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Hopefully I can provide some good information for you. I've lived my entire life in Michigan (aside from my time in the Marine Corps). I grew up steelhead fishing in the dead of winter, ice fishing, and all sorts of spring trips. I am a tournament walleye fisherman and many of our first tournaments of the season are just after ice out. The temps can be in the low 30's, wind, snow, and rain.
Over the years we have found a few things that really help us. One is to have a good set of gloves. Gloves that provide feel while still protecting your hands from the elements. For me, I do not like bulky gloves. I do use them when we are moving from spot to spot. Traveling at 50mph in a tournament when the ice is hitting you in the face makes you do that. For that, we use insulated leather gloves (deer skin to be exact). The question however was fishing...
I prefer to wear thin gloves. Glove liners fit the bill for a number of reasons. They are thin, light weight, provide feel, and protect you from the wind. I carry two pairs. For years, I've used Manzella glove liners and have had great results... that is until this last spring. I switched to GILL glove liners. They wick moisture, are warm, lightweight, and keep your hands away from the wind. They are also black so they will absorb sunlight.
Coupled with the liners I used two different style of heaters. I keep one in each pocket. It allows me to jig with one hand while the other stays warm. I can switch hands. When trolling, I can put both hands in the pocket. We use Zippo hand warmers that you fill with lighter fuel. Light the wick, put the lid on, and slide in the bag. They will last 10 hours when full and provide all the warmth you need. The thinner glove liners allow the warmth to go right to your hands without the need to take off bulky gloves. You can find them at most walmart stores for less than 20 bucks each.
The newer style we have been testing is the battery operated hand warmers. They sell for around 20 bucks. You charge them with a USB style charger, hit the button, and in 5 minutes, they are nice and warm. We are getting about 6 hours on a full charge when running all the time.
These allow you to put your hands in with damp gloves and still provide heat. The simple hand warmer packs get wet and stop working... Even with damp gloves, these warmers work magic. I've worn damp gloves for 12 straight hours and never really known it because they were constantly warmed in my pockets.
One other "trick" we use. Usually, the loss of dextarity is the result of the back of your hand getting cold. To combat this, we utilize the very thin stick on toe warmers. Open the package, remove the stick on backer, slide it in to your glove, and stick it to the backside of your glove (not the palm side). This will keep the back of your hands nice and warm and allow for dextarity. I've been doing this trick when ice fishing for more than 25 years.
I hope this gives you a few tricks to use
Originally Posted by Erin Brewer
