How To: Choose the Best Sunglasses
Fishing sunglasses are essential to any fisherman’s gear, regardless of where or how you fish. When hooks are whizzing through the air, there is a real danger of catching one in and around the eye. Ask any guide, and they will probably have a horror story to tell.
Not only do sunglasses protect your peepers, they can also go a long way in helping you catch more fish. Whether you’re on the flats, the stream, or somewhere in between, choosing the best fishing sunglasses is a must. When you have the correct information, the choice is fairly easy. Here are some things to consider when choosing sunglasses for fishing: undisturbed.
Polarized Fishing Glasses
Polarized lenses eliminate glare. Most of the glare we see is caused by light bouncing off horizontal surfaces. We see this effect when a dry highway appears to be wet in the distance. When light rays hit a horizontal plane, the light is reflected at the same angle as the surface. Water has a highly reflective surface, making it very difficult to see through it with the naked eye.
The best fishing sunglasses have polarized lenses and act as mini Venetian blinds, aligned in a way that eliminates about three-quarters of the glare. This will help you see fish as well as rocks and structures beneath the surface. The ability to read the water and find fish, as well as wade safety, will be improved.
Lens Colours: What Sunglasses Are Best For Fishing?
This is the most difficult aspect of fishing sunglasses to address since there is no clear-cut right or wrong choice. Everybody sees colour differently and everyone’s vision responds to lens colour differently. Here are some general guidelines.
- Amber Lenses: For the all-around best fishing sunglasses, some shade of amber is a good pick. Some eyewear companies have their own names for these tones, but light brown, copper, and amber all sharpen contrast by reducing blue light. Increased contrast is very helpful for fishing flats, shallow trout streams, and lakeshores. Choose a brown or copper-coloured lens for normal conditions on the flats, and an amber or yellow lens for cloudy, overcast conditions.
- Rose Lenses: This is a specialized sunglasses lens hue that reduces contrast. For fishing stark white flats in the Bahamas or Christmas Island, rose cuts contrast more effectively in these in very bright conditions. Some fishermen prefer them in all conditions, but the loss of contrast makes objects more difficult to discern on cloudy days or when trying to spot fish on dark river bottoms. If you’re choosing this option, it’s even more important that you’ve gone with high quality polarized fishing glasses.
- Gray Lenses: One thing everyone agrees on is that gray sunglasses lenses are not ideal for shallow water and flats fishing, where sight fishing is crucial. Gray preserves normal colour relationships. Red light looks red, etc. Gray does not increase contrast, compromising resolution. The only situations where gray is recommended are fishing deep, offshore waters and deep lakes, where seeing fish under the surface on the bottom is not an issue.
The Best Fishing Sunglasses Coatings and Treatments
- Hydrophobic Lens Coating: The fronts of sunglasses are always getting wet and dirty, particularly when saltwater fishing. You’re always getting salt spray on your glasses. They must be cleaned carefully to avoid scratches and with fresh water, so a film of salt doesn’t develop. A hydrophobic coating causes drops of water to bead up, making lenses much easier to clean and reducing the chance of damage. Clean them only with a cloth designed for lenses or your shirttail, but only if you own one of our shirts with a sunglasses cleaner built into the hem. Ease of maintenance and longer wear are the valuable benefits.
- UV Protection: Any good pair of sunglasses will give you UV protection if you buy from a reputable manufacturer. Each pair should be clearly labeled with this information.
- Mirrored Lenses: A mirror coating does absolutely nothing for your vision, but they do look cool. Paying extra for a mirror coating will not improve your vision one iota.
Don’t Leave Home Without Them
The best polarized sunglasses for fishing will vastly improve your comfort, success, and safety when sight fishing. Just a few minutes of careful consideration is all it takes for you to choose great shades that will help you raise your game.
You may wonder why there is such a significant difference in the price of polarized fishing glasses and if the extra cost is worth it. Glasses can be inexpensively polarized by attaching the film to the outside of the lenses. Two factors make this method less desirable: The film will eventually peel away from the lens as it’s just not as durable. Also, precision placement of the film is crucial; if it’s placed off the vertical axis, some polarizing powers will be lost.
The best polarized sunglasses for fishing are at a higher price point because they feature lenses with the polarizing film sandwiched between lens layers, encapsulating it. Placement is aligned exactly for optimum performance. This process results in superior clarity, better peripheral vision, and lasting durability. These are the glasses you will find when shopping at Orvis.
A lot of sunglasses advertised as polarized aren't really. But there's a simple test you can perform before you buy them to make sure. Put on the glasses and look at your cell phone. Slowly rotate your phone 90 degrees and see if the reflective glare diminishes or increases. If the sunglasses are polarized, you will see a significant difference in your ability to read what’s on the screen.