Winter Gear

[Crestliner2008]

Hey guys, I need a suggestion as to what to look for in a cold weather snow-suit type outerwear. I'm thinking coveralls type, but there is such a wide variation in price ranges, along with little in the way to point me in the right direction for cold weather bass fishing - up until ice up. Right now I have Carhart coverall, but it certainly leaves a lot to be desired. Looking for something for really cold open water fishing.

 

I guess there is a great variation in sizes as well; some with legs too long and/or main body too short. At least that's what I get from reading some of the customer comments on various models. Thanks for any suggestions.

 

Moderators: If this is not the appropriate forum to post in, please do move to where it should be - and let me know! Thanks!

[desmobob]

Hey guys, I need a suggestion as to what to look for in a cold weather snow-suit type outerwear. I'm thinking coveralls type, but there is such a wide variation in price ranges, along with little in the way to point me in the right direction for cold weather bass fishing - up until ice up. Right now I have Carhart coverall, but it certainly leaves a lot to be desired. Looking for something for really cold open water fishing.

 

I guess there is a great variation in sizes as well; some with legs too long and/or main body too short. At least that's what I get from reading some of the customer comments on various models. Thanks for any suggestions.

 

For really cold weather, I LOVE my Striker Predator jacket and bibs.  They are purpose-built for ice fishing, but work perfectly for any fishing.  The bibs have adjustable inseam.  You can adjust the leg length to fit you just right, even if you have one leg longer than the other! ;-)  A nice bonus is the built-in floatation.  And, of course, they are great for ice fishing after the water hardens up...  

 

Tight lines,

Bob

[Fishes in trees]

My cold weather gear is a set of Cabelas Guide Wear (non-insulated) that I supplement with various layers underneath.   For long boat rides at 50 MPH+, I find neoprene gloves and a snug fitting insulated hat are essential.  I have a Save Phace sport utility mask that is very handy.   Don't forget your feet - insulated boots work ok - I find a liner sock and oe or two layers of wool socks work better for me.   If it is going to be cold and wet and I have to be out, like in a tournament situation, I have a set of lightweight stretchy rubber over shoes that I got at Orschlens that do a great job of keeping the cold out and the warmth in.   Downside of this is that it doesn't breathe and so your feet can get hot and sweaty if you aren't paying attention.  I don't use the overshoes very often, but I have them if I need them.   

 

Now that I've lost a little weight the past couple of years, the insulated snowmobile suit that I bought 20 years ago fits me again, so that is another option.  That suit is water resistant - not gore tex and so it often isn't the better option.

 

One thing about cold weather gear is that its a problem that can be solved by throwing money at it.

[bigbill]

I was hunting all my life with a woollen shirt and those trap door one piece long johns. I had pneumonia three times when logging in the wintertime. I found out the one piece long johns stopped the chill on my back when I bent over running the saw.

Now im older and feel the cold I purchased insulated hunting camo. I have the one piece suit, the bib and matching jacket. The heavy Rocky and carhartt socks. The 1,000gram insulated boots. I use the danmart gloves inside mittens.

In ten degree weather I'm as warm as a bug in a rug. Even ice fishing.

I buy the insulated and non insulated camos after hunting season is over at cabelas, bass pro shops and sportsmans guide when they clearance the over stock. For as little as $59 one piece insulated suits, $59 bib insulated, $59 jacket insulated. It pays to wait and shop around.

The guide gear stuff is good. I bought it for me and my son's.

[wytstang]

Winter?

[desmobob]

Winter?

 

There's a wise guy in every bunch...   ;-)

 

Here's what winter boating looks like in the northeast:

 

 

And here's what winter fishing looks like:

 

 

It's all good!

 

Tight lines,

Bob

[bigbill]

I went ice fishing with live minnows, caught nothing. Asked my co worker how he and his buddies do it. He said they eat burgers and drink.

One week we had 4" of ice two weeks later it was 20" thick.

[Dwight Hottle]

Crestliner if you get bibs and a top jacket you can buy different sizes for each to be most flexible. Like a medium top but a large bottom. I have Cabelas guide wear gortex insulated and they do great. Ice wear or snowmobile suits would work too if you can get the right size to fit. Another choice is a mustang coast guard suit.

[Bladesmith,]

I use a snowmobile suit. It is water resistant, you can seal it up for wind resistance, or unzip parts if it gets too warm. Works good for me.

[BBogey]

I really enjoy my non insulated guidewear (wear the bibs a lot!) and just layer underneath.

[Bankbeater]

I usually wear layers in case the temp goes up.  Last thing I want to do is start to sweat in the cold.  I have caught some nasty colds that way.

[Todd2]

On a side note, I keep sweat pants and a hoodie wrapped in a beach towel that's wrapped with a single strand of duct tape. I leave it in the boat year round in case someone falls in (even in another boat) in cold weather. A 45 min run to the ramp in cold wet clothes wouldn't be fun.

[zeth]

Coming from a background in working out in the mountains in the middle of the winter and rock climbing etc, I dress the same for fishing.

1) Baselayer, usually merino wool as it's more effective than the synthetic stuff.

2) Midlayer which can be anything from a heavier weight wool baselyer to a fleece or light synthetic fill jacket. Synthetic is better because of the cance of getting wet and down is useless when wet.

3) If it's insanely freezing I'll usually wear two mid layers.

4) Shell i.e. rain gear appropriate for fishing. I just use west marine brand because at 6'3" it's the only affordable brand that fits.  Arcteryx has tall sized bibs but for $500+ and my last pair were stolen so...

5)for gloves I do the same thing. baselayer usually, midlayer, shell mitten. (fingerless wool gloves are a necesity as well)

6) for feet I do the same and wear either Neos overshoes or baffin boots and sometimes just my trail running shoes because my feet never get all that cold for some reason.

7) for headwear I could be wearig just the hood on my jacket, a wool hat, a hat with windstopper in it, a headband, it all just depends on the conditions.

8) never forget the Save Phace.

9) adding this one in because I almost forgot.  If you want super bomb proof gear dont forget to look at rain gear from places like West Marine.  Much more durable than the ultralight stuff used by the backcountry crowd.

Edited November 16, 2015 by zeth

[HoosierHawgs]

Coming from a background in working out in the mountains in the middle of the winter and rock climbing etc, I dress the same for fishing.

1) Baselayer, usually merino wool as it's more effective than the synthetic stuff.

2) Midlayer which can be anything from a heavier weight wool baselyer to a fleece or light synthetic fill jacket. Synthetic is better because of the cance of getting wet and down is useless when wet.

3) If it's insanely freezing I'll usually wear two mid layers.

4) Shell i.e. rain gear appropriate for fishing. I just use west marine brand because at 6'3" it's the only affordable brand that fits.  Arcteryx has tall sized bibs but for $500+ and my last pair were stolen so...

5)for gloves I do the same thing. baselayer usually, midlayer, shell mitten. (fingerless wool gloves are a necesity as well)

6) for feet I do the same and wear either Neos overshoes or baffin boots and sometimes just my trail running shoes because my feet never get all that cold for some reason.

7) for headwear I could be wearig just the hood on my jacket, a wool hat, a hat with windstopper in it, a headband, it all just depends on the conditions.

8) never forget the Save Phace.

Arcteryx is great stuff. Very pricey but some good stuff for sure. I don't make runs in the cold, but I do like to ski, and a face mask is always a good idea. Wind burn sucks. Period.

[A-Jay]

 I have Cabelas Guidewear.  It's a solid product and on sale.

 

The parker is a little long so if you fish sitting down, you'll need to adjust the zipper up / down accordingly.

 

A-Jay

 

 

http://www.cabelas.com/product/clothing/men-s-casual-clothing/men-s-fishing-clothing/men-s-fishing-clothing-outerwear%7C/pc/104797080/c/104746680/sc/104329080/i/104170680/cabela-s-guidewear-174-men-s-xtreme-late-season-parka-with-gore-tex-174-and-thinsulate-8482-150-regular/1828705.uts?destination=%2Fcatalog%2Fbrowse%2Fmens-fishing-clothing-outerwear%2Fcabelas%2F_%2FN-1102594%2B1000002949%2FNe-1000002949%2FNs-CATEGORY_SEQ_104170680%3FWTz_st%3DGuidedNav%26WTz_stype%3DGNU

 

http://www.cabelas.com/product/clothing/men-s-casual-clothing/men-s-outerwear/men-s-bibs-pants%7C/pc/104797080/c/104746680/sc/105548580/i/104176980/cabela-s-gore-tex-174-guidewear-174-xtreme-late-season-bibs-150-regular/1833168.uts?destination=%2Fcatalog%2Fbrowse%2Fmens-bibs-pants%2Fcabelas%2F_%2FN-1102400%2B1000002949%2FNe-1000002949%3FWTz_st%3DGuidedNav%26WTz_stype%3DGNU

​

 

[WIGuide]

Las year I got a steal on a BPS 100 mph parka and I absolutely love it. During the summer, it doesn't get too hot but it does an alright job of insulating in the cooler weather all by itself. However, BPS offers a liner for them which mine didn't come with, but I found the liner for my winter jacket zips in just fine. When it get's cold out, I'll zip that in and it feels just as warm as my winter jacket. For the moment, I've still got some cheap Frog Togg bibs which aren't the greatest, but they do a good job at blocking the wind and if it gets really cold, I can swap them out for sweatpants. 

[Last_Cast]

There's a wise guy in every bunch...   ;-)

 

Here's what winter boating looks like in the northeast:

 

 

And here's what winter fishing looks like:

 

 

It's all good!

 

Tight lines,

Bob

 

where do you go ice fishing??

Going to try it out this year for the first time actually.

 

Hopefully we dont get pounded with snow again this year lol.

[desmobob]

where do you go ice fishing??

Going to try it out this year for the first time actually.

 

Hopefully we dont get pounded with snow again this year lol.

 

My all-time favorite place to ice fish is Lake George.  It's a great place to catch landlocked salmon, lake trout, northern pike, or yellow perch.  I also get out on Lake Champlain, and Lake Bomoseen in VT.  The ice fishing season is getting close!

 

Tight lines,

Bob

[Bluebasser86]

I've had Cabela's Guidewear and currently have the BPS 100 MPH suit. If I was going to buy either again, it would be the Guidewear. The 100 MPH suit has been a disappointment to say the least. I've already had to return one suit because my seams were coming undone around the wrist and allowing water to run down my arms (being wet pretty much ends a winter trip). My current suit isn't doing much better with the seams and the velcro strap that is suppose to go around my wrist is pealing off after less than a year. I know I fish a lot, but I don't abuse it either and it's designed to be worn. The suit is warm and good at keeping the water out elsewhere, but for the money I spent, I have not been impressed. My old Guidewear suit was over 10 years old and still going strong, but somewhere between my late teens and mid 20's they seemed to have shrunk noticeably. 

[Crestliner2008]

Thanks for all the great suggestions! Haven't been doing any fishing or even visiting this site in awhile. Family stuff and home renovations are interfering. Hope to get a break and get out this week. No sign of a freeze up yet.

[zeth]

Simple answer I always say coming from a background in climbing, mountaineering etc. 

Look at how people dress for these activities.

The clothing is top of the line and works better than anything else.

Wear layers!

Brands like:

Mountain Hardwear

The north Face

Marmot

Arcteryx

RAAB

Mammut

Icebreaker

Patagonia

and the list goes on.

https://www.whittakermountaineering.com/mountain-logic/guide-to-layering

[zeth]

Arcteryx is great stuff. Very pricey but some good stuff for sure. I don't make runs in the cold, but I do like to ski, and a face mask is always a good idea. Wind burn sucks. Period.

When it comes to price, you tend to get what you pay for whether the prices are inflated or not. Cheap gear for cold wet weather is just asking to be miserable. For the people here pinching pennies and thinking that Simms, BPS, Cabels stuff is good, it can't touch the quality and practicality of most high quality backcountry gear which can't touch what's available to the sailing community as far as durability goes.  I know not everyone can afford a $1000 for outerwear, myself included but it's worth saving for.  I learned the hard way, more than once...

[BrianinMD]

After talking to Desmobob I purchased the Striker Ice Predator suit, completely impressed by it. The flotation portion is a huge added bonus when out in cold water.

[Last_Cast]

My all-time favorite place to ice fish is Lake George.  It's a great place to catch landlocked salmon, lake trout, northern pike, or yellow perch.  I also get out on Lake Champlain, and Lake Bomoseen in VT.  The ice fishing season is getting close!

 

Tight lines,

Bob

Sorry, its been a while..is it cold enough for ice fishing yet??

Been ridiculously warm down here

[desmobob]

Sorry, its been a while..is it cold enough for ice fishing yet??

Been ridiculously warm down here

 

Well, let's put it this way:  It rained up here on Monday night, and I saw nightcrawlers on the driveway on Tuesday morning.  Our forecast for December 24th is a high of 58* -- and a low of 43*.   If Lake George does freeze at all this winter, it will be WAY late... 

 

I should have never winterized the boat!  

 

Tight lines,

Bob