As a tournament angler, I need every edge that I can get. As a prescription glasses wearer it is also hard for me to find a comfortable way to protect my eyes from the sun while fishing. For a period of time I found myself just fishing in my glasses, no fitovers, no eye protection, no polarization, NOTHING. The straw that broke the camel's back for me was when I went to spend a weekend with a good friend of mine, and tournament angler, sight fishing. Of course as usual, I was just wearing my regular prescription glasses, and he has his polarized, mirrored, sunglasses, and he could see fish better than I could. We were both catching fish, but he could see the fish before we even pulled up to the spot. We had to be right on top of them for me to see them. So I finally said that's it, I'm buying myself prescription sunglasses. Before this time I had already looked into them and they were quite expensive. While I was still shopping around, finding the best deals, and what style I wanted I had another friend pull me aside and say to me, "Taylor, if you don't start protecting yourself from the sun, you're going to kill your eyes." I decided that's it, if I have to break the bank, I'm going to get some prescription sunglasses. If I am going to spend the rest of my life tournament fishing, which is what I love to do, I better spend the money now and save my eyes.
My objective here is to help you figure out which brand to buy, which style, and what lense to buy. Now, I'm not going to thrust my opinion on anyone, saying that this brand is the overall best, instead I will help you figure out which is the best for your given budget.
First, you want to pick the best brand that you can get for your buck. I know not everyone can afford a pair of $300 sunglasses, neither can I, but you can still get higher quality sunglasses for a smaller budget. You want to pick a brand that offers a good variety of frame styles and a good quality lense. You also want to pick a brand that is known for their customer service as well as warranty. Make a trip to your local tackle shop and ask around to see what everyone's opinion is.
Next, you want to pick a good style. You want to pick something that is going to be comfortable if you're going to be wearing it out on the water all day. Make sure it fits well also, because when you start to sweat you don't want to lose your sunglasses when you bend over to lip a lunker bass. One of the reasons I went with the particular brand that I wear is, the style frame that I liked fit especially well to my head.
Out of this whole process, picking the right lense is the most important. You want to pick something that is going to let you see the fish as well as protect you from the sun. If I could have I would have gone with mirrored lenses, because they are the way to go. They give you an added edge when blocking UV rays as well as blocking glare on the water, which in turn lets you see the fish easier. You also want to pick a lense depending on the light conditions that you have in your region. For instance, if you have extreme light conditions for a majority of the year, you may want to go to a darker, mirrored, lense. Whatever you do, pick the best lenses for your situation.
However much you spend, which brand you pick, which style you pick, that is all up to you. I hope that I have given you some helpful tips on how to pick a good pair of sunglasses to help you catch more fish and to preserve your eyes. Tight lines folks, and I'll see you on the lake.
fivealive@ultimatebass.com
