Choosing the best polarized saltwater fishing sunglasses is a little deeper than just jumping online and buying sunglasses with a polarized rating. In fact, it can be a bit tricky choosing the best fishing sunglasses. Let’s run through the process of finding the saltwater fishing sunglasses that best fit your style of fishing.
TIP: The best sunglasses go beyond just “you”, and they take into consideration many details about fishing that may not cross your mind. Let’s get started so you can find the best fishing sunglasses for you.
A little Transparency
We talk about a lot of aspects of sunglasses in this blog. However, none of what we discuss is about one brand or style of sunglasses. Our goal is not to sell you a pair of sunglasses, but to enable you to find and choose the best polarized sunglasses for fishing in Destin, Florida. The pair of sunglasses you want is most likely not going to be the same as those that other people choose, and that’s just fine with us.
Polarized sunglasses are an essential part of saltwater and freshwater fishing, and not all polarized saltwater fishing sunglasses are equal. That is not to say that there is a better brand; but instead, that the usefulness of polarized sunglasses changes based on many factors, including:
- Where you fish – Saltwater, freshwater, inshore, off the shelf, or in deep water.
- The type of fish you target – Mackerel, Snapper, Grouper, etc.
- The color of the lens – Inner lens color vs. outer lens color, and the myriad of color combinations
- The lens material – glass or poly – light vs. weight vs. comfort.
What are polarized Sunglasses
These are specialized sunglasses with a specialized film layer that blocks all refracted sunlight except those rays that are vertical. So, light hits the ocean, and it bounces back in many directions. This process produces what we call glare. Polarized sunglasses block most of those reflected rays and allow in only the vertical rays. That function removes the glare and helps you to see more clearly in situations where there is too much light coming from too many directions.
From this description, you might think that finding the perfect pair of sunglasses is easy – they just need to be polarized. Well, not so much. The problem is that polarized sunglasses come in a variety of colors, shapes, and materials. Each of those attributes changes how the glasses work. Pair this with the varying changes you encounter fishing, and you begin to see that choosing the best polarized sunglasses requires some thought. These issues are also why we don’t push one brand over another and want you to understand the process so that your Destin fishing expedition is the trip of a lifetime.
Why So Much Attention to Sunglasses?
Your eyes tie all the other tools of fishing together. Sure, you can drop a line and maybe get lucky, but with good vision, you can spot fish, read the current, etc. When you add polarized sunglasses into the mix, you remove the glare and can spot fish that you might otherwise never see. That little fact helps you better target big reef donkeys (greater amberjack), sharks, or groupers. The truth of the matter is that a great pair of sunglasses will help you become a better fisher, and they will make fishing more comfortable.
Don’t Buy Online
Sure, there are great deals online, but what is missing from an online shopping experience is the fit. Polarized sunglasses need to fit your face. Just like anything you’ll wear on a deep sea fishing trip, the perfect sunglasses for fishing must be comfortable, and they must fit so that there is little encroachment of glare through your peripheral vision. Poor-fitting sunglasses allow glare to seep into your field of view, and that defeats the purpose of having polarized glasses. The better fitting the glasses are, the better your vision, and the better your odds of battling big fish.
Which Type of Lens Fits Your Fishing Style?
Polarized sunglasses come with either polycarbonate or glass lenses. Which is best for you? There is no blanket answer here. Each type of lens has strengths and weaknesses. Here is a short overview of both lens types.
Polarized Glass Lenses – The plus here is durability. Glass is harder to damage than polycarbonate with one little flaw. Glass is easier to break. If you drop your sunglasses, the glass lenses may break, whereas polycarbonate will likely be okay. There are a couple of thoughts that glass lenses are clearer than are polycarbonate lenses and that they might improve the vision more so than polycarbonate. The school of thought seems to be more so in deeper water than on the flats. This is just another reason to try on glasses before you buy.
The downside of glass lenses is that they are heavier than the thinner polycarbonate lenses. If you can handle the added weight on a fishing charter – 4-12 hours – then this is not an issue. We do recommend a sunglass tether regardless of which type of lens you chose. This is because, during a battle with a big fish, you can drop your sunglasses. A tether keeps them on your chest and safe.
Polycarbonate lenses – There are a couple of plusses here. First, they are lighter, which can make them more comfortable to wear all day. Second, they are a little more durable than are glass lenses, but only if you drop them. The big downside to polycarbonate lenses is that they are softer and can scratch more easily. When it comes to durability, there is a real toss-up between glass and polycarbonate lenses.
So, which is best for you? It comes down to you. If you don’t mind the slight added weight from glass lenses and you use a sunglass tether, the odds of dropping and breaking the lenses are small. If you are someone who puts your sunglasses right into a case as soon as they come off your head, then the odds of scratching them is nearly nil.
In short, try on both and look at how you care for your tools. There may be a slight vision improvement with glass over polycarbonate, but again, this boils down to you. This is also another reason for trying on sunglasses before you buy.
How the Color of Polarized Lenses Impacts Fishing
Earlier we mentioned that how you fish is essential when you choose your sunglasses. It is different if you fish freshwater or saltwater. It is also a different light experience too. The same is true if you stay in the shallow waters or if you venture into the deep drop zones. The reason these factors are important is due to the differences in light and the color of the water.
In regular glasses, you see some detail, but the glare occludes most features. When you wear polarized sunglasses, the glare is mostly gone, and you see more. When you wear the right kind of polarized sunglasses, it is as though the water becomes clear and you see more details. In shallow water, this means you see the fish and the bottom much clearer. In mid-range depths, you see surface fish and fish that swim near the bottom, and maybe you see the features of the bottom. This is all dependent upon how deep the water is. In deeper water, you the clarity remains to certain depths, but you are still able to see some structures and surface fish.
It is also possible that you may see some mid-range fish in deeper water. All of these benefits improve if you choose the right color of polarized lenses based on the depth of the water. Below we make it simple to understand the color game with polarized glasses.
Note: Polarized sunglasses come with an outer lens color and an inner lens color.
TIP: Your goal is to match the color of the lens to the color of the water.
In-shore Fishing – Outer lens colors in greens are one of the best, and you want to find glasses that have a coppery or amber inner lens color. You might be thinking that none of these colors match the color of the water, especially when you are fishing on the flats. For this part of Florida fishing, we break the rule. The light is not as harsh inshore, usually. The trouble here comes from how the lenses affect the quality of light. Brighter and warmer tones of lenses make the day seem brighter. You could also opt for a mirror finish too. This suggestion is good for inshore saltwater fishing and most freshwater fishing situations. In deeper lakes, you might want to go more towards a blue outer tone, especially for lake trout which position themselves at different levels of the lake due to water temperature.
Green/copper/amber – perfect for those of you who love to sight fish or who fish from shore or near shore most of the time. These are wonderful for fishing the flats where you want to target bigger fish from a distance. If you tend to fish more in the morning or at dusk, then consider inner lens colors that range more towards yellow as they will make the low-light situations seem brighter.
Mid-range Fishing – Gray outer with a mirror finish or not is ideal for mid-range fishing. Pair this with a gray inner or a warmer color inner lens that helps to brighten the day. The Gray/Gray, Gray/Yellow, Gray/Amber, or Gray/Copper, are the most versatile options. These are ideal for fishers who hit all the zones while fishing. There will be some trade-off in deeper water, but if you have only one pair of glasses and you target inshore, offshore, and the deeper waters, these lenses with gray outer colors will serve you well.
Deep Water Fishing – Blue is king for lens color for deep water fishing. A blue outer lens color paired with an inner lens color that is gray is ideal for most anglers. Mirrored outers in blue tones are also good. The mirroring on lenses helps block even more of the glare. The quality of light in deeper water is more intense, and you want lenses that will combat the harsher glare so that you can enjoy a day of fishing without impact from glare.
Florida is the sunshine state and for a good reason. It is helpful to pair your polarized sunglasses with a hat that has a wide brim. The brim will help to block some glare from your peripheral vision and will keep your eyes shaded. Both will help your vision and reduce the strain from glare on your eyes. Destin also has its fair share of scattered showers and a hat helps. A full day of fishing takes in a lot of sun, and without eye protection, you will not only fight an uphill battle to target fish, but you will also wear down. Polarized sunglasses help reduce eyestrain and make the day more enjoyable. In closing, let’s reiterate a few points.
- Try on your sunglasses in person as you will gain a better fit and better comfort.
- Choose the lens color based on how you fish and where you fish.
- Buy based on how the glasses work for you.
- Come prepared to fish and dressed for a successful day of fishing.
Polarized sunglasses are a must for fishing the coastal waters of Destin, Florida. The light here changes by the minute, and we want everyone on board to enjoy the day by being able to accurately target and successfully battle big fish from the millions of red snappers to tuna, and snook. Your eyes are one of the top three tools used in fishing. Protect and enhance them with proper fitting polarized saltwater fishing sunglasses.