Polarized and Colored Sunglass Lenses Will Improve Your Fishing

Mar 22, 2023

A polarized view of the water. Protecting your equipment is important, and the most important equipment for an angler is their eyesight.Shutterstock image.

The key function of polarized sunglasses is to reduce the glare from the sun, but they can also make colors appear more vibrant, increase contrast, and even reduce symptoms of eye strain. So they help you better see fish in the water and protect your eyes from harmful UV rays, especially since summer is around the corner and fishing is a popular outdoor activity.

Glares and reflections are a problem for fishermen as they help hide the fish beneath the water, making them impossible to see. While there are different types of glares, when out on the water, anglers will experience reflection glares, a glare resulting from reflections of high luminance in polished or glossy surfaces on a field of view. These glares are a major deterrent and can affect your vision, so whether you’re fishing from the dock or surrounded by water, you can quickly strain your eyes and lose your catch.

To filter polarized light, manufacturers place a long chain of molecules called hydrocarbons onto a thin polyvinyl acetate film. The film is then heated and stretched, forcing the molecules to align end to end or become polarized. The film is then dipped into a solution containing a conducting molecule such as iodine. This chemical treatment is applied in a vertical pattern that helps filter out the horizontal light to eliminate glares. By blocking the horizontal light from passing through the lens, anglers will experience greater visual clarity and contrast, allowing them to see through the water's surface and reducing eye strain and squinting for a more comfortable fishing experience.

After breaking down the science of it all, yes— polarized sunglasses do actually help you see fish clearer. By blocking out the blinding glare created by the water's surface, you’re using a filter to look past the glare and see through the water more clearly. In addition to filtering out glare, polarization also helps to enhance definition and contrast so that you can make out details with better visual understanding.

In addition to wearing polarized sunglasses, anglers should also consider coordinating lens color as an option, just as they would their lures. Glasses with tinted lenses enhance performance by selectively filtering light rays. A gray lens filters all light colors equally, so all hues look their natural shade, whereas dark gray lenses are good all-purpose sunglasses because they best eliminate glare on bright, sunny days and show true colors. Brown, green and yellow lenses serve specific functions for anglers as these tints enhance some colors while they bleach others out. For example, a sight angler who fishes by watching and trying to coax the fish to take the bait wants a tint that will enhance the colors of bass and bleach out the surrounding colors, thus enhancing the contrast between the two. Lastly, yellow lenses heighten contrast but aren't dark enough to provide maximum polarization, making them a better fit for sight fishing in shallow water on overcast, dark days.