Pro bass angler Randall Tharp used to hate wearing fishing gloves, as he felt they hindered performance, but he’s since changed his tune. He attributes his Fish Monkey Stubby Guide Glove to vastly reducing penalties in the Bass Pro Tour, enhancing fishing performance and sun production while reducing hand injuries at the same time.
Tharp’s 3 reasons for switching to gloves:
- Protection from nicks and cuts. Boat flipping bass and grabbing the line or fish is a surefire way to get a line cut or fin jabbing. Tharp was tired of beating his hands up during tournaments. Quality gloves allow you to grab sharp braided or fluorocarbon lines directly under the weight of a thrashing fish without the risk of cutting your hands. For this reason, Tharp attributes going from the highest penalized angler during the first year of the Bass Pro Tour (no gloves) to the least penalized just a year later. No cuts equates to less dropped fish.
- Better control of your rod and fish. Tacky non-slip silicone palm prints grip rod handles and reel plates more confidently than a wet and slippery naked palm. The handling of fish is made easier as well.
- Enhanced sun protection. While sunscreen is a boat essential, let’s face it, the stuff is continually wearing off, especially when you’re sweating and sticking your in and out of the water. Quality UPF, sun protection gloves provide continuous all-day protection from harmful rays, just another critical benefit to “gloving up.”
