar to these. Good dexterity and warm.
 

 

 

 

 

I can’t fish with well with gloves on so I just don’t go if it’s cold enough to freeze the guides . If it’s 28-29 degrees I can still fish, just take breaks and put my hands in my pockets. I have had decent luck with fingerless gloves that have mittens that fold over but still makes it tricky to feel the “tick” of a bite 

Call me a cheapskate, but this works best for me;  I buy the fish cleaning gloves at Walmart and cut them off at the first knuckle on both hands, just the thumb and first two fingers.  The gloves cost $3-$4 a pair and I keep 3 pair in my boat.  I much prefer them over the $20 fishing gloves or anything else.  FYI, these are the gray gloves with black rubber coated fingers and palms.  I also know of people who wear latex surgical gloves;  they don't provide insulation, but keep the hands dry, thus warmer.

If it's not too cold I wear a pair of the brown jersey gloves and have several pairs available because they get wet.  I also have a pair of neoprene gloves that fold the thumb and index fingers. I also have a pair of electric hand warmers that Katie has.  They work good with the jersey gloves.

I have several pairs of gloves for cold water fishing. For whatever reason my family thinks that getting gloves every other year is a great Christmas gift.  I have a pair of battery powered heated gloves that can save the day if its really cold but I usually wear a pair of mittens that flip open. They are basically fingerless gloves underneath.  They also have a zipper pocket for a pocket sized hand warmer pack.

 

The best thing for arthritis and cold hands is increased circulation, which means exercise. It needs to be both physical and cardiovascular in nature.  Walking and hand strengthening gear, like a sponge ball or grippers is a good place to start.

 

I can't squeeze this as many times as I use to but it keeps my bear hand grip strong.

 

 

 

I wear a regular pair of gloves and take them off when I need to.  As for tying knots, I use snaps,

16 hours ago, islandbass said:

This season, I am going to if those chemically activated hand warmer packets might help while inside my mittens and shoes. . 
 

The warmer packets really work. Bought a case last season. 

 

I have some cold damage to my hands. I've found that the absolute most important thing is cutting the wind and keeping them dry. Don't seem to need much insulation. 

 

NRS makes some very thin neoprene gloves that were really good last year. In fairness, it's texas winter so like 30's-40's. But pretty windy.

1/2 mm thickness, has holes to stick fingers or thumb out. 

 

Agree on just taking gloves off to re-tie. 

 

And I take a break every now and then to put hands in pockets with warmers in there too. 

16 hours ago, GreenPig said:

I've found if I keep my core and head nice and warm, my hands are usually ok. 

👆This. Keep those legs nice and warm too. If you keep the rest of yourself toasty warm, your hands and feet will fair much better.

@txchaser  great to know. We can get pretty cold here in pacific nw. I remember wading once in a river in the dead winter on a super cold day that when I completed my retrieve and if I stared at the line, the water on it would crystallize in mere seconds. It was unreal. The ice would also build up on the guides too. But no problem. You dunk the rod into the river (not the reel) and the ice would fall off then you vigorously shake the excess water before it freezes on the guides. 
 

It was so cold even the ding dang steelhead and salmon said to themselves, “screw this. It’s even too cold for us.  Let’s stay  home today, and we ain’t telling islandbass either,” Lol 😂 

23 hours ago, islandbass said:

@txchaser  great to know. We can get pretty cold here in pacific nw. I remember wading once in a river in the dead winter on a super cold day that when I completed my retrieve and if I stared at the line, the water on it would crystallize in mere seconds. It was unreal. The ice would also build up on the guides too. But no problem. You dunk the rod into the river (not the reel) and the ice would fall off then you vigorously shake the excess water before it freezes on the guides. 
 

It was so cold even the ding dang steelhead and salmon said to themselves, “screw this. It’s even too cold for us.  Let’s stay  home today, and we ain’t telling islandbass either,” Lol 😂 

A story in three parts:

 

 

 

I have this problem, unexplained until a recent diagnosis. I've found basically the same things txchaser said to be true - no air, no water = no cold, but breaks for heat still necessary. you just can't fish it the same speed as you normally would

I run hot so have never needed gloves while fishing or hunting for the most part. But one of our good friends has it and we are diving buddies. He always needs significantly more wetsuit underwater. He’ll have a full 3mm plus a 3mm vest when we have skin suits (zero insulation). What he’s found to work best in and out of the water is excessive core heat. Keep the blood as hot as possible before it hits the extremities. That includes a fleece cap down over the ears. 

Never had an issue with freezing hands while fishing.

Waterfowl hunting sitting in a duck blind hands and feet get cold🥶.

We used Jon-E hand warmers kept in the parka front poach to warm the hands and heavy wool socks for the feet.
Today you have good options with electric warmers and chemical warmers*  that last all day for your hands and feet😀.

I am not on the water long enough to get uncomfortably cold and keep my core, face, head warm and fishing gloves I am good.

Tom

*Hot Hands, AI top rated.

On 10/1/2025 at 12:36 AM, MontanaBasser said:

My fishing season ends way earlier than I would like because of my cold hands.  As a young man, I had hot hands.  I would ski most of the winter in a spring weight glove.  They could be full wet and as long as I kept moving, my hands were fine.  This morning it was mid 50s and cold hands drove me off the pond.  

 

I have heated glove liners I use but they are magnets for hooks and still don't allow me to tie knots, operate clips and the like.  

 

So, let's hear it.  What are your cold hand strategies?  Arthritis strategies?  

I too suffer from Raynauds syndrome. The meds I take for my AFIB make it worse. What works for me is to overdress (compared to what most people would wear). Layers topped with a windproof jacket and a good warm hat. I rarely wear gloves but will have those hot hands heat packets in my pockets for frequent warmups. Keeping my hands dry is critical. I wear NRS Boundry boots and they keep my feet dry and warm.

 

For arthritis, I preemptively take some Tylenol. If it's really bothering me, I'll use a CBD balm on the affected parts.

 

One thing I've noticed is that when I'm fishing, is that I'm so focused on fishing that I don't nearly notice how cold I might be. Given those same conditions at home I'd be pretty darn uncomfortable. 

Advil is better for relief for Arthritis in my experience.

Tom

 

2 hours ago, Crow Horse said:

and a good warm hat.

Mmm Hmm. 😁

9 hours ago, WRB-2.0 said:

Advil is better for relief for Arthritis in my experience.

Tom

 

***For clarification's sake, if one is using a prescription blood "thinner", ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin), and naproxen (Aleve) are in the book of NO. They can raise the risk bleeding and heart attack. 

Fingerless gloves aren't going to help much because it's your extremities that need to stay warm.  That would be like wearing boots without anything on the toes.

 

There's no good solution here especially with wet fingers.  Maybe a dry spot like a pocket warmer to stick your hands in occasionally?

 

I'm still pretty young and have a high tolerance to fish and hunt without gloves - down to about 40 degrees.  I prefer bare hands directly on my rod/reel or my firearm because I lose feel with gloves.

 

 

1 hour ago, Crow Horse said:

***For clarification's sake, if one is using a prescription blood "thinner", ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin), and naproxen (Aleve) are in the book of NO. They can raise the risk bleeding and heart attack. 

True, Voltaren is an option.

Tom