Polarized glasses!!!

[PIGSMALLIE]

I want to hear what everyone likes and dislikes with their polarized glasses? Also I would like to know your opinons on the best and why? I'm due for some new ones and my bats just arent cutting it!!

[McCarter]

the best glasses i have ever worn have been the Costa Del Mar fathoms with the 580 Green Mirror/Amber lense.  My partner and chum Kevin Barrows aka Kdawg has them and he let me wear them last year.  It was like seeing in high def.  I bought a pair of Man o War with the 39 lense and there is no comparison.  I wish i had the means to get a pair with the 580s.  I kid you not, its like seeing on a whole new level.

McCarter himself

[Waterfoul]

I love my Costa Del Mars.  I never take them out of the boat, don't want to lose them or break them in the car!

[PIGSMALLIE]

I've heard alot of good things about those glasses! I might have to get me a pair of them!!

[thedude]

hopefully those free wiley-x will be showing up shortly....

[Kzoduckman]

I have both a pair of Costa Del Mars and a pair of Solar Bats, and both have been excellent sun glasses.  The Costa Del Mars are the Vermillion CR 39, and I have had them for about 8 years. The Solar Bats are in the mossback color, and I have had them for about 3 years.  I prefer the mossback just a little bit more to the vermillion (copper) color.  My biggest bit of advice it to make sure you try the glasses on before you buy.  Some of the Costa Del Mar styles did not fit my face.

[Cy]

I have been an Oakley fan since I was old enough to care about sun glasses.  Once I got into hard core fishing I switched to Oakley Polarized.  I dare say the Oakley has some of the best polarized glasses on the market.  They are light weight, durable and don't slip when you're sweating you butt off.  The have several polarized models and colors and a new fishing specific line.  I am excited to try the new Shallow Blue Polarized lens.

If you don't like Oakley, I would look at Maui Jim, Costa, Solar Bat, Wiley X and a new one I ran across recently for people with big heads, Fatheadz Eyewear.

Regardless of the brand you choose, don't leave home without them.

Cy

[t-bone]

I too like costa del mar and agree with the comment that you need to get them fitted to your face. Especially for sight fishing, you want them fitting correctly so you aren't letting sun in and causing glare.
I own a pair of wave killers and they are heavy and slide on my nose. Great lens but they had those drawbacks. I picked up a pair of frigates during the winter, they are lighter, rubber nose grips and nice removable side blockers to limit the light entering the temples. Got amber lens on these and I'm hoping they'll work well.

[Fishmael]

For the price, I really like my Solar Bats with the amber lenses.  They work great in low light and early morning/late evening, which is when you are not fishing deep or shady spots.  I better not try the Costa Del Mars or the Oakleys because those would probably fit my face better than fit my budget!

[jcox7]

beefore you make your decision get a hold of Mrk Modrak if you know him he pimps glasses by Hobie they are great I have top of the line costas and also have a few pairs of bats but marks glasses are great.  if I was looking at spending more money on glasses this is where i would look you wont be disappointed

[Buckeye]

I'll agree you need to try them on first.  I have a pair of Solar Bats which are very nice, but my wife's Costa Del Mars are much easier on the eyes after a day of fishing or driving. 

The one big let down on them is the hook around your ears, and they don't fit as well as my SB's.  they actually drive me up a wall, where as my SB's don't.  I paid $80 for my SB's, and $150 something for my wife's.  They are permanentyl attached to her hip, and she rarely goes anywhere without them.

Make sure you also consider coverage.  Some of the styles let light in around the edges and that can cause you to miss some stuff as you troll along.

Eric

[fasttrack]

I just bought my third pair of Solar Bat's. My last pair is probably still floating around Lake Michigan somewhere. My new pair will have a FLOATING lanyard! I like the moss green lenses and they stand behind them very well. Before losing my last pair I had a crack occur, sent them in with a few bucks for return shipping and they sent me a brand new pair.  I tried the new gradient (2-tone) moss green lenses and they look awesome but the price jumped way up. I stuck with the $80 pair and got them from a BPS retail store. You could also order thru the catalog or go to D&R Sports in Kalamazoo. Just my 2 cents....

[Ryan]

I got a pair of Costa Stringers last year and love them.  Like everybody else has said, make sure you try before you buy.  It is very important that they provide good coverage and fit your face well.  I will never go back to cheap sunglasses for fishing, they make a big difference.

-Ryan

[TCook]

I been using Kaenon copper 22's for the last couple years and have been very pleased with them. Found some new ones on ebay for $45 and could'nt pass them up for the price. The only flaw in my opinion in which you will have with any pair that does not have the tight fitting foam or something similar is some sunlight comes through the sides and can create glare.

[jgip087]

Kaenon Kore in Copper 22 lenses for me as well. Blocks out the mot glare for the most simple reason I like them. To test your glasses polarization put on a pair of polarized glasses. Next, hold the pair you want to test in front of you and tilt them vertical, so you would be holding them like this l. You will be able to see the holes in the polarization that way. Like TCook said theonly way to block out all glare is by buying a goggle type but during summer when we fish you will sweat like crazy and if you test the polarization you will see why I don't have any of my own. Also, look who is using the Kaenons. Aaron Martins, Mike Long, Jed Dickerson (Mike and Jed are guys who caught the 25 pounder and devoted years to sight fishing for her why would they not use the absolute best?) I had Solar Bats before and they were great glasses but once you use the Kaenons you will not believe the difference.

[10-10 Bass Busters]

I have two sets of panoptx I carry. First one is the raptor with gray transition lens love them in low light conditions(early morn, sun down, over cast.) Second are diablos with copper lens, they work awesome in bright conditions.  Both have the removable foam, which is nice on cold mornings when your running. 

[WayneC]

I found H3O polarized glasses at the fishing shows years ago and that's the only brand I'll use.  The Tsunami glasses have more of a circular lens which is very easy on the eyes since the curvature is even everywhere I look through the lens.  They also come with 3 sets of lenses so I'll put the yellows on in the morning and depending on how bright the day is, switch to my light grey or dark grey lenses later.  The frames are very tough.  These are by far the most comfortable (to view through) glasses I have ever worn.  Interestingly enough, I don't like this version of their glasses for driving my vehicle.

I think one of the best things to do is to take your current pair and switch them with a friend who has glasses by a different manufacturer when you are on the water.  I once did this with my pair of In-Fisherman glasses ($13.99 from WalMart) and found the In-Fish glasses just buried an expensive pair from a major manufacturer.  The guy I was fishing with wasn't seeing the fish I was so we switched and it was oh-so obvious why he couldn't see the fish I was seeing.

[Jay-MadWags]

I recommend the Solarbats.  I have had the Sonar style in Mossback for 3 years now and the are great for all around conditions.  I think I paid $125 and the came with a sack to clean and hold them.  Not to mention a hard carrying case.  Check them out I'm sure you can find a style to your liking.

If I'm not mistaken they are proud sponsors of the FLW and the NBAA.

[Mark Modrak]

Jeff Cox is correct I still sell Hobie Polorized sunglasses. The best lens colors for our type of fishing are going to be the Sightmaster which is an amber lens or the Photocopper lens which change automatically depending on the amount of sunlight. The outside of the lenses have a Hydroclean coating which keeps water spray off the lens and the inside of the lens has a anti-reflective coating to keep side glare from reflecting back into your eyes. You can check them out at www.hobiepolarized.com and any member from GLB that is interested in purchasing a pair I will give a 20% discount to. If your interested you can e-mail me at mjmodrak@comcast.net and I would be glad to answer any questions that you may have about them as well.

[motocross269]

I carry about 5 different types of sunglasses in my boat during the spawn...Everything from Solar bats to caccoons


I primarily wear Costa Del Mars with custom polarized transition lenses for normal open water fishing...