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I
sure hope that you didn’t read the sarcastic title and think I
was being sincere! I ask you to please just think about this for a moment. What one item in your
trout fishing outfitting
could possibly be more important than your ability to see what
is going on around you? We humans have
been given this incredibly unique ability of three dimensional sight.
Any PA trout angler
that isn’t taking full advantage of this is going to be
missing out on a lot of really outstanding fishing opportunities
on each and every fishing trip and worse will probably never
even realize what he is missing out on.
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Folks, this is one topic that I feel strongly
about. I could devote several pages discussing the reasons for purchasing good
quality sunglasses but in the interest of time I’ll just discuss a few things that determine
what makes a pair of polarized fishing sunglasses worth purchasing
so that you won't need to spend an entire week’s paycheck to get the job done.
The "Fishing" Reasons for Good Sunglasses
Getting the best possible quality pair of sunglasses at the best
pricing can be tricky without first knowing a little about what
makes owning good sunglasses so important in the first place.
The most obvious reason to trout fishing anglers is the ability
to see the fish. In the future, we will be adding articles about
“sight fishing” for PA trout so I’m not going to go into detail
about that right now. The critical thing to point out for this
article is that optically clear good quality polarized
lenses that won't delaminate is an important consideration.
Seeing underwater may seem almost magical to an uninitiated
angler but
using polarization filter lenses on your sunglasses will not
only allow you to see fish, it will allow you to better see the
structure that the fish living around. It is a tremendous advantage
to be able to see the underwater rocks or deadfalls from a
distance that the trout may be using as ambush cover. In many
situations, your lure or fly will need to be extremely close to
this cover in order to coax a trout to venture away from his security
blanket just long
enough to grab your offering. Without good quality optically
clear polarized sunglasses
you will have a difficult time seeing that cover. If you do see
it too late
you do you may have
already spooked the fish and ruined your chances of a natural
presentation.
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An important reason for using sunglasses in your fishing is
obviously to improve your vision under direct sunlight. But the most
important reason for good polarized sunglasses is to improve
your underwater vision in all sunlight conditions (both bright and dim
sunlight).
Sunglass Lens Polarization
Polarized lenses are shaded lenses with
polarization filters added to them. Sunlight is reflecting off
the water at several different angles. The manufacturer lays
polarization filters on the lens at perfect angles to filter
that light as it comes in from these multiple angles. The more
attention that is paid in the manufacturing process in filtering
all of the possible sunlight reflected angles, the better the
filtering performance of the lenses will be.
Do you want to see how just how important it is that your
manufacturer has set the lens filters properly? Take your
current polarized sunglasses and look at something in the water.
Then turn your sunglasses upside down on your face. When you do
this you will
notice that your sunglasses are no longer polarized. Actually, they are still polarized but they are no longer effective
when turned upside down.
This should tell you that even small misalignments of the
polarizing filters will change how well your sunglasses work.
Here is another interesting test that can be a
real “eye opener” about the quality of your current sunglasses.
Again, locate something underwater and then simply tilt
your sunglasses to a more severe angle. If the ability
to see that same underwater object actually improves, you can be
sure that it is because the manufacturer didn’t take the time to
properly align the filters while these lenses were being made.
But if
the underwater vision gets worse you probably are getting the
maximum polarization effect from that pair of sunglasses. If it didn't
change at all you may not even have a pair of polarized
sunglasses at all!
Lens Materials
The two most common lens materials currently used by sunglass
manufacturers are glass and polycarbonate. Both materials have
some advantages and disadvantages.
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A.
Glass lenses are traditionally more
optically clear and are much less prone to scratching.
They can also have scratch and hydro coatings applied
usually at additional fees. In all honesty, the best
possible lens from a strictly vision standpoint is
glass. But glass lenses also have some huge drawbacks.
First, they are a lot more expensive to produce and
replace. Glass also has another drawback that you need
to consider. Traditional glass sunglass lenses are much
heavier. Who wants to spend their day continually
sliding their sunglasses back up their nose? |
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B. The
most accepted alternative to glass lenses is the
polycarbonate sunglass lenses. They are lightweight and
easier to produce and are available the popular
wraparound designs. This makes them a lot less
expensive. Polycarbonate lenses can also have coatings
applied that make them extremely scratch resistant. The
optical clarity of the better quality polycarbonate
lenses is only slightly less than the glass lenses.
Unfortunately, optical clarity is definitely a major
issue to consider in the inexpensive polarized
sunglasses. Usually the cheaper models of sunglasses
have poor optical clarity and poorly aligned
polarization filters. |
Frame Design and Materials
Frame quality is normally a forgotten factor
in considering sunglasses. Let’s be honest. Plastic is plastic
no matter what the price is. Thin plastic may be lighter and
even have better flexibility. Thick plastic may be stronger but it
is still going to break when you step on them or sit on them.
Don’t waste time worrying about the frame material. But look
closely at the hinges and the contact points. Look for top
quality stainless steel hinges that won’t corrode from your
sweat and body oils. Look for well mounted non-skid rubber
cushions at the
key contact points on your head like the nose and temples.
Guarantee: In my opinion, instead of being concerned about the
frame material, you should consider the alternative which can be
a very wise option.
Consider purchasing a quality pair of polarized sunglasses that have a
lifetime guarantee against breakage. My sunglasses listed below are guaranteed against breakage so if the
unavoidable does happen simply let me know so that I can arrange an
exchange for only $15.
Click
[here] for my full guarantee details.
The sunglasses listed here are my personal recommendations for
trout fishing. They are manufactured with the same superior
quality that those $200+ sunglasses incorporate and due to a
special arrangement with the manufacturer I have been able to
make them available at an extremely attractive price. With our
7 day satisfaction guarantee
and our
lifetime replacement guarantee
I doubt you could find a better deal for polarized fishing
sunglasses on the internet. |
