Do sunglasses really help see fish?
Dec 31, 2019 12:58:35 #
Ron620DVS
Loc: Guntersville Alabama
Polarized Sunglasses: Do They Really Help You Fish?
Whenever I went fishing during my childhood, I always wore sunglasses mainly to look cool. Little did I realize I was developing a habit that would be saving my eyes for 50 years of fishing trips and hopefully many more to come.
While donning a cool-looking set of shades can improve an angler’s image, there are more critical reasons why anglers should wear sunglasses. The most important thing is protection because the most important piece of equipment you put in your boat is your eyesight.
Polarized Shades Keep You Safe:
Your fishing trip can turn into a nightmare if you pull a snagged lure out of a tree and it rockets back at you or if you turn around while your partner is casting with one of those 7-foot rods and his lure hits you in the face. If you are wearing sunglasses, the eyewear will help deflect hooks or sinkers away from your eyes and prevent a serious mishap that could lead to the loss of your precious sight.
Polarized Sunglasses Fend Harmful Rays:
Sunglasses also offer protection from harmful ultraviolet rays (UVA and UVB) and glare caused by sunlight. The same ultraviolet sun rays that cause your skin to burn and eventually lead to aging skin or cancer can also cause eye diseases, such as cataracts and macular degeneration (sunspots) on the retina of the eye. A harsh glare shining off the water can also lead to eye strain and fatigue.
How Polarized Sunglasses Changed The Game:
During my early years of fishing, I discovered a good pair of polarized sunglasses let me see trout in clear-water streams. The glasses cut down glare and gave me the chance to continually present my lures in front of the fish and eventually make them bite. Sight fishermen have taken advantage of polarized lenses for years to stalk their quarry.
Start Seeing More With Polarized Sunglasses:
If you wear polarized lenses you can eliminate most of the surface glare and it makes your vision more comfortable. A polarized lens serves as a light filter like a Venetian blind which only allows light from a certain direction to enter the eye. Since it allows light from only a certain direction, a polarized lens then eliminates glare or scattered light. Finding a pair of sunglasses with high polarization should be a priority for anglers. Most of the good sunglass companies are going to achieve maximum polarization but not total polarization with their fishing sunglasses. A rule of thumb for picking sunglasses with maximum polarization is the darker the lens tint, the more polarization it has. So the darkest tint will offer the best polarization in any color of lenses.
Does Lens Color Really Matter?
Lens color is an option anglers should consider when choosing polarized sunglasses. Most sunglass companies make several shades of tint. Tints enhance your performance by selectively filtering light rays. A gray lens filters all light colors equally so all hues look their natural shade. Dark gray lenses than are good for all-purpose sunglasses because these lenses eliminate glare best on bright sunny days and show true colors. Brown, green and yellow lenses serve specific functions for anglers. These tints are going to enhance some colors while they bleach other colors out. A sight angler wants a tint that will enhance the colors of bass but he wants to bleach out the surrounding colors, thus enhancing the contrast between the two.
Yellow heightens contrast, but that lens tint isn’t dark enough to provide maximum polarization. So yellow lenses work best for sight fishing in shallow water on dark, overcast days.
Polarized Glasses With Brown Lenses:
Amber or brown lenses are designed for overcast or hazy days and fog. These lenses offer high contrast but the lighter tint also loses polarization.
I have discovered a pure green tint is the ultimate color for sight fishing since it offers both high contrast and high polarization. The green tint almost matches the color of green in the bass’ back and enhances it. A green lens also filters out other colors such as tan or beige that you typically see on the nest and therefore enhances the bass’ image. Looking through a green lens almost gives you the feeling that you’ve taken a pencil and outlined the bass. It really makes the bass stand out.
Glass lenses provided the best optics years ago but when impact-resistant polycarbonate became available with polarization, polycarbon lenses became the standard of fishing sunglasses.
You Get What You Pay For:
Buying a good pair of polycarbon lens sunglasses costs more, but your eyes will benefit in the long run. So if you buy a pair of sunglasses for $9.95 you are going to get some lens distortion and when looking at objects at a distance your eyes have to constantly change focus to compensate for the distortion in the lenses. That’s how an inexpensive sunglass lens produces eye strain because you continually have to change your focusing in that lens. Quality optical lenses will not cause your eyes to alter focusing.
Whenever I went fishing during my childhood, I always wore sunglasses mainly to look cool. Little did I realize I was developing a habit that would be saving my eyes for 50 years of fishing trips and hopefully many more to come.
While donning a cool-looking set of shades can improve an angler’s image, there are more critical reasons why anglers should wear sunglasses. The most important thing is protection because the most important piece of equipment you put in your boat is your eyesight.
Polarized Shades Keep You Safe:
Your fishing trip can turn into a nightmare if you pull a snagged lure out of a tree and it rockets back at you or if you turn around while your partner is casting with one of those 7-foot rods and his lure hits you in the face. If you are wearing sunglasses, the eyewear will help deflect hooks or sinkers away from your eyes and prevent a serious mishap that could lead to the loss of your precious sight.
Polarized Sunglasses Fend Harmful Rays:
Sunglasses also offer protection from harmful ultraviolet rays (UVA and UVB) and glare caused by sunlight. The same ultraviolet sun rays that cause your skin to burn and eventually lead to aging skin or cancer can also cause eye diseases, such as cataracts and macular degeneration (sunspots) on the retina of the eye. A harsh glare shining off the water can also lead to eye strain and fatigue.
How Polarized Sunglasses Changed The Game:
During my early years of fishing, I discovered a good pair of polarized sunglasses let me see trout in clear-water streams. The glasses cut down glare and gave me the chance to continually present my lures in front of the fish and eventually make them bite. Sight fishermen have taken advantage of polarized lenses for years to stalk their quarry.
Start Seeing More With Polarized Sunglasses:
If you wear polarized lenses you can eliminate most of the surface glare and it makes your vision more comfortable. A polarized lens serves as a light filter like a Venetian blind which only allows light from a certain direction to enter the eye. Since it allows light from only a certain direction, a polarized lens then eliminates glare or scattered light. Finding a pair of sunglasses with high polarization should be a priority for anglers. Most of the good sunglass companies are going to achieve maximum polarization but not total polarization with their fishing sunglasses. A rule of thumb for picking sunglasses with maximum polarization is the darker the lens tint, the more polarization it has. So the darkest tint will offer the best polarization in any color of lenses.
Does Lens Color Really Matter?
Lens color is an option anglers should consider when choosing polarized sunglasses. Most sunglass companies make several shades of tint. Tints enhance your performance by selectively filtering light rays. A gray lens filters all light colors equally so all hues look their natural shade. Dark gray lenses than are good for all-purpose sunglasses because these lenses eliminate glare best on bright sunny days and show true colors. Brown, green and yellow lenses serve specific functions for anglers. These tints are going to enhance some colors while they bleach other colors out. A sight angler wants a tint that will enhance the colors of bass but he wants to bleach out the surrounding colors, thus enhancing the contrast between the two.
Yellow heightens contrast, but that lens tint isn’t dark enough to provide maximum polarization. So yellow lenses work best for sight fishing in shallow water on dark, overcast days.
Polarized Glasses With Brown Lenses:
Amber or brown lenses are designed for overcast or hazy days and fog. These lenses offer high contrast but the lighter tint also loses polarization.
I have discovered a pure green tint is the ultimate color for sight fishing since it offers both high contrast and high polarization. The green tint almost matches the color of green in the bass’ back and enhances it. A green lens also filters out other colors such as tan or beige that you typically see on the nest and therefore enhances the bass’ image. Looking through a green lens almost gives you the feeling that you’ve taken a pencil and outlined the bass. It really makes the bass stand out.
Glass lenses provided the best optics years ago but when impact-resistant polycarbonate became available with polarization, polycarbon lenses became the standard of fishing sunglasses.
You Get What You Pay For:
Buying a good pair of polycarbon lens sunglasses costs more, but your eyes will benefit in the long run. So if you buy a pair of sunglasses for $9.95 you are going to get some lens distortion and when looking at objects at a distance your eyes have to constantly change focus to compensate for the distortion in the lenses. That’s how an inexpensive sunglass lens produces eye strain because you continually have to change your focusing in that lens. Quality optical lenses will not cause your eyes to alter focusing.
Dec 31, 2019 13:32:19 #
Big dog
Loc: Bayshore, Long Island, New York
FS Digest wrote:
So I have been using Oakley polarized sunglasses forever when I fish, and a buddy of mine asked me if I could really see fish better in the water with them and I said yes, so I did a little research and wrote an article on it Here:
https://www.fastcastrods.com/sunglasses
Do you agree that it helps? What brand do you use?
Thanks!
--
by Fishfinder_79
https://www.fastcastrods.com/sunglasses
Do you agree that it helps? What brand do you use?
Thanks!
--
by Fishfinder_79
Any decent polarized glasses help to cut the glare on the surface of the water which allows you to see beneath the surface. 8 years working at a trout hatchery proved it to me beyond any shadow of a doubt, 25 years as a licensed outdoor guide and a lifetime of fishing both fresh and saltwater, so yes, they’re very helpful.
Dec 31, 2019 13:52:41 #
Dec 31, 2019 14:00:08 #
Flea Market 20 dollar type with Bamboo frames. They cut glare big time. I just read all the details about green being best I will have to figure out what color I have and gets some green ones ASAP.
Dec 31, 2019 14:00:35 #
Flea Market 20 dollar type with Bamboo frames. They cut glare big time. I just read all the details about green being best I will have to figure out what color I have and gets some green ones ASAP.
Dec 31, 2019 14:01:25 #
Ron sounds like a Sunglass salesman or a sunglasses scientist. It’s great information Ron Thank You.
Dec 31, 2019 14:32:50 #
JRK227
Loc: Cedarburg, WI
I use prescription sunglasses that are polarized. Cost is $100 to $150 depending on the frames. Mine have side shield built into the bows. They work great.
Dec 31, 2019 14:56:32 #
Dec 31, 2019 15:55:38 #
I agree Doug. For the cost of the Costas, I can buy 15-20 pairs of the Berkley or Raybans. I loose them more than break them. I need for my Niece to go diving again to get me some more Sunglasses. Her and her hubby go Scuba diving in the Salt River, right after some rapids. They get tons of stuff. The "Cheap" sunglasses are the ones under $300. Told her as long as the are Polarized I don't care. last time she sent me a box of the "Cheap" ones", polarized and not polarized took me 2 weeks at the fishing spot to give away all the ones I didn't want. I kept like 3 pair, now down to one. LOL People just don't understand "Free" for the price. I told them they could have them free but after 5 mins I would not take them back.
Even had some kids sunglasses and those went quick to the people with their kids along.
Even had some kids sunglasses and those went quick to the people with their kids along.
Dec 31, 2019 16:44:47 #
Ron620DVS
Loc: Guntersville Alabama
Jeremy wrote:
Ron sounds like a Sunglass salesman or a sunglasses scientist. It’s great information Ron Thank You.
LOL,, No I'm not either wish that I was, been involved with this conversation on many occasions. Did some digging on the internet and found some information that made sense to me. This question is like the on going debate which is a better vehicle, Chevy, Dodge or Ford. This has been going on for many years and just a persons opinion. I am glad that there are as many options so people have choices.
Dec 31, 2019 16:54:30 #
I really need to call her, so when they start up again this coming year I can get some more from her.
BTW Oakley is in the "Cheap Box". Less than $300.
Her husband reads a lot of the same books I do, so I send him a care package now and then.
BTW Oakley is in the "Cheap Box". Less than $300.
Her husband reads a lot of the same books I do, so I send him a care package now and then.
Dec 31, 2019 18:03:16 #
Dec 31, 2019 21:43:10 #
I use Solar Bats and they are great sunglasses. Not as expensive as the Oakley but they are quality sunglasses.
Dec 31, 2019 22:01:16 #
Helen
Loc: Originally from Ohio, on Lake Erie. Now Fl i
I like the ones that fit over my prescription glasses and have side coverage as well. Having that side lens to keep the glare out of the corner of my eyes really helps. I like the amber color. The expensive ones don't have the side lenses and they don't fit over my prescription glasses and I hate those clip on things they never fit the glasses right. My current pair which I've had for several years, is a no-name pair of el Cheapo ones.
Jan 1, 2020 18:20:12 #
Rick58
Loc: Pennsylvania
I always use them,I have two pair, gray and amber, for overcast and evening fishing. I use Bill Dance or the Wal Mart brand that cost between 10-12 bucks,they take a pretty good beating as I am rough on them !
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