Silicone palm print

Wet fabric on a wet rod handle is slippery, and a bass by the lower jaw is slipperier still. Silicone printing gives the palm a mechanical grip that works when everything is soaked.

It is also the first part of the glove to fail. The print wears off the high-contact areas with use, and once it goes the glove is much less useful even though the fabric is fine.

Denser, thinner printing generally outlasts big raised blobs, and printing that extends onto the fingertips is more useful than palm-only coverage.

Wash them cold and let them air dry. Heat from a tumble dryer softens the silicone bond and is the fastest way to lose a print that would otherwise have lasted a couple of seasons.

The grip also works against you slightly on a rod handle, since a very grippy palm makes it harder to slide your hand along the blank mid-cast. Most people never notice.