Eyewear

[BassProAddict]

Do you all agree that this is an EXTREMELY important aspect of bass fishing? You hear pros talk about this all the time but are those sponsorships talking?

Do you use eyewear? What in your opinion is the best brand,lense color for bass fishing in varying conditions and weather patterns?

[Central Bassman]

Yes, I think it is extremely important to wear sunglasses when bass fishing for two reason. First is safety, if you are fishing in shallow water and are flipping to targets that are close to the boat, Sometimes you think you have a bit and you set the hook and the lure will come flying out of the water right at you. If you are fishing fast and coving a lot of water with crank bait, you never know when a fish could just come off next to the boat and the lure could fly right into your face. If you fish with a partner a lot and you guys are making a lot of cast, sometimes people move in the boat and you don’t know they are standing behind you and you pull your rod back to make a cast and you hit them. With the Sharpe hooks that we use on these baits and how fast we fish it is a must have. It’s for your protection!!!

Second, would have to be the glair on the water. I don’t know any crazy facts or anything like that but I do know that it isn’t good for your eyes.

I use Natives, mostly in a Amber color lens and also in a dark black. Every pair of sunglasses that I use has to be polarized. It helps take that glair off the water and helps me see fish in shallow water a lot easier. There are a lot of good brands out there.

Sunglasses in my opinion are a MUST HAVE in the boat!!!

[BassProAddict]

The safety factor is actually non-negotiable.

Let's talk about the performance factor.It's easy to say that polarized glasses help in sight fishing but what would be a good color/type of lense for less than crystal clear applications to downright mud-in-the-water type of situations?

They say amber is good for most occassions and all day use.They say blue is good for open water as is green.

[Central Bassman]

If the water is really muddy I don’t think it really matters what color lens you use. It will more depend on how bright the day is then.

I like a Amber or a Dark Black tint lens year around on all types of water. I always make sure to have a hat or visor on to help shadow my face, That will make a big differences. I have tried some different color lenses but always seem to come back to the more natural colors.(seems easier on my eyes) The blue and greens just don’t do it for me, I have tried a yellow tint lens before when it was a darker day, but again I’m not a fan of that. I also think with a Amber lens i can watch my line a lot better

[polarsusd81]

I am right there with you guys on the safety factor. Anything to provide an extra layer of protection for your eyes is better than nothing. And yes, the bright reflections off of the water can actually burn your eyes if exposed for prolonged periods of time.

The glasses I am wearing in my avatar photo are the ones I use exclusively on the water. They are Oakley A Wire Polarized in an amber tint. They are the best glasses I have ever had, and they do have a pretty good scratch across the right lens from a crankbait. Doesn't effect the vision out of the lens too bad, but it is better than not having a right eye. They were something like $250 when I bought them, but I use them all the time, not just for fishing. I have a couple other pairs of Oakley glasses too, but they are more for driving than fishing as they are not polarized and not fully framed lenses.

If you don't have glasses, get them. Plain and simple.

[Deitz Dittrich]

I have 3 pairs of glasses in my boat at just about all times... all different lense colors. Depending on lake and cloud cover different lenses work better...For shallow water, and DEEP water, quality polarized glasses can give you an advantage over other anglers. In deep water you are able to see further in the water and pick out weeds or steep drops better... and in shallow water your able to see the fish at times and see how they react to your lure.

then like all have already mentioned.. safety... I have been saved at least twice that I can remember.

[DomW]

Yup, pretty much a necessity for protection, and can help your fishing with the polarization. I like my Oakleys, but there are many excellent brands out there.

My advice is to go with a polycarbonate lens rather than glass. Although glass has excellent optical qualities, I shudder to think what my eyeball would look like if a jig came snapping back and shattered a glass lens.

[Steve Eddicus]

Just buy one good quality pair and that will treat you just fine. Don't get hung up on color, just make sure they are polarized.

[RK]

Hiya -

Sunglasses are a huge deal. Can certainly help you catch fish, but also very very important for long term eye health if you spend a lot of time on the water. It's a big deal for seeing muskies following, but I wouldn't want to bass fish without them either.

Polarized glasses obviously help see into the water, but in terms of eye health, you need to look at the UV filtering capability the lenses have. This is where buying expensive glasses gets important. Most cheap shades will block UV-A spectrum rays. So will a piece of colored plastic. Higher quality lenses will also block UV-B and UV-C spectrum UV. B and C are the UV spectrum rays that have been shown to produce eye strain and fatigue, and eye damage due to long term exposure. If you come off the water with 'tired eyes' or headaches, that's eye fatigue. For eye health reasons, look for lenses that meet ANSI standards for UV filtering.

Eye fatigue can also be caused by poor optical quality. Plastic lenses or low quality polycarbonate lenses distort the image slightly, so your eyes are constantly trying to compensate for the distortion as your eyes move around to look through different parts of the lens. Glass lenses or high quality polycarbonate lenses have the optical quality to eliminate image distortion as a source of eye fatigue.

I know a lot of guys won't drop $100 plus on sunglasses because they say they just lose them or break them. Trust me - when you drop a wad of cash on a set of shades, you become very adept at keeping track of them. I have probably half a dozen pairs, and I can tell you where all of them are right now . Just for eye health reasons alone, it's a very necessary investment. Still, never ceases to amaze me how many guys I know that have $40k boats, a rod locker full of $200 rods and $300 reels, and $12 sunglasses...

As far as color goes, I really, REALLY like the Backwater Green color from Ocean Waves. About the best all-around lens color I've been able to find. Wear 'em all the time.

Cheers,

Rob Kimm

[TurnUpTheFishing]

I hate being without polarized glasses on the water!

RK, funny you said that. I was just going to say that I buy cheap ones for those reasons (lose them, break them...). I now have a pair of peppers I paid $30 for and thats the most Ive ever spent.

You brought up some info I was unaware of. I have had that eye fatigue after long days on the water. Ill have to look into some better quality sunglasses this year.

[hhguide]

I did it last year I was buying 50 dollar sunglasses and then I finally had an eye doctor tell me that when he fishes he likes the Maui Jims that were well over 100 bucks so I bought a par and have never looked back! If costumers ask me if it makes a difference I have both pars and let them try them on and experience the difference! Its amazing it also comes back to preference becuase my Brother wont leave the coasta's behind and wont switch!

[Bushwacker]

I second the Maui Jims. I was set on buying Costa Del's and told my optomitrist about them and he suggested Maui Jims too. Flat out awesome. I think about bass fishing without sunglasses the same as I think about ice fishing without my Vexilar. Honestly, I think they are that important.

[bassNspear]

I second the Natives. I have used them for the past 4 years, and have liked them alot. Sunglasses are a must on the water, as everyone else has stated. Its nice to be able to see into the water, and pick stuff up that you would not be able to see without glasses on.

[shizzy]

I wear a pair of polarized flip up black sunglasses clipped to my everyday glasses. they dont win me any cool points but sure are handy when I want to look at what Im tying.

[Ralph Wiggum]

I've had a pair of Costa del Mars for about a year and a half. I tried every excuse not to drop a wad of cash on glasses, but eventually, I realized that not only do they help you fish, but they go a long ways in protecting your eyes, and you only get one set of eyes!

The difference is remarkable. I actually see better with them on. I wear them even when it's overcast, they're that good. Since I've been wearing them, I've noticed that my eyes are more sensitive to bright sun when I don't have them on. I guess that makes me believe that they are really protecting my eyes well.

Like RK mentioned, when you drop a bunch of $$$ on a pair of sunglasses, you treat them much better than a $10 pair of Jimmy Houston glasses from Walmart.

FWIW, I have Costa del Mar Wavekillers with glass, amber lenses with a green, mirror coating on them. They're nice! I like the Wavekillers cause I have a huge noggin and they have bigger tahn average frames.

[Nick Kuhn]

Back when I wore eyeglasses I had a pair of clip-on, non-polarized sunglasses. Those led to what I called the fisherman's tan (they didn't cover enough of my field of vision, so I couldn't simultaneously block out direct sunlight and the reflection off the water. The result is I would tend to position the boat and fish with my back to the sun, resulting in my back being far more tan than my front).

Now with contacts I do have a pair of polarized lenses that cover just about my full field of vision. Helps a lot with spotting pike and muskie that follow baits. There are a few times I've spotted fish slowly cruising shallow water weeds, but this won't be very often. Sometimes at low light times I've spotted baitfish near the surface in deeper water (too near the surface for electronics to pick up). I have caught bass throwing floating rapalas through the baitfish in over 20 feet of water.

And of course the safety factor. My old man swears every last tick he feels is a strike requiring a mighty hookset (often he's just ticking the tops of weeds), usually resulting in several "heads up" alerts per trip. That and I don't come off the water seeing spots, that's always a plus.

[Chris519]

I agree with RK. I know guys with expensive rods and reels and $10 sunglasses.

I invested in a quality pair of perscription polarized Ray Bans last year and they are great!

[shizzy]

yea, I may be investing ina good pair of prescription glasses this year. I need a good pair for fishing and riding.

[goblueM]

I just bought a pair of Natives with interchangeable lenses, amber/brown, orange, and yellow. not sure if they yellow and orange lenses are polarized. They better be or I'll be [PoorWordUsage].

For my money, glasses are essential for safety, seeing your line, lure, underwater weeds/structure, and fish in the water. Not only that, but they eliminate headaches caused by glare and prevent long term vision degradation from UV rays

[Esox_Magnum]

I wear H30's while not real expensive they do the job and do it well. I do wear mine over my prescriptions might look funny but fish dont mind.

[Joe's Kid]

Good topic! I wear prescription glasses, but didn't want to spend a lot for multiple colors lenses in prescription sunglasses. I think the clip-ons are ok for situations where you don't need the protection on the sides as much. Anytime I'm fishing there's usually water and flying hooks involved, so I want full protection.

I wear Fitovers brand sunglasses. They come in several styles and are about 50 bucks. I have one pair with gray lenses, and have a pair with amber lenses on order. I've been very happy with them all around for a few years now.

Here's some information from the National Weather service about UV radiation. http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/stratosphere/uv_index/uv_nature.shtml

[BassProAddict]

Any of you seen the Costa's with those sideclip thingies? Is blocking light from the side that important too?

OT: what I do find a tad extreme are Costa's "fishing goggles".

[Central Bassman]

I listed to Shaw Grisby speak at a B.A.S.S Seminar a few years back. He talked about using fishing goggles and how much they have helped him when sight fishing. He also talk about how much they have protected his eye from getting any light because no matter what light cant get in. Unlike a lot of the glasses that we wear, I will never use them but i can see how they can work.

[BassProAddict]

Have any of you gotten Rx done on your shades?

[Scott M]

Next pair of sunglasses I get will be H3Os or if I can, I'll pony up for the Oakley Polarized Lenses. Thought I had a nice pair of cheapies but I did scratch and then break them. You do get what you pay for. It's on my wish list along with about a million other things.