Best Polarised Fishing Sunglasses

There can be no excuse for not having a decent pair of polarised fishing sunglasses in my honest opinion. They are without doubt probably the most important part of my fishing armoury, and I never leave home to go fishing without them, to the point, I have a spare prescription pair in the car, and different lens tints also.

Now this may sound a little over the top, but is everything in fishing, whatever species you target, if the fish are not present, then you simply cannot catch them, the best way to confirm they are there is, quite simply to see them.

"The Difference polaroids make in visibility into the water is staggering!"

Now I know some of you will be saying well, they crash and roll to give themselves away if we were to take carp for example, but often that simply isn’t always the case. The number of times I’ve been able to spot fish with my polaroids on, that you would otherwise have missed I simply couldn’t count. But by not only being able to see them in the water, you can also gauge their behaviour, are they just sunning themselves, or looking up for food? Are they active, using a certain route, is there a particular spot on the lake bed they are visiting?

Polarising glasses give you the ability to see through that surface layer of glare, to give you the ability to see down through the water column, as far as the light will allow you to. In addition, depending on the tint of the lens colour, you can also obtain contrast to see more detail.

How does a polaroid lens work?

The lenses will have a filter fitted vertically within the lens material that only allows vertical light through whilst blocking what is called horizontal or what is sometimes called flat light, more commonly known as glare.

 

This is because when light is reflected off a flat surface it becomes polarised, and the light rays pattern will be made up of vertical and horizontal directions rather than a random pattern we would see normally, and we then see glare. For example, this would be the light reflected off the surface of the water, wet roads, or pavements, the hood of a car or tabletop, or snow, whilst allowing the vertical light through so you can still see without the glare to enhance your level of visibility.

(A great test to see how this works is to look at an LCD screen with a pair of polarising glasses on, on a laptop for example and slightly tilt your head, and the screen with turn black, as it then blocks that light out in the same way).

What lens colour should I choose and what fishing sunglasses are best?

Let's start with lens colour and tint. The darker the lens, the lower the light transmission will be through the lens, and so the more light it will block. Darker lenses, will often be grey, or dark green, moving brown and then amber at the lightest end. Amber lenses are brilliant for lower light conditions, or where the water has colour to it, or a murky appearance as the amber lenses can help to provide contrast, so you can get the benefits of the polarising lens, and help to make out the structures in the water, where a grey lens is brilliant in really bright conditions, whilst maintaining a more natural colour perception. It's for this reason, I often have a second pair of glasses to allow me to swap when light levels drop.

 

Before I review some of the glasses, below, I will mention all of the options I will cover are non-prescription, however, Fortis does offer a prescription service via the link below, so should you require prescription eyewear, you can use the link to obtain a quote on what the costs for that would be.

https://fortiseyewear.co.uk/prescription/

So let’s have a look at our top four polarised fishing sunglasses.


1. Fortis Finseekers

 

These come with a larger price tag, and for a good reason. They are quite literally packed with features, to enable to you keep looking for longer, and make your eyes as comfortable as possible.
Your eyes, like any part of your body, if worked harder will tire, and you will feel the effects. The finseekers help to combat that in as many ways as possible.

Cleverly designed, the lenses have been engineered to enhance clarity, and contrast, reducing optical distortion, achieved by keeping the lenses thin and lightweight. They possess an anti-reflective coating on the reverse side of the lens, so you do not get internal reflection, along with small vents on the glasses' framework to allow air flow between your eyes and the lens. This prevents fogging, as it helps to wick away moisture.

Available in 3 tint colours, plus the addition of a glass lens option for superior optical quality, and also the option of a photochromic lens option so the lens can lighten or darken to the conditions they really do cover all potential bases.  
"The photochromatic switch lens changes as the light and uv levels change to keep the light transmission levels at their optimum"


Coupled with this, a strong resilient frame made from TR90 nylon, you have a perfect balance between being lightweight, and increased robustness, while the rubber nose pads and edging on the arms ensure grip and comfort, so whether you are climbing trees for a better vantage point, out in a boat, baiting up, casting, or going for that trophy shot, these glasses stay where they are needed to not only protect your eyes but ensure you have the optimum optical quality.

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2. Fortis Overwraps

These might not look the most stylish but serve an important function for all of your spectacle wears who either don’t want to fork out for prescription polaroids or your prescription is not able to be made into them.

These have been designed to fit over your existing prescription glasses, whilst offering a practical performance-based fit, that other sunglasses simply would not do, but still offer the same great optical quality and block wanted glare.

Soft rubber inserts on the frame arms ensure the glasses do not slip whilst being worn, and a unique vent at the bottom of the frame prevents fogging that would otherwise occur, while the frame remains lightweight so you are not aware of wearing two sets of frames.

A great design and one that earns its spot on the list!

Available in 2 lens colour options.

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3. Fortis Vista’s

Fortis sum this one quite simply in the meaning of the word Vista, meaning ‘Far-reaching mental view’ and packed with the latest technology, it's not hard to imagine why.

Using their patented Ultra slim injection process they have made a super thin lens, which the thinner the better, as it cuts down the distortions towards the edges of the frames, and in turn provides high optical precision as well as clarity and protection.

Available with 4 lens options, 3 colour tints and the photochromatic switch variation.

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4. Fortis Bays

Last on the list, for those who don’t want to break the bank, look stylish or dare to be a bit different on the normal colour options we have the Fortis Bays.

These great frames have a more traditional look in shape, but with a range of colours and options all of which come with Fortis’ same great polarising lenses.

They are very comfortable, look the part, and perform at a great level without breaking the bank, so if you are someone who loses their specs over the side of the boat, or sits on them, these might just be the sunglasses for you!

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Andy Grenfell