Chances are, every serious fisher-person south of
Canada either owns or has heard of these miracle shades that let
you see tens of feet into
the fish's watery world. They are known as "polarized" sunglasses and
have become more of a phenomenon than just a way to block out the sun.
For those of you who do own polarized sunglasses, you know what a valuable
resource they can be, and for those of you who don't, you are missing
out on a great tool to catch fish.
First off, the idea of polarizing
lenses is not a new concept. It has been around for nearly two decades.
But until recently, it was only applied to high end rifle scopes, binoculars,
and camera optics. This due primarily to the fact that up until recently,
the process of polarizing a lens was very costly and time consuming.
Though with advances in the fields of optics, it has become practical
and worthwhile to apply this polarization process to sunglasses and
in some cases prescription eye glasses. Polarization by definition
means
that the glass is treated by aligning the molecules in the glass in
one direction, which eliminates the refraction of light and drastically
reduces
visible glare. It's in this reduction of glare that produces the effect
of "seeing through the water". By removing the surface glare, the wearer
gets a clearer picture and a wider field of vision on and under the
water. Of course, the lighting conditions on any given day will determine
exactly
how effective the glasses are. The sun directly overhead, provides
the wearer with the best possible results with these glasses, most
of the
light is directed upwards and not on an angle where it would shine
directly at the lens, such as during sunrise or sunset.
Like any other
product,
quality comes at a price. The cost of these polarized sunglasses
can run anywhere from ten to fifteen dollars for Wal-Mart discount
rack
types, upwards of three hundred dollars for premium optics and designer
names.
I like to designate them into four categories: Low End, Lower Mid
Price, Upper Mid Price, and High End. Each of these categories have
their
pros and cons.
Low End: Lower end polarized glasses can usually be found on either
discount racks at Wal-Mart type stores or in the discount section of outdoor
catalogs such as Bass Pro Shops. Whilst the packaging may say polarized,
chances are that for ten to fifteen dollars they aren't. Rather, they are
regular lenses with an anti reflecting or anti glare layer of cellophane.
This gives the illusion of being polarized and in many cases does offer
some of the features of having polarized lenses. However, there are two
major pit falls of units in this price range. Number one, there are usually
limited styles. Number two, The cellophane coating on the lens has a nasty
habit of peeling up or bubbling after a few months of use. Use in heat
can speed up this peeling and bubbling as well.
Lower Mid Price:
Units in this category usually fall somewhere between twenty to forty
dollars and offer several significant improvements over their low
end competitors.
First major improvement and possibly the most important is that in
most cases the lenses are actually polarized. There is no cellophane
or film
on the lens, rather it is treated when the lens is formed. The next
major improvement lies in the fact that there is far more styles
in this category.
Quite possibly the best deal in this category comes in the "store brand" glasses
that Cabellas or Bass Pro Shops offers. They are well made, have
polarized glass, and in many cases offer attractive styling. Another
nice deal
in this category is the Remington/Stren Fisherman sunglasses. They
offer a
wrap around design, as well as interchangeable lenses. The set comes
with two different lenses one smoke colored and the other in an amber
color.
This allows the user to select the proper tint for the lighting conditions
on any given day. I have owned these before and I will attest that
for the price, you will receive a very unique and functional product.
Upper
Mid Priced: Those units falling under this category usually range
from fifty to one hundred dollars. Undoubtedly most of the good deals
on this
type of product fall somewhere in here. Here is where one will usually
find the best product for the money. In this category all the glass
is always polarized as it is formed, and will sometimes offer a non
scratch
coating. Also in this category look for metal components such as
hinges. Sometimes, glasses in the price range might offer extras
like a cleaning
kit or a "croakie". Another bonus to this category is that nearly
all the current styles will be offered and in many cases can double
as "off the
water" sunglasses as well. A great producer of glasses in this category
is Costa-Del-Mar. They offer great styles as well as a truly incredible
lens, that in many cases puts high end models to shame. As of now,
I own the Costa-Del-Mar Ex-Frame model, and needless to say, I am
absouloutly
thrilled with them. I also wouldn't trade them for any other brand.
They are extremely comfortable and in driving situations, actually
cut the
glare
from shinny pavement surfaces as well, which is a nice feature when
driving into blinding sun. As far as on the water performance, they
offer everything
a buyer could want in a pair of fishing sunglasses as well as serve
as eye protection when running up or down lake at full speed.
High End:
The glasses in this category normally range upwards of a hundred
dollars and usually are from a designer name. There is very little
I could justify
for paying more than a hundred dollars for a pair of sunglasses,
when the upper mid price units offer all you could ever need and
more. Runway
designers
such as Calvin Kline or Versache do produce several lines of sun
protective eye wear that are polarized and are considered for "sport
use". These designers
could run upwards of three hundred dollars. A bitter irony is that
many of the upper mid priced models are specifically designed for
fishing and water sports, and come with a better polarization treatment
than do the designer sport glasses which are usually designed for "general
outdoor use". There are however some high end glasses produced specifically
for fishing, that are retailing above the three figure range. One
of these is Ocean Wave sunglasses which are a similar design to Costa
Del Mar, but feature an exclusive "mirror blue" feature which is
said to cut nearly 100% of surface glare. Also, it should be mentioned
that on certain upper
mid priced models that added features could drive up the price, like
mirrored lenses. For instance, a pair of Costa Del Mar glasses with
smoke finish
might retail for $99.99 but add mirrored or specialty lenses, and
you're looking at $149.99. It should be noted that mirroring a lens
does tend
to cut a little more glare away, but is usually more for cosmetic
and appearance than anything else.
A good way to attempt purchasing
your
eye wear, is
to evaluate your needs and then go on looking from there. Unless
you know exactly what you want, I would stay away from mail order
catalogs
and stick
with eye wear retailers or sporting goods stores, where you have
the chance to touch and try. Also, be sure of your retailers return
policy,
in case
you wish to return your purchase after you give them a shot on
the water. It's not uncommon to have to try two or three pairs to
finally
settle
on one pair you are truly comfortable with. Remember, it's best
to consider your sunglasses another piece of fishing tackle, and
not
something that's
to be taken lightly. Oddly, a fisher-person who is willing to spend
two hundred dollars on a reel, gives you a look of utter disgust
when you
suggest
to them to spend half that on something that will protect their
eyes from harmful UV light, act as eye protection at high speeds
in a
boat, as well
as help them to see structure and fish they would otherwise have
missed. With that in mind, perhaps it's time to evaluate your sun
protective
eye wear, and consider it's many functions.
Catch ya' on the water... Nick Ruiz
