In spring, 2012, FLW Everstart Series pro, Anthony “5oz” Hunt contacted me about the possibilities of reviewing some products by The Rod Glove. Having been familiar with this company since its inception, but never using any of its products or having any previous affiliation with, I obliged and received a sampler package of products to use for my 2012 fishing season.

My package consisted of two casting rod gloves (for 7 foot rods), two rod glove wrapz, one casting reel glove, and three bait gloves.

About the Company

The Rod Glove specializes in protecting and organizing fishing rods and reels for transport and storage. The Rod Glove has pioneered the concept of providing anglers with premium rod sleeves and covers. Today other companies have followed suit.

100% North American fabricated and made, The Rod Glove meets the demands of anglers by protecting their investments, thus preventing them from damage, endless tangles, and boat rash. The Rod Glove makes rods and reels last longer, and keeps them looking great.

Since introduced in 2010, the Rod Glove has catered its products predominantly to bass fishermen, and exceptionally shines for rod locker and boat storage, eliminating tangles, and organizing rods by color.

Real World Tests

One of the major factors to maximizing efficiency and one’s individual effectiveness on the water is equipment organization. I want to be at the top of my game at all times. As an organizational neat freak, I like to be prepared to have my army of rods and reels ready at all times. Due to the limited rod storage options within my boat, it is important for me to avoid line and hook tangles. Thanks to the Rod Glove, these issues are minimized to a bare minimum and my preparedness and clean equipment organization has been taken to unseen levels.

My serious fishing for the year usually doesn’t begin until the month of May. Since then, I have used The Rod Glove products for everything from boat storage and protection to transport.

I have found these products to be effective in eliminating storage tangles and mess, and preventing my expensive rods and reels from accumulating scratches and boat rash.

Below I provide breakdowns of each product received, what I used it for, and how it performed.

The Rod Glove Sleeves

The Rod Glove is a woven plastic sleeve, weaved of webbing with plastic fibers, that covers and protects a fishing rod during storage and transport. Retailing at $7.99, they are available in various lengths and diameters to match the specific lengths and sizes of both spinning and casting rods. They are available in a wide variety of colors, which can be helpful to anglers for labeling their technique specific fishing rods.

Over the years, I’ve learned that the sport of fishing can be as expensive as one makes it. The way I fish and frequently travel, and order new rods and reels on a yearly basis, this game isn’t cheap. The protection of my rods and reels, an expensive investment, is a major responsibility for me during my travels and gear storage. The Rod Glove protects the tip top, guides, and fishing line from scratches and abrasions. While I predominantly fish from a boat that doesn’t feature conventional rod storage options such as a locker, but unique rod racks along the sides of the boat that keep my rods and reels exposed, the line tangles I’ve often experienced during storage and transport have become a thing of the past.

The rod glove sleeves and bait glove have eliminated line tangles and exposed hooks on my boat’s small rod storage racks.

The Bait Glove

The bait glove is a lure wrap that reduces hook snags that are prevalent during storage, and keeps sharp exposed hooks confined to remain secured within the wrap. Constructed of a rubber backed canvas with a velcro wrap to secure the lure and rod, it is available in packages of three for $3.99, and fits over most lure sizes.

I used the bait glove with lures with treble hooks. This product was commonly used to wrap and secure crankbaits, rattlebaits, jerkbaits, and swim jigs. While the wrap itself does an exceptional job of preventing hook tangles with other rods and their exposed line, the sharp technologically advanced hooks synonymous with today’s bass fishing are often prone to protrude through the canvas material, and become exposed. The bait glove surely isn’t made from bulletproof and hookproof material, but I feel that with a stronger, thicker material, this issue could be completely avoided.

The Reel Glove

The concept of using a reel glove to protect fishing reels is nothing new to sport fishermen. In fact, it was first developed by saltwater and big game anglers to protect their expensive investments from damage. Some major reel manufacturers such as Shimano, Quantum, Abu Garcia and Daiwa have developed protective gloves and reel covers in their own models be complimentary on specific high end reels purchased by anglers.

However, for bass anglers whose reels remain unprotected from the elements, the reel glove is a great piece of equipment to have. Available for both spinning and casting reels, the Reel Glove comes in two sizes to accommodate large and small reels, and retails for $5.99. Fabricated from a 4 way stretch neoprene material with finished edges, the Reel Glove is made to protect all reels from scratches, and easily fastens to all rods.

My Reel Glove was exclusively wrapped to a new Quantum Energy baitcasting reel I purchased for this season. Two months in, and no signs of scratches, which otherwise would be prevalent and visible on a reel whose surface and finish wasn’t secured and protected like this.

Rod Glove Wrapz

The Rod Glove Wrapz have been developed to bundle and secure fishing rods for traveling and transport. Most average bass anglers fish with multiple rods, and this is a unique item to have as it can be used complimentary to the Rod Glove, and solitary on its own to bundle rods and reels as shown in the photographs above. Available in a package of two for $6.99, one 10″ small size for the top of rods and one 15″ large size for the bottom of rods, Rod Glove Wrapz are made from neoprene material with a complete velcro backside.

I exclusively use my wrapz to bundle and secure my spinning rods for transport whether I am trailering my boat from lake to lake, or motoring through waves across the lake. As an angler who fishes with as many as ten fishing rods per outing, the Rod Glove Wrapz have completely eliminated line and hook tangles on my spinning rods. Likewise, it has drastically cleaned up the clutter of rods which was once a frequent occurrence on my rod storage racks.

In the two months I’ve spent on the water this year, I’ve been using the Rod Glove products on a daily basis. While in the process of catching fish, I’ve been able to see all of these products benefits such as efficiency, ability, and style. These are protective sleeves that I am thankful of having as my most expensive and sophisticated bass fishing rods and reels can be fully protected from the most major elements of serious fishing, and be cleanly organized and stored without having to worry about damage, clutter, and tangles.

These are products I’d definitely recommend to serious anglers (especially bass anglers who tour and recreationally fish by boat) who want the most in the protection of their rods and reels, and be able to store a number of rods and reels in their boats.

While I feel the Rod Glove is predominantly catered to tournament and recreational bass anglers and has found a popular niche in that area of the fishing industry as it is endorsed by some of the best bass anglers in the world such as Gerald Swindle, Jared Lintner, Gary Dobyns and a number of others, I wished the company produced protective wraps and reel covers for other anglers and specific markets of the fishing industry. Some that come to mind are fly fishermen, saltwater and big game fishermen, and musky anglers. Those who own rods and reels for these types of fishing know how expensive their gear is, and the extreme care that is required for protecting their rods and reels. In comparison to most bass fishing gear, which is affordable and widely available and not as costly, the rods and reels used by anglers within these other markets are far more expensive and sophisticated. It would be a tremendous joy if protective rod sleeves were made available for 4 piece fly rods, 8 to 9 foot muskie rods, and thousand dollar trolling rods for deep sea fishermen. The same can also be said about the development of general gloves for the expensive high end reels these anglers employ.

As a serious musky angler as well, I would happily buy these pieces of protection for my rods, reels, and large baits if they were ever developed.

With these ideas, you never know what might happen, or be released next. The Rod Glove is a two year old company after all, with a bright future and a number of innovations ahead them.

I would like to sincerely thank Anthony Hunt for initially contacting me, and supplying me with products to use. 5oz can be visited online at http://www.anthonyhunt.com

Likewise, I would also like to thank company owner and president, Jim Van Ryn, for allowing me to review his products and share them with my readers.

The Rod Glove website can be visited at http://vrxfishing.com/