On the water, eyewear is pretty much a given in this day and age of sun protection for the eyes and the overall body in general. It’s no secret that sunglasses come in a wide range of style and quality, and choosing a pair of shades can be quite challenging.
For the occasional boater, most sunglasses will work. That said, I remember when I first saw the light, or shade, so to speak.
I was fishing for redfish in the famed Mosquito Lagoon with a pair of polarized fishing sunglasses emblazoned with some famous fisherman’s name. I think I was out of pocket a whopping $29.95, which I thought was fairly stout 25 years ago. Running from spot to spot and enjoying the day, my vaunted and endorsed sunglasses flew off my face. Oh yeah, invest in a strap of some sort… there are lots of good ones out there. My partner at the time fortunately had a pair of high-dollar fishing sunglasses his wife had left on the boat (Ocean Waves, I think), and I slapped them on. It was literally an eye-opening experience, as I saw not only above the water but into the water better than I could ever have imagined.
Twenty-five years later, there are probably a thousand fish I would not have caught or found without quality eyewear. While I can’t tell you how much to spend or what brand to buy, I can say you pay for what you get. I have worn many higher end glasses and currently wear Costa 580s with amber lenses. These are what work for me. For seeing into the water, it seems that copper, amber or vermillion shades help me the most. Everyone’s eyes are different, and different colored water and weather conditions may dictate what works best for you. There are many great polarized glass manufacturers, so do your research, read reviews, talk to folks who rely on quality fishing sunglasses, and make an informed decision. Many manufacturers also use poly carbonates and other materials that will reduce cost while not sacrificing vision.
Good sunglasses are a must when sight fishing, no matter what species you are looking for. Bedding bass, cruising redfish, bonefish, pike, muskies, tripletail and many others all require extreme vision, and glasses make the difference. Little nuances like a cork submerging, a line jumping, bait scattering, birds diving and big fish waking in the glare can now be seen with quality eyewear. More importantly though, glasses can save your eyes from hooks, debris and many other obstacles a speeding boat or Mother Nature can throw at you. Take my advice, the future’s so bright you need to wear GOOD glasses, save the cheap sunglasses for ZZ Top.
Capt. Tim Cutting grew up fishing the marshes of northeast Florida and Southeast Georgia. He has spent the last 25 years professionally fishing inshore and offshore waters throughout the Southeast. Capt. Tim now guides exclusively out of St. Simons Island, Ga. Find Capt. Tim and Coastal Georgia Inshore Charters at fishthegeorgiacoast.com.
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