Seeing What is Out There
![Seeing What is Out There](https://s3.amazonaws.com/busites_www/tsfmag/meta/page/0313WEB_sommerlatte_1486680867.jpg)
After a decade and a half of guiding fly anglers there are several
things that truly baffle me in regards to gear my customers bring and
one that stands out most is the eyewear some of them elect to use. Over
the years I have seen it all- anglers who show up with glasses that are
not polarized, all the way down to anglers who show up with no
sunglasses at all. Come on, you're killing me Smalls!
Let me tell you folks, if you are a fly angler, a quality pair of POLARIZED glasses is one of the most important items to own simply because- sight-casting is what we fly fishermen live to do.
I
still remember my introduction to polarized lenses back in the early
80s when television-fishing personality Bill Dance started pimping his
brand of sunglasses. You could get them at just about any store that
sold fishing tackle and they cost something like $9.99. They had gray
plastic lenses that were as flimsy as a business card and they were plum
ugly. Well, considering that was all I knew at the time, I owned
several pair. Of course this was more necessity than choice considering
they were easily broken and I was of course a pre-teen possessing a
Y-chromosome (meaning I could destroy or loose anything in a matter of
minutes). Honestly, I would love to know how many pairs of those cheap
sunglasses I went through over the years. Hell, I probably put one of
his kids through college.
Anyway, years later I discovered that
there were better glasses and moved on however, it was not until the
Coast Guard sent me to Key West sometime in the early 90s that I bought
my first pair of true quality polarized sunglasses. On one of my days
off I wandered into the H.T. Chittum Co. fly shop and discovered Costa
Del Mar. The person behind the counter made the argument that I needed a
better pair of sunglasses if I was going to be sight-casting to
bonefish on the flats; I agreed and bought a pair. Mind you they were
big ol' ugly, bug-eyed looking things with side-shields but, after
wearing them only a few days, I realized how much better they were in so
many ways. For one, they were much more durable than any pair of
polarized glasses I had owned previous and most importantly, I was no
longer getting headaches at the end of the day from looking through the
less than quality lenses of all of my previous glasses.
Since
then, I have been through many pairs of expensive polarized sunglasses
trying to find what I considered to be the perfect pair. But what
constitutes the perfect pair, you might ask? Well, let us take a look at
the pros and cons of what is available out there.
In my opinion,
the first thing that should be taken into consideration when looking
for a pair of glasses should be the quality of the lens. This is where
optics and durability come into play. When choosing a lens, higher
prices usually (not always), represent a company's willingness to pay
for the science, research and development to put forth a quality product
with precision optics. If you have ever had a headache at the end of
long day of fishing, chances are, it is because you are looking through a
lens that has poor optics, has become distorted in the heat, or is even
beginning to delaminate. Inexpensive, in regards to sunglasses, usually
means cheap!
The second thing to consider is whether glass or
polycarbonate lenses are best suited to your needs and there are
advantages and disadvantages to both. Glass lenses have, as a rule,
better optics and are hands down more durable in the department of
scratch resistance. However, glass lenses are heavier and more easily
broken. On the other hand, polycarbonate lenses offer shatter resistance
(safety) and are much lighter but, they also scratch quite easily.
Next
on the list for consideration is lens color. This actually boils down
to figuring out where you will be fishing and, ultimately, what you
like. So, instead of telling you what I like here, I will give you some
guidelines. Gray lenses enhance contrast and are good for spotting fish
and structure light-colored bottoms bright sand. Copper, amber, green,
etc., are better for enhancing color. What this boils down to is that
only you can decide what color works best to enhance what you
feel is best to make your day more successful. Some anglers own more
than one and switch as light and bottom conditions vary throughout the
day.
Moving on, not too many years ago I made the decision to try
out a high-end brand of polarized glasses that offered only
polycarbonate lenses. I loved how light they were, the optics were
incredible and they had a couple of frames that fit me fairly well. They
sent me a few pair and I was quite pleased for the first month or so.
That was right up until I realized that the lens had started getting
cloudy from excessive cleaning, so I switched to one of the other pairs
and the same thing happened. Long and short of it- I went through three
pairs of expensive, high-quality glasses in just under a year. I was not
happy about it so I started looking at other brands of glasses.
It
had been nearly ten years since I had worn Costas but they had an
impressive display at a trade show I attended so I went by to check them
out. I had always been impressed with their lens quality (optics and
scratch resistance) and frames (durability) however, I never really
found any frames that truly fit me. And, since I failed to mention it
above- the fit of your glasses is every bit as important as lens
quality. They should block any light from the side or from behind to
prevent reflections or glare on the inside of the lens that can distract
your eye (a major cause of eye fatigue) and should be comfortable to
wear. Anyway, after trying on numerous styles of frames I found a couple
of pair that fit me perfectly so I chose one and got me a pair with
copper Wave 580 glass lenses and wore them for a few months to see how I
liked them and ultimately how they would hold up to my abuse. The short
version- I have never, since that first pair of big, ugly Costas, been
so happy with a pair of sunglasses and now have a half dozen pair.
Anyway,
if you haven't seen what's out there you really should take a look at a
quality pair of sunglasses. In my opinion, they will help make your day
of fly fishing more enjoyable and will ultimately help you catch more
fish.