I RECKON a good pair of sunnies on a fishing trip is just as important as packing quality fishing tackle. Personally speaking, I never head out for a day on the water without my sunnies. A good pair of polarised sunglasses will help you catch more fish; maybe not as obvious as the terminal tackle you use, but equally as important.
Especially for the inshore or flats fisho, a pair of quality polarised sunnies is a mandatory item for cutting the surface glare and improving depth perception. Sand holes, lumps of reef and even individual fish can be spied in shallow water with the use of polarising eyewear.
Sunglasses aren’t just a tool to help you find fish though. The sun’s UV rays can be particularly damaging on our eyes when exposed for any length of time, with cataracts a symptom of excessive sun exposure. Fishos are particularly susceptible with reflected glare from the water’s surface. Even when fishing under shade or on overcast days, there’s still enough reflected glare from the water to burn our eyes without realising it.
A little while back I got a pair of Fish Polarised Eyewear to use while fishing. I’m always on the lookout for affordable fishing eyewear as I just can’t justify spending an exorbitant price for an item I realistically know has a limited lifespan. As careful as I am with my sunglasses, I still seem to consume a pair every six months or so.
With a large range of frames and colours to choose from, I opted for the Bonito Fish frame fitted with a smoke lens. The smoke lens offers true colour clarity, so it hasn’t filtered my vision with a foreign shade of colour. The lenses have offered great polarisation while on or in the water and personally speaking I can’t tell the difference between the Fish Polarising Eyewear and the more expensive counterparts. I suppose the big test will be how they cope with the fishing and saltwater environment over a length of time.
They are lightweight and comfortable to wear, and quite stylish too. The pair I chose offers great protection with turned lenses for side cover. Fish Polarised Eyewear is available in selected tackle stores and sunglasses outlets, and stocked through Sunshades Eyewear. The Bonito Fish sunnies offer great value at $79.95 a pair.
