New Oakley Lens For Fishing - Bronze Or Gold Iridium Polarized?

[Mossyoakglock]

I just purchased a pair of Oakley Five Squared with the Black Iridium Polarized lenses. I’m wanting to get a second set of lenses more specifically geared towards fishing. I’ve read some things that say a Bronze or Gold polarized lens is good for fishing due to the amount of contrast it provides. The two replacement lens colors that Oakley has in the Five Squared are Gold Iridium Polarized and Bronze Polarized. The Black Iridium Polarized has a 9% light transmission rate and says it is for extremely bright conditions. The Bronze Polarized has a 15% light transmission and is best for medium to bright conditions. The Gold Iridium has a 9% light transmission and is for extremely bright conditions (same specs as the black iridium).

Which would be better for all-around fishing conditions? I am also going to be using them when fishing the Gulf and Mobile Bay for Specks, redfish, etc so these will get some saltwater use as well. I'm sure both will be fine since they increase contrast but still would like everybody's opinion.

 

I could have gone with Costa's but none of them fit my face well and looked very good on me and since I have always worn Oakley, I went with them again.
 

[papajoe222]

I could have gone with Costa's but none of them fit my face well and looked very good on me and since I have always worn Oakley, I went with them again.

 

You should have checked out the Zane with 580G green lenses.  Too late now.

Seeing as those are the only two options, I'd go with the Bronze. They'll give you more contrast than either the grey or gold.  Use the black (grey) for bright conditions and the bronze for cloudy or overcast conditions.  The bronze are also great lenses for driving.

[Cameron211]

Id go with mossback (green) if you can get lenses for them. I got my duckets in Monaco and they are amazing on the water

[Big C]

I have a pair of Oakley Dispatch with two sets of lenses, the knock off gold and the knock off green/blue (both are polarized).  I have to say I like the gold better.  If I were you I would get both colors, so you can decide for yourself which color is better, because the different colors of lenses perform better or worse in different water conditions.  On Amazon the knock off lenses are quite good and way cheaper. 

[Mossyoakglock]

You should have checked out the Zane with 580G green lenses.  Too late now.

Seeing as those are the only two options, I'd go with the Bronze. They'll give you more contrast than either the grey or gold.  Use the black (grey) for bright conditions and the bronze for cloudy or overcast conditions.  The bronze are also great lenses for driving.

I tried every pair of Costas they had and none of them fit my face very well or looked that good one me.

 

Id go with mossback (green) if you can get lenses for them. I got my duckets in Monaco and they are amazing on the water

Unfortunately they don't offer that in Polarized. Other than the Black Iridium (which I have), they only offer Gold Iridium, Bronze and VR28 Black Iridium Polarized in the Five Squared. Oakley makes two fishing specific lenses but they are not offered in the ones I got.

[Master Bait'r]

Bronze all the way.  That lower light brownish tint will really keep eye fatigue down and they will be fantastic on spotty or overcast days- or even rainy days behind the wheel.  I have a pair of lighter brown polarized tint lenses now and they are by far my favorite  I wear them all the time just to cut glare and such while driving.  I shall never stray away from that lighter brown tint though.  It's just so versatile, and doubly so if you have separate lenses for the mega bright days.

[Mossyoakglock]

So go with the Bronze Iridium (15% light transmission) over the Gold Iridium (9%) even though they let in more light? I'm sure a 4% difference is not going to be that noticeable anyways.

 

A second question - Is the Bronze/Gold lense better for shallow water? Is there a better color for deep water or should the Gold/Bronze be ok for that. I mainly fish freshwater so my fishing depths are not that great but want something that can also be good in moderatly deep water in the Bay in Panama City, FL.

[DirtyDeuceGoose]

I see you mentioned VR 28 lenses being available. This is my all time favorite polarized tint. It excels (for me) both on and off the water. One of the strangest situations I wear them is while I'm driving in the rain. Not sure why but I feel like they help. I need to pick up some new lenses myself, unfortuantely these are on backorder.

[Stapsy]

Definitely go for the Bronze Iridium.  The Gold iridium will be the same base lens color (black) as your Black iridium lenses except with the Gold reflective outer coating instead of Black.  The iridium coatings won't make much of a difference but going to a bronze/brown base lens with the Bronze Iridium will improve contrast for shallow water and lower light conditions.  Oakley lens names are confusing because they are usually based on the iridium coating color and not the color of the actual lens.  General rule of thumb is he lowest light transmission are black base lenses, followed by bronze in the middle range, and then rose/green/lighter bronze color when you get to the higher light transmissions.

 

I am using the Shallow Blue Iridium which is also a bronze based lens and it is noticeably better than the black lens in every condition except direct sunlight.

[jbsoonerfan]

I have 2 pair of the same glasses and I have the black polarized and the bronze. For my eyes the bronze is much better than the black. Sorry I can't comment on the gold as I haven't ever tried them. 

[Big C]

 The Gold iridium will be the same base lens color (black) as your Black iridium lenses except with the Gold reflective outer coating instead of Black. 

 

 

Actually the Gold Iridium has a blue base (which is really weird), but is really nice in clearer water. 

This may vary slightly from brand to brand, the brand I have is "Walleva" I think I paid like $20 for them on Amazon. 

They are suprisingly high quality for only 20 bucks.

I highly recommend the Gold, if it's in clear water. 

[Mossyoakglock]

I've been doing more research and from what I've seen, the Gold Iridium appears to be a brown base. Anybody else seen that anywhere?

 

Here is what I've found (multiple sources) and specific to Oakley lenses only -

 

VR28 Black Iridium Polarized (Rose base, 10% transmission)

Gold Iridium Polarized (Brown/Bronze base, 9% transmission)

Bronze Polarized (Brown/Bronze base, 15% transmission)

 

What are the main differences in Rose and Brown bases? Is one better for "seeing" through the water and contrast?

 

I'm really looking for another lens that is a good all-purpose lens that works in a variety of light conditions (anywhere from sunrise/sunset to mid-afternoon), cuts glare and allows me to see through the water (if that makes sense) in both salt and fresh water, bu the majority will be freshwater though).

[Stapsy]

I stand corrected, I must have confused the Gold iridium with another lens.  It just underlines my point about how difficult Oakley makes finding lenses without being able to test them yourself.

 

I don't have a lot of experience with rose color on the water, but I use them for golfing a lot and they really make the color green pop.  I don't know if it would work the same way underwater. 

 

Bronze is kind of  a middle ground between black and rose.  Black doesn't help contrast and reduces transmission evenly across the spectrum.  Rose increases contrast for certain colors but alters the spectrum a bit to much for me in general use.  The bronze is in the middle where it will increase the contrast without effecting color as much as a rose lens.

 

Since you already have black iridium I would go for something in the 15% transmission range to help in lower light conditions and stick with the black iridium for salt water and really bright conditions. 

 

I like to go for the lightest lens I can get away with, so I usually start off with a bronze color and adjust to black if I find myself squinting a lot.  I think you will get more utility by having a ~10% and ~15% lens instead of two ~10% lenses

[Mossyoakglock]

I didn't think about having two lenses with close to the same light transmission. So it sounds like the Bronze Polarized will be my best choice.

[Big C]

I didn't think about having two lenses with close to the same light transmission. So it sounds like the Bronze Polarized will be my best choice.

 

 

If it's for fishing, I think so too.  I would get an extra pair for non-fishig activities so you don't scratch up your good pair. 

[Mossyoakglock]

Yes, the new lenses will be mainly for fishing but I'm sure I'll wear them for non-fishing things too. I was planning on getting just the lenses so I can swap out my Black Iridiums with the bronze lenses when needed.

[jerzeeD]

If VR28 is an option, run with it. It is the best you can use on oakley models that do not have the angling specific lenses available for them.

[Mossyoakglock]

I contacted Oakley and they also suggested the Bronze Polarized (currently have the Black Iridium Polarized).

 

Now I'm going to throw in Costa. I've been reading online (and here) on lens choices, etc. The consensus is that the Green Mirror is the best way to go and is one of the best all-around lens choices for a variety of fishing conditions, water clarity and sun/light conditions (I'll wear them for everyday activities occasionally). I fish freshwater 99% of the time but will probably start doing more saltwater fishing with my uncle in Panama City, FL. Off the pier, at the jetties and inshore in the bay mostly. I will probably pick up an extra lens for my Oakleys (Bronze Polarized) but want to get a second pair. If I were to go with the Costa's, would the Green Mirror be my best choice. I'm going with the Fantails but haven't decided if I want Glass or Poly. I'll have to try both on when I can get out there.

 

The lakes and ponds I fish are never really that clear (occasionally clear down to 2-3ft) and mostly stained/murky. Being that I fish from the bank the majority of the time, I will be sight fishing and want a lens that allows me to "see" into the water. If Green isn't the way to go, is there another color that would suit me better? Maybe Gray or Silver Mirror? Obviously looking for something that cuts glare as well.

[reason162]

The lakes and ponds I fish are never really that clear (occasionally clear down to 2-3ft) and mostly stained/murky. Being that I fish from the bank the majority of the time, I will be sight fishing and want a lens that allows me to "see" into the water. If Green isn't the way to go, is there another color that would suit me better? Maybe Gray or Silver Mirror? Obviously looking for something that cuts glare as well.

 

Like you, I was all set on the green mirrors, until I bought two pairs: one green, the other blue and compared. I find myself using the blue 580Gs almost 95% of the time these days. It has the same transmission rate as my Maui Jims neutral grey, but it doesn't darken nearly as much, and I'm very comfortable wearing the blue mirrors on overcast days. The greens are very nice, but in full on sun you might wish you went with the blue mirrors instead. YMMV. 

[mattk22]

I am a huge Oakley fan.  In order of how I like my Oakley lenses for fishing. 

1. Titanium Iridium Polarized

1. Shallow Blue Polarized

3. Bronze Polarised

 

G580 Costas are great lenses too, the glass gets tough to wear sometimes because of weight, but they are bullet proof.  Costas are great glasses.

[KayakBasser]

     I wouldnt know about oaklys I would just stick to costa 580g,who cares how you look,because I know the fish sure as heck dont.