Aside from the equipment we need to actually hook and land a fish, sunglasses are right up there as an important, must-have item for anglers.
Polarized sunglasses eliminate glare off the surface and allow us to see better beneath the water–a very important aspect of fishing for all anglers.
Sunglasses also protect our eyes from flying hooks, as well as bright sunlight which can be damaging.
Walk into a store to buy a new pair of glasses and there is a seemingly endless variety of frames and lens colours to choose from. It can be overwhelming, for sure.
I often get asked on my social media pages, “What is the best lens for me?” The answer sort of depends on what your fishing activities consist of.
Costa Sunglasses has been a sponsor of mine for the past couple of years. They have a reputation within the fishing community for making some of the best glasses for anglers. They have hundreds of frame options in their lineup for both men and women, with seven different lens colours, covering anglers for all situations they may be faced with.
As a bass angler, being able to see in the water is important on many days when we’re fishing shallow-enough water where we actually might see bass or see cover that could be holding bass, like boulders, weed clumps, or even around trees and docks.
Seeing a bass swimming along before it sees you greatly increases your odds of catching it.
The same can be said for pike and musky anglers watching for following fish or looking for crappies around weeds clumps in shallow water in the spring. There have been many days where I’ve seen just a quick glimpse of a fish or some form of cover that tipped me off on where to drop my lure and that resulted in an extra bite or two.
When it comes to choosing a lens colour for fresh-water fishing, the best option in my opinion is green mirror. These lenses are great for contrasting different shades of colour and protecting your eyes from the sun.
They are the most popular lens worn by professional tournament anglers. Blue mirror lenses, on the other hand, are more popular with offshore saltwater anglers.
Since I make my living on catching fish under a variety of conditions in both my tournament and guiding activities, I keep a couple of different pairs in my boat.
I like the sunrise silver mirror lens for low-light conditions, such as early and late in the day or those dark, cloudy days when it’s hard to see in the water.
These lenses really brighten things up and you’ll be able see a lot better than your partner in the boat. Amber and copper lens colours also are popular for lightening things up.
For choosing a frame, I’m a big fan of trying on a few different pairs before you make your purchase.
You want a frame that is going to be comfortable for long days on the water, so make sure you try them on with the hat that you like to wear when you’re fishing and make sure they fit fairly tight on your face so they don’t move around a lot while you’re wearing them.
One other thing to keep in mind is that the less light the frames let in to your eyes, the better you’ll be able to see out of the glasses, so frames that are tighter fitting to your face are best.
With sunglasses, you get what you pay for. If you go with the $30 gas station pair, they probably are not going to be all that comfortable or last that long. As well, glass lenses are more expensive but they are much more resistant to scratching, so they will have a longer life span.
No matter what kinds of activities you enjoy in the outdoors, sunglasses are a good investment for enhancing the experience and protecting your eyes.
Happy shopping!
Fort Frances Times
Local News from Across the Rainy River District
