 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. For those
of you who don't, you are missing out on a great tool
to catch fish.
 First,
the idea of polarizing lenses is not a new concept. It
has been around for nearly two decades. Until recently
however, it was only applied to high-end riflescopes,
binoculars, and camera optics. This is due primarily to
the fact that up until now the process of polarizing a
lens was very costly and time consuming. Along with the
advances in the field of optics, it has become practical
and worthwhile to apply this polarization process to sunglasses
and in some cases prescription eyeglasses. 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 has 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. Although 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 are 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 offer. 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 Coasta-Del-Mar. They
offer great styles as well as a truly incredible lens,
which in many cases puts high-end models to shame. As
of now, I own the Coasta-Del-Mar Ex-Frame model, and
needless to say, I am absolutely 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 shiny pavement surfaces
as well. This 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 eyewear 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 is 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 Coasta 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 Coasta 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 eyewear 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 retailers
or sporting goods stores. At least you have the chance
to touch them and try them on. 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 such as shades. They fail to realize
that they 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 eyewear, and consider it's
many functions.
See ya' on the water...
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