Over the years the one thing that I’ve always had a hard time finding is a good glove for winter steelheading. Most gloves are bulky and cause your running line to slip when you want to shoot the line. And once they get wet they stay wet for the entire day. The half-fingers work well but leave the tips of your fingers frozen usually mid-day. I remember fishing on the Bulkley two seasons ago and having to thaw out my hands after every run.
However, when I saw the Simms Windstopper Flex Glove there was hope. Over this past cold stint in Vancouver a good friend and I had the opportunity to field tested the gloves. The air temperature was -8 degrees celsius without the windchill. So it was cold!!!
I found the gloves kept my hands warm yet gave me the dexterity that I needed to handle my line. In other words I didn’t have to sacrifice my ability to cast or handle line because of bulky gloves. The gloves also have little rubber pads on the front to give added grip. These gloves can either be used as a mid-layer or outer-layer. As an outer-layer they worked well. My hands did get a little damp from stripping in wet line by the end of the day. However, a little warming up in the truck dried out 99% of the fabric. The material is also quite breathable so you won’t sweat in them while hiking into a remote piece of water.
Simms Windstopper Flex Glove
Overall, I would recommend these gloves to the angler who plans on fishing all winter long, in cold temperatures. These gloves would also be the ticket for rowing and jet boating in cold temperatures (ie. fishing in the Skeena region in the late fall).
Also, a reminder we are selling our remaining Sage Z-Axis rods at 40% off US MSRP! There are three remaining rods. They are:
- 9’0, 4 weight (great trout stream rod and lake rod);
- 10’0, 5 weight (perfect chironomid rod); and
- 9’0, 6 weight (great beach rod, lake rod, and big fish stream rod).
This is a great deal for an amazing rod. These rods have been replaced by the Sage One, but don’t let that fool you, these are one of the smoothest fast action rods I have ever fished.
If you have any questions please do not hesitate to give us a call (604-872-2204) or better yet drop by the store.
All the best and happy fishing,
Dave
