Posted by Jim E (24.116.99.140) on March 25, 2004 at 18:47:39:
Can you see it ?
Polarized sunglasses. They should be part of every anglers attire all of the time on the water, if for no other reason but for safety. Safety ? That’s right safety, but more on that latter.
I went so many years fishing with sunglasses that I thought were polarized only to find that they were not. (I never really checked them and now its kind of a Homer Simpson’s …DOPE !!!) Years ago, I used to do a lot of bicycle road racing. The glasses “to have” then were the Oakley brand. They were nice, lightweight, comfortable and coool looking. All of this, though, came for a price, a high price by the standards of that day. So, I figured they of course “had to be polarized” and didn’t think about it again. It wasn’t until years later that a fishing buddy and I were on a trip, he was trying to point out a fish to me that I just couldn’t make out. His “cheap” pair of Strike King Bill Dance glasses were a different shading than mine so we switched, thinking that was the difference. As soon as I placed them on my face, someone turned on a light under water, so it seemed. Wow !!! I realized then that my Oakley glasses were not all that I thought that they were. I didn’t want to trade back and was ready to leave right then, find the nearest store that would have a pair and return to fish, more enlightened. I didn’t end up doing that and suffered throughout the rest of the day but, mind you, I purchased a pair before my next outing.
The polarizing coating on the sunglass lens filters out the refracted light rays from the waters surface, allowing the wearer to see “into” the water. Depending on your vantage point (the higher the better), objects can be seen quite a bit clearer and more defined, be it fish, rocks etc. This is where the safety part comes in. Being able to see before you step makes for safer wading. I know of guides that insist on their clients wearing polarized glasses, with the biggest reason being wading safety.
Polarized sunglasses run the gamut for costs. A pair can be had for as little as $5 all the way up to $300-400 !!! Some companies even offer them to be made to your prescription, if needed. Beaver’s Bend Fly Shop stocks some of the more moderately priced ones. The different colored lens can help or hurt some, depending on the ambient light. Overall, I prefer the more brownish/tan lens, as they seem to brighten objects and provide more definition, making it a good all around color. Extremely sunny, bright days could call for the darker gray lens and very low light situations, such as right at dusk, a yellow lens would do well.
Other general safety reasons also come into play by just wearing sunglasses. They can protect your eyes from errant flies/casts, keep the annoying bugs from getting into your eyes and prevent limbs or sticks from slapping your eyes too when busting through the bushes to get to that “special” spot. Not to mention keeping the wind out of them as well. All of these have happened to me and I was glad to have the sun specs on for protection. Ohh…and I almost forgot one more…they’re great to have on for when Sid is telling you one of his fish “stories” so he can’t see you rolling your eyes in disbelief !!! :*) LOL
Better quality glasses can give you more of a distortion free complete view as they either mold or grind the lens to the needed contour rather than bending and forcing the lens into shape. To simply check for lens distortion, put them on and focus your eyes on a smaller object or better yet, something that forms a straight line. Move and rotate your head around while having your eyes fixed on said object and try to view it through the full area of the lens. Obviously, you will notice any lens created distortion by doing this and it can help you decide what glasses are just the ones for you. AND don’t forget to check yourself in the mirror because naturally, the “cool factor” is one of the things that add to your fish catching abilities !!!
Thanks for reading. Comments are always welcomed and NO !!! I’m afraid the big clown sunglasses aren’t available with polarized lenses.
Jim Enns <*;))))))))><