How to Choose The Best Sunglasses for Fishing

There are many reasons sunglasses are important, but in fishing they serve two main purposes. The first being, that they can protect your eyes in sunny and cloudy conditions. Some of the worst days for glare are actually on overcast, cloudy days because the UV rays are just as strong, if not stronger. If you’ve ever gone to the beach when it’s been cloudy and decided not to wear sunscreen for that very reason. Then you know why this is an issue.

The second reason is to protect your eyes from danger. If you’ve ever accidentally hit yourself in the face with a fly while casting, then you know it’s not fun. It’s important to have protection on in case you get too close to your face, because you’re throwing sharp hooks at high speeds right near your eyes. So, make sure to be wise when it comes to your eyes.

What Type of Sunglasses to Look for

When comparing sunglasses, it’s important to focus on type of lens because seeing clearly and protecting your eyes are the most important factors for successful fishing. Most open water enthusiast prefer polarized lenses in their sunglasses as opposed to regular lenses.

This is because regular sunglasses most likely won’t have polarized lenses. The cheap $8 glasses you’ll find at the gas station, for instance, are probably not going to be the kind of lenses that you actually need. The $8 glasses will protect you a little from direct sunlight but will let in the majority of indirect sunlight.

Polarized Lenses and Fishing

So how do polarized lenses work? Well, your eyes process two different types of light waves: horizontal and vertical. Vertical light is also known as direct light, and Horizontal light, you may know by a different name - glare or indirect light. Glare is what happens when light bounces from a flat or reflective surface such as a body of water or metal boat.

One of the coolest things about polarized lenses is that they block horizontal light or glare from the water’s surface, and with no glare you’re able to see through the water if it’s clear enough. Polarized lenses also protect your eyes from the harmful effects of glare, keeping your eyes healthy for longer. When you’re out on the boat for an entire day, if you’re not wearing polarized lenses, you will likely experience intense discomfort. Too much exposure to glare can lead to eye strain, headaches, and more severe eye problems later in life.

To learn more about the difference between polarized and non-polarized lenses, check out our other blog post.

How to Choose the Right Lenses for Fishing

Choosing the right lenses, like their color or tint, is more important than just the aesthetic or style of the frames. Different colored tints serve different purposes. How tints absorb light can make colors appear more enhanced, distorted, or completely normal.

Color and Tint Guide

Lens tint is also known as the color base of your lenses. So, if you’re fishing with a blue mirrored lens like our Glacier lenses, that blue mirror is applied on top of a grey tinted lens. Whatever kind of polarized lenses you decide to go with, at Fuse Lenses, you can have the best of both worlds.  You can easily add polarization to our different tints to customize your lenses. Deciding what color or tint is right for fishing is to totally up to your needs, check out our list to find out what each can do.

Grey

If you need multi-purpose sunglasses for varying light conditions OR if you’re out on the deep blue sea, the grey tint is probably for you. This lens keeps colors in their purest form without any distortion or enhancement. This is an incredibly popular tint, especially for offshore fishing.

Brown

Brown tints help enhance colors, which is why they are a popular choice for inshore fishing. They reduce glare and help to absorb some of the blue light. By absorbing blue light, there’s an increases in the contrast between the water and the plant life and fish below it.

Yellow

If you’re up fishing early in the morning when there’s haze and fog along with low-light conditions, these are going to be the sunglasses for you. They create more contrast and makes objects easier to see, not to mention they look really cool.

G-15

G-15 is known for its distinct grey/green tint. Although quite similar to the grey tint, this tint is ideal if you want to increase the contrast of colors you see.

Eyewear Made Easy

At Fuse Lenses, we’re experts in.., you guessed it! Lenses! We make replacement lenses for any name brand sunglasses with over 20 color options including polarization, and even prescription. Need a completely new pair? We also offer totally customizable complete pairs of glasses and frames. Best of all, we’re based in Clearwater, FL so yes, we know what we’re talking about when it comes to sunglasses lenses for fishing.