alansb1982
Active member
I wrote this article on how to pick out a pair of fishing sunglasses and get a good deal on them. Hope this helps someone!
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You can ask almost any angler what they can't go fishing without, and almost invariably the answer is the same: sunglasses. Specs. Shades. If that's not the answer you get, the person you're asking isn't wrong. They just haven't had a sampling of the good life.
In this primer, we're going to start with the benefits of a good pair of sunglasses, and why you shouldn't use those gas station specials. Then we'll talk about shopping for your first pair, covering fit, lens selection, and how to get a good deal.
Why You Need Good Fishing Sunglasses
Good sunglasses primarily do two things when you're fishing. First, they eliminate glare, which is light reflecting off the surface of the water. Second, they filter certain types of light, which will enhance your view of the water by making other types of light stand out more.
Glare occurs when light hits a surface, usually a flat one, and is reflected laterally throughout the surface. You'll notice that, when you see glare in a window, you can eliminate it changing your viewing position, usually closer to perpendicular to the window. The same thing happens with water, except that you usually can't adjust your angle because you can't get higher up. This creates glare and hides the fish from your view. Polarized sunglasses are made with a filter that eliminates light traveling in a certain manner that matches glare, allowing you to see through the surface of the water.
Good sunglasses also improve the image you see when looking at something. In the context of fishing, depending on the environment you're in, a good pair will filter out light that is not useful in that environment. The glasses do this by controlling both the total amount of light allowed to pass through, as well as certain types of colors.
In addition to fishing-specific benefits, a good pair of sunglasses will save your eyes. Don't believe me? Try reading a book or newspaper after going fishing for a couple hours without sunglasses. Not so easy, right? That's going to get a WHOLE lot worse with age. Just like your skin can get damaged (or worse) with constant exposure to sun, so too can your eyes.
Why Those Gas Station Specials Aren't Good
Because you won't catch as many fish. Period. I remember listening to a podcast that discussed a study about how often anglers missed bites from fish, and it's something like 3 out of 4 bites are missed. When you see the fish, you catch the fish.
Not all polarized lenses are created equal. I've worn everything from the actual gas station specials to mid-ranged, fishing specific sunglasses, and nothing approaches a premium brand's polarization. Not even close. Also, you won't see the same level of contrast and sharpness out of cheaper lenses. In fact, my experience has been that the picture has been more muddied than my normal vision.
Lastly, the build quality of these sunglasses tends to be garbage. With a premium brand, not only will you typically get some sort of warranty if an arm breaks off, but the frequency with which that happens will be less. I've had some cheap pairs that didn't even last through one outing. I understand the argument is "X number of pairs of cheap glasses for one expensive pair." And that's true, but if you take the time to sniff out a deal, that argument tends not to hold as much water.
Shopping for Your First Pair of Fishing Sunglasses
So, have I persuaded you? If yes, good; you'll have a lot more fun on the water. If no, good; more deals for me. In any event, you've got some choices to make. Let's get into it.
Fit
First thing's first, the sunglasses have to stay put on your face. Put them on. Look up and look down ten times. Did they slip? Too loose. If you've got a small head, try looking at lighter weight models that might not move around as much. Once you've found a pair that don't slip, walk around for a bit with them on. If there's any tightness at all, you probably want a bigger pair. That discomfort will be a full blown PITA after 4 hours of fishing.
Frame
Here, you've got a decision to make between a wraparound style frame, or flat one. A wraparound frame will hug your eye sockets more closely, allowing less light in around the frame. This will eliminate glare from light coming in from the side, and will generally keep the image more contrasty. One downside, however, is that the air circulation isn't as good with these frames. They can be hotter and fog up more than flat frames. There isn't a right or wrong choice here, but if the glasses are fogging up while you're in the store trying them on, pick a different style. It will be much worse when you're on the water.
Lenses
The lenses are what makes spending more on fishing sunglasses worth it. Obviously, you want polarized lenses. After that, you've got a few more decisions to make. You'll have to decide (1) what base lens color and mirror you want, and (2) whether you want glass or plastic lenses.
For lens color, the choices will vary a little by manufacturer. Sometimes there will be two colors associated with a lens; a base tint and a mirror color. For tints, you're generally going to choose from three major color families, which may contain subcolors. They are gray (includes silver, platinum, and smoke), brown (which includes bronze, copper, vermillion, and red), or yellow. For some manufacturers, there's a difference between two colors in the same family, but for a first time buyer, these are the general categories. Once you choose the tint, you'll have a choice of whether you want a mirror lens. Gray tints are usually paired with blue and silver mirrors; brown tints with green or bronze/copper mirrors, and yellow tints usually have gold mirrors (or, more often, no mirror at all).
A gray tint is going to be good for offshore conditions with intense sunlight. These are typically going to cut deeper into the water column and the ultra-harsh glare you'll find on open water. Brown tints are good for inshore fishing and sight-fishing in shallower water. These tints tend to be more contrasty, and sometimes let a bit more light in over gray tints. Some say this is the most versatile lens color family. Yellow tints let in a ton of light (about four times as much), and are specialist lenses for fishing in low-light conditions. As for mirrors, they*will block a bit more total light from reaching your eyes. So if you fish in a brighter area, give mirrors a try. If it's often overcast, you might pass on them.
If you have a choice between glass and plastic, here's what you want to consider. Glass is going to weigh more. It will also be a bit more prone to breaking, but because it's a harder material, it will be less prone to scratching. Plastic, on the other hand, will weigh less, break less, and scratch more. Some say that glass makes for a sharper picture than plastic, but I wasn't able to tell.
Brands
I've never been much a brand-name junkie, but after trying on dozens of sunglasses, I have to say that it makes a difference. The brands that I would consider to be putting out good products are Smith, Costa Del Mar, Maui Jim, Salt Life, and Wiley X. So how do you choose?
If you've got some friends who fish with these, ask them if you can try them out. No matter how long you try them out in the store, nothing beats looking at fish in fishy water. If you don't have that option, try on as many of these brands as you can in a store. Ask the sales associate if you can try them on outside. Everyone's eyes are different. Most people tend to like Costas, but I wasn't so hot on them. Try on everything you can.
How to Find a Deal
Found a pair you absolutely love? Great! Are they under $100? Buy em! No; more like double that? Write down the dimensions printed on the inside arm, or the model name, along with what type of lens you liked best and walk out of the store. I know, it's kind of a dick move, but these things almost*never go on sale at retail locations.
Go online, and enter the manufacturer and the name of the lens into Google shopping. You're going to find a ton of online retailers that are selling last year's models at steep discounts. So we'll use my search as an example.
I really liked the Smith Frontman glasses with Polarized Bronze Mirror Chromapop lenses. But at over $200, that wasn't happening. In Google Shopping, I did a search for "smith chromapop bronze," with a price limit of $100. Then, I went on Smith's website for the dimensions of the Frontman glasses. The lowest priced result from Google was $70, but it was for a pair much smaller than the Frontmans(men?). A couple more results up, and I found the Dovers, an old model from last year. Only about a millimeter off on a measurement or two, but polarized, bronze mirror, and Chromapop. Bingo; $80 shipped!
Conclusion
I know it's a lot of money for sunglasses. At TFB, we like cheap gear, but it's really about getting the most bang for your buck. Good sunglasses help you sneak up on fish you'd otherwise spook; cast to fish you'd otherwise miss; and set the hook on bites you'd otherwise not feel, all while protecting your eyes from flies whizzing by at over 100mph and UV death rays. It's money well spent.
---
You can ask almost any angler what they can't go fishing without, and almost invariably the answer is the same: sunglasses. Specs. Shades. If that's not the answer you get, the person you're asking isn't wrong. They just haven't had a sampling of the good life.
In this primer, we're going to start with the benefits of a good pair of sunglasses, and why you shouldn't use those gas station specials. Then we'll talk about shopping for your first pair, covering fit, lens selection, and how to get a good deal.
Why You Need Good Fishing Sunglasses
Good sunglasses primarily do two things when you're fishing. First, they eliminate glare, which is light reflecting off the surface of the water. Second, they filter certain types of light, which will enhance your view of the water by making other types of light stand out more.
Glare occurs when light hits a surface, usually a flat one, and is reflected laterally throughout the surface. You'll notice that, when you see glare in a window, you can eliminate it changing your viewing position, usually closer to perpendicular to the window. The same thing happens with water, except that you usually can't adjust your angle because you can't get higher up. This creates glare and hides the fish from your view. Polarized sunglasses are made with a filter that eliminates light traveling in a certain manner that matches glare, allowing you to see through the surface of the water.
Good sunglasses also improve the image you see when looking at something. In the context of fishing, depending on the environment you're in, a good pair will filter out light that is not useful in that environment. The glasses do this by controlling both the total amount of light allowed to pass through, as well as certain types of colors.
In addition to fishing-specific benefits, a good pair of sunglasses will save your eyes. Don't believe me? Try reading a book or newspaper after going fishing for a couple hours without sunglasses. Not so easy, right? That's going to get a WHOLE lot worse with age. Just like your skin can get damaged (or worse) with constant exposure to sun, so too can your eyes.
Why Those Gas Station Specials Aren't Good
Because you won't catch as many fish. Period. I remember listening to a podcast that discussed a study about how often anglers missed bites from fish, and it's something like 3 out of 4 bites are missed. When you see the fish, you catch the fish.
Not all polarized lenses are created equal. I've worn everything from the actual gas station specials to mid-ranged, fishing specific sunglasses, and nothing approaches a premium brand's polarization. Not even close. Also, you won't see the same level of contrast and sharpness out of cheaper lenses. In fact, my experience has been that the picture has been more muddied than my normal vision.
Lastly, the build quality of these sunglasses tends to be garbage. With a premium brand, not only will you typically get some sort of warranty if an arm breaks off, but the frequency with which that happens will be less. I've had some cheap pairs that didn't even last through one outing. I understand the argument is "X number of pairs of cheap glasses for one expensive pair." And that's true, but if you take the time to sniff out a deal, that argument tends not to hold as much water.
Shopping for Your First Pair of Fishing Sunglasses
So, have I persuaded you? If yes, good; you'll have a lot more fun on the water. If no, good; more deals for me. In any event, you've got some choices to make. Let's get into it.
Fit
First thing's first, the sunglasses have to stay put on your face. Put them on. Look up and look down ten times. Did they slip? Too loose. If you've got a small head, try looking at lighter weight models that might not move around as much. Once you've found a pair that don't slip, walk around for a bit with them on. If there's any tightness at all, you probably want a bigger pair. That discomfort will be a full blown PITA after 4 hours of fishing.
Frame
Here, you've got a decision to make between a wraparound style frame, or flat one. A wraparound frame will hug your eye sockets more closely, allowing less light in around the frame. This will eliminate glare from light coming in from the side, and will generally keep the image more contrasty. One downside, however, is that the air circulation isn't as good with these frames. They can be hotter and fog up more than flat frames. There isn't a right or wrong choice here, but if the glasses are fogging up while you're in the store trying them on, pick a different style. It will be much worse when you're on the water.
Lenses
The lenses are what makes spending more on fishing sunglasses worth it. Obviously, you want polarized lenses. After that, you've got a few more decisions to make. You'll have to decide (1) what base lens color and mirror you want, and (2) whether you want glass or plastic lenses.
For lens color, the choices will vary a little by manufacturer. Sometimes there will be two colors associated with a lens; a base tint and a mirror color. For tints, you're generally going to choose from three major color families, which may contain subcolors. They are gray (includes silver, platinum, and smoke), brown (which includes bronze, copper, vermillion, and red), or yellow. For some manufacturers, there's a difference between two colors in the same family, but for a first time buyer, these are the general categories. Once you choose the tint, you'll have a choice of whether you want a mirror lens. Gray tints are usually paired with blue and silver mirrors; brown tints with green or bronze/copper mirrors, and yellow tints usually have gold mirrors (or, more often, no mirror at all).
A gray tint is going to be good for offshore conditions with intense sunlight. These are typically going to cut deeper into the water column and the ultra-harsh glare you'll find on open water. Brown tints are good for inshore fishing and sight-fishing in shallower water. These tints tend to be more contrasty, and sometimes let a bit more light in over gray tints. Some say this is the most versatile lens color family. Yellow tints let in a ton of light (about four times as much), and are specialist lenses for fishing in low-light conditions. As for mirrors, they*will block a bit more total light from reaching your eyes. So if you fish in a brighter area, give mirrors a try. If it's often overcast, you might pass on them.
If you have a choice between glass and plastic, here's what you want to consider. Glass is going to weigh more. It will also be a bit more prone to breaking, but because it's a harder material, it will be less prone to scratching. Plastic, on the other hand, will weigh less, break less, and scratch more. Some say that glass makes for a sharper picture than plastic, but I wasn't able to tell.
Brands
I've never been much a brand-name junkie, but after trying on dozens of sunglasses, I have to say that it makes a difference. The brands that I would consider to be putting out good products are Smith, Costa Del Mar, Maui Jim, Salt Life, and Wiley X. So how do you choose?
If you've got some friends who fish with these, ask them if you can try them out. No matter how long you try them out in the store, nothing beats looking at fish in fishy water. If you don't have that option, try on as many of these brands as you can in a store. Ask the sales associate if you can try them on outside. Everyone's eyes are different. Most people tend to like Costas, but I wasn't so hot on them. Try on everything you can.
How to Find a Deal
Found a pair you absolutely love? Great! Are they under $100? Buy em! No; more like double that? Write down the dimensions printed on the inside arm, or the model name, along with what type of lens you liked best and walk out of the store. I know, it's kind of a dick move, but these things almost*never go on sale at retail locations.
Go online, and enter the manufacturer and the name of the lens into Google shopping. You're going to find a ton of online retailers that are selling last year's models at steep discounts. So we'll use my search as an example.
I really liked the Smith Frontman glasses with Polarized Bronze Mirror Chromapop lenses. But at over $200, that wasn't happening. In Google Shopping, I did a search for "smith chromapop bronze," with a price limit of $100. Then, I went on Smith's website for the dimensions of the Frontman glasses. The lowest priced result from Google was $70, but it was for a pair much smaller than the Frontmans(men?). A couple more results up, and I found the Dovers, an old model from last year. Only about a millimeter off on a measurement or two, but polarized, bronze mirror, and Chromapop. Bingo; $80 shipped!
Conclusion
I know it's a lot of money for sunglasses. At TFB, we like cheap gear, but it's really about getting the most bang for your buck. Good sunglasses help you sneak up on fish you'd otherwise spook; cast to fish you'd otherwise miss; and set the hook on bites you'd otherwise not feel, all while protecting your eyes from flies whizzing by at over 100mph and UV death rays. It's money well spent.
