How to measure your glove size

True story. Two years ago I took a guest from Miami up the Pineroot River for some brown trout. Whatever he did for a living, he must have done it well. Every piece of his kit was the best money could buy: a Thomas & Thomas rod with a Hardy reel, beautiful custom hand-tied flies, and the most gorgeous willow and leather creel you've ever seen. 

But his gloves were something else. Purchased from Barrow & Gale on Saville Row, the calfskin was hand-stiched, softer than silk, and perfectly formed. But they weren't perfectly fit. They were easily two sizes too small - it took him almost five minutes just to pull them on. And once they were, he could barely hold his rod properly. In fact, just as I was about to suggest he go barehanded, he cast $4000 worth of rod and real across the rapids into a deep pool and gone.

When we got back to the lodge, empty handed and rod-less, I showed him how to properly measure his hand for a glove. It's actually very simple:

         1. Wrap a tape measure (in inches) around your palm at the widest part.
         2. Then measure from the tip of the middle finger to the base of your palm. 
         3. Use the largest of these two measurements.
         4. The number of inches equals the size of the glove. 

Sadly, I was not tipped.