Sunglasses

[skcuf]

I currently don't have a pair of polarized sunglasses and am in the market for some. My question here is that does the tint of the lense matter more than personal preference for the viewing of fish? Also, how much do the polarized lenses actually help when spotting fish and underwater viewing?

 

[NCPAtrtbum]

I find they help a lot whether it be for spotting fish or just walking around, they cut down the glare a ton and really light things up.

What I don't understand is the price on some of the big named brands. I own a pair of Orvis's royal coachman's, 40 bucks. I'm sure a pair of Berkley's from wal-mart would do the same thing for 12 bucks.

 

[Tiltaxp]

Polarized sunglasses are a must for me. Not even for spotting fish but more so for wading and safety. Different lenses will work better in certain water conditions certain lenses will work better in different conditions, i recommend amber or yellow for most applications though.

 

[skcuf]

I currently have a pair of Oakley fives sunglasses. I have had these for about 4 years now since my brother gave them to me. I think when it comes to these glasses you pay for comfort as well as quality. The glasses I have are so light I don't even feel them on my face. Also, they are virtually unbreakable. I have sat on them and popped the ear rests off and they just go right back in. Just as well I have been hit in the eye from flying stone while weedwhacking or working and they have only a few minor scratches from this.

The pair I am looking at are again Oakleys, as they have proven their quality to me. My brother can get them over half off so I might as well go with that.

My question still stands, however, about the lens color? My preferred lens color to date is smoke. But would a different color, possibly amber, allow a better visual through the water?

 

[iceyguides]

For fishing you probably want amber. It's the best all around fishing lens imo. Smoke or grey colors are good for bright days, but too dark if it's overcast. You want to be able to still have enough light to see on overcast days as many fishing trips and sometimes the better trips are on overcast days. I spot some fish with mine, but they're mostly good for getting better reads on the water, which leads to more fish...

 

[BPS]

Iceyguides is right. That's really all there is to it.

Amber>Smoke/grey

 

[gfen]

Polarization aside, yellow cuts blue and blue light enhances haze. Yellow tint isn't as effective as amber, but will enhance clarity (desptite cutting light transmission) at twilight and dusk.

Smoke/grey doesn't cut blue light, it just cuts light transmission. It'll make it darker, but it won't due anything for clarity other than the polarization. It, however, has the least effect on colour balance.

This leads us to brown/amber. This has some blue filtering capability, in addition to cutting light transmission. This is why as you fish into dusk, it becomes a question whether to leave your sunglasses on or skip them, and it becomes that very fine line.

If you're buying sunglasses for sunglasses' sake, you'd want smoke. If, however, you're buying them for sporting purposes, its amber all the way.

I've never had a pair of yellow tint lenses, but would consider adding them to my collection (of clip ons) as I imagine as the sun drops and the blue wavelengths become overpowering, they will do the most to provide the least amount of reduction in transmission. That's untested water for me, however, YMMV.

 

[pcray1231]

They are essentially a must for me. They do help spot fish, a lot, but even then I'm spotting a small percentage of the fish I catch. Where they really make the big difference to me is in reading water, you can see structure so much better.

I'll vote for amber. I don't think color makes a huge difference, but the amber does seem brighter and sharper (HD sunglasses, lol, it's just amber lenses which improve contrast).

One caution, being that things look so bright in them, you'd think they're gonna help you near dark. They don't, no sunglasses do. Polarizers cut out a % of the light, thats how they work, so at dusk nothing short of night vision is going to improve how well you see, there are only degrees of degradation, so you just take em off altogether.

 

[skcuf]

I was thinking that amber lenses would have more contrast to them. I am also going to be wearing these as my daily sunglasses when I get them. I look at things in terms of dollar per hour and if I wear them for 6 hours a day the price essentially becomes meaningless.

One of the big reasons I am looking into getting polarized glasses is that I am sick of walking into unseen obstacles while wading. Not only is this annoying but it seems to be dangerous as well.

 

[gfen]

skcuf wrote:
I was thinking that amber lenses would have more contrast to them.

They increase contrast by cutting blue wavelengths. They don't have more contrast, but they increase.

 

[jdaddy]

What do you guys think of amber lenses? Are they a marketing joke?

 

[hendeylathe]

I've got a pair of Smith Optics Locsha sunglasses. Copper lenses
w/2.5 power bifocal. I'd hate to fish without them.

 

[gfen]

jdaddy wrote:
What do you guys think of amber lenses? Are they a marketing joke?

Amber as in yellow?

I think they help at dusk/twilight, but not at any other time. Again, "haze" is going to amplify blue light, so yellow tint is going to cut back the blue light significantly, while having less effect cutting back visible light. It'll improve contrast, but how much is the question.

As I said earlier, when dusk hits, it becomes a question as to if I leave the brown clipons in place, or I just go naked. The trade off to cutting visible light versus filtering out excess blue.

I wouldn't spend money on yellow clip ons, but if someone gave a pair I'd try them with an open mind.

 

[FishingCreekEmerger]

For fresh water you want brown lenses.

 

[jjsjigs]

Just wear a scuba mask and dip yer head under the water.

ok, ok... seriously. sunglasses are as important to me as bringing the rod and reel.

 

[Phish_On]

Costa Del Mar... That is all

 

[pcray1231]

I go for the $20 cheapos you find everywhere. Just make sure they're polarized.

I have no doubt expensive glasses are nicer. But I can be counted on to bust or lose about a pair per year.

 

[Phish_On]

I have had my costas for almost 5 years. They key to keeping sunglasses is to get a leash. If you glasses are always around your neck they can't get lost or broken.

 

[skcuf]

I can't find $20 cheapos that will fit my tiny head. I wear a small motorcycle helmet comfortably for a good comparison of the size of my noggin. My helmet is so small most people can't even begin to pull it on. I have a pair of cheapo sunglasses that are polarized, but as I said they are too big and it is so uncomfortable to wear them that my fishing is actually impaired. I use them when wading so I don't kill myself and then I switch back to my comfortable sunglasses for eye protection.

 

[troutpoop]

I've been wearing Maui Jims for about 6-7 years. The originals have an amber lens. Very light weight and really cut the glare. I do wear these as my everyday sun glasses. When on the stream I have a cheapie black string thingy to keep from dropping them in the water if I need to remove them for tying on flies( I need magnifiers for that ).