Favorite Sunglasses

[NEBasser101]

Hi there! I'm looking to get a pair of sunglasses for sightfishing. What are the best ones? Colors? Thanks

[RHuff]

A lot of people on here will probably say the big name sunglasses like Wiley X or Oakley. They are definitely great if you can afford a $150 pair of sunglasses. I wear the $9 Terminator Polarized Sunglasses from Wal-Mart and they do me just fine lol

[J Francho]

I have a few pairs in varying darkness from that $20 rack.  I also have a very nice pair of Maui Jim offshore sunglasses.  They are VERY nice.  Whether you want to upwards of $250 is up to you.  The main thing is to get the right shade and make sure they're polarized.

[Chance_Taker4]

I am a huge Oakley fan and have multiple pair with the new Prizm lenses. I love sight fishing with these. However if you don't wanna spend $200-$300 for sunglasses check out the Strike King S11 glasses.

[papajoe222]

For the level of protection they offer, you can’t beat Wiley X and for clarity, Costa 380 in green/mirror (glass).

ive had mine for a number of years and if you spread the cost over the years of service.....

[DomQ]

Too see the fish, one must see like a fish. Shark vision. <'(((><

 

Yes so savage, I know 

But really, I have some Costas for sale if interested. I have them posted in the flea market if you are interested. 

[Bassun]

Don't overlook prescription glass wear if you have ANY vision impairments.  A good quality glass, with custom fit frames makes a huge difference.  I've used (and used for many years) cheap Wal-Mart / K-mart etc. polarized glasses.  They work.  But, they do not work nearly as well as a high quality glass.  Is it worth the cost difference?  Meh - probably not for 90% of us, lol.  But, there is a difference.  I have a pair of Costa's which work great!  But, they don't fit as well as my prescription glasses, but work better for fishing because of the lens color.  I didn't notice until on the water, and realized what the problem was.  With the design of the Costa's not much I can do about it... but from the Opto - I can get anything swapped, adjusted, etc.  

 

If I had to wear only 1 pair of glasses today, they would be from the Doc.  A light amber lens, high quality glass, with a green mirror - and they would be fit perfectly to my face.  Would they be expensive, sure...but, they would be just about as good of an all use fishing sunglass as I could get, and they would last.  My Costa's have been replaced once already...and they will never fit any better than they do basically out of the box.  

 

As an aside, my vision is still very good.  Just a slight astigmatism which doesn't "need" corrected.  But, the benefit of paying insurance was a discounted cost on frames and lens work.  A short discussion with the doc and wife, and it made sense to get a pair cut for me.  Because I had a "correctable" deviance, I qualified for the discounts vs buying custom sunglasses from the Opto at full cost.  Huge savings (well, I pay for it ultimately with insurance out the ying-yang but...), and the best pair of sunglasses I've ever owned.  I will be getting another pair made probably this year, geared 100% for fishing to replace my Costa's.  So, that's an avenue to consider if you are going to spend more than $20 bucks on glasses.

[MassYak85]

I have two pairs of eye surrender glasses. They come in a nice case and it's a night and day difference on and off as far as seeing in the water. I've got some grey ones for sunny days and amber for cloudy. 

[Glaucus]

$10 Berkley polarized sunglasses do just fine.

[LonnieP]

I wear 22$ Calcutta glasses. I would like to buy a pair of Costa’s but I would lose them within 3 months.

[Graham]

Classic Rayban Wayfarers are my favorite. Water clarity in my bodies of water make sight fishing a bit tricky tho.

[haggard]

Forum member put me on to Cocoon fit-overs (I wear prescription glasses already), green tint on the outside, amber on the inside. Plastic lenses, they work well, and I think I paid $34 on sale. They work in fit-over configuration or even in their own without my regular glasses underneath. Highly recommended.

 

Thanks LM

 

[DINK WHISPERER]

Oakley turbine in red/gold lens

[slonezp]

5 hours ago, Bassun said:

Don't overlook prescription glass wear if you have ANY vision impairments.  A good quality glass, with custom fit frames makes a huge difference.  I've used (and used for many years) cheap Wal-Mart / K-mart etc. polarized glasses.  They work.  But, they do not work nearly as well as a high quality glass.  Is it worth the cost difference?  Meh - probably not for 90% of us, lol.  But, there is a difference.  I have a pair of Costa's which work great!  But, they don't fit as well as my prescription glasses, but work better for fishing because of the lens color.  I didn't notice until on the water, and realized what the problem was.  With the design of the Costa's not much I can do about it... but from the Opto - I can get anything swapped, adjusted, etc.  

 

If I had to wear only 1 pair of glasses today, they would be from the Doc.  A light amber lens, high quality glass, with a green mirror - and they would be fit perfectly to my face.  Would they be expensive, sure...but, they would be just about as good of an all use fishing sunglass as I could get, and they would last.  My Costa's have been replaced once already...and they will never fit any better than they do basically out of the box.  

 

As an aside, my vision is still very good.  Just a slight astigmatism which doesn't "need" corrected.  But, the benefit of paying insurance was a discounted cost on frames and lens work.  A short discussion with the doc and wife, and it made sense to get a pair cut for me.  Because I had a "correctable" deviance, I qualified for the discounts vs buying custom sunglasses from the Opto at full cost.  Huge savings (well, I pay for it ultimately with insurance out the ying-yang but...), and the best pair of sunglasses I've ever owned.  I will be getting another pair made probably this year, geared 100% for fishing to replace my Costa's.  So, that's an avenue to consider if you are going to spend more than $20 bucks on glasses.

My vision sucks, both distance and close up. I used to switch back and forth between my Wileys and my regular glasses for tying knots. Then I needed reading glasses to tie knots. 2 months ago I contacted Wiley to see if they could put prescription lenses in my frames. Yep, but I had to go thru an authorized Wiley dealer. I went to a local authorized Wiley optometrist and had them take care of the logistics. Went back a week later and I had new frames and lenses. Wiley didn't want me to be without glasses so they sent new frames with the prescription lenses at no extra charge and "warrantied" my 8 year old frames. Awesome customer service!   

[NHBull]

I have issues with my eyes and will need a complicated surgery on one at some point.

Oakley progressive polarized.......450.00 after discount.

i think I will be pricing out some Wiley’s next time

 

......but the Oakley’s make me feel sexxxxxxxy

[BassThumb]

Costa Del Mar with Man 'O War frames and glass 580 green or silver mirror lenses. I own them both. Can't tell the difference between the two, but they're a little nicer than my dad's $260 pair of Maui Jims and head and shoulders better than anything in the $100 range that I've owned. 

 

They go for about $150 on eBay. 

[slonezp]

1 hour ago, NHBull said:

I have issues with my eyes and will need a complicated surgery on one at some point.

Oakley progressive polarized.......450.00 after discount.

i think I will be pricing out some Wiley’s next time

 

......but the Oakley’s make me feel sexxxxxxxy

Wiley progressive's with no discount were 4 bills. Unfortunately my Pearl Vision was not an authorized Wiley dealer. If they were, the lenses would have been discounted since I had just renewed my script. 

[FishDewd]

I need to get a pair at some point... but $100+ for glasses is a no-no for me. I had no idea they came in different colors.... oh boy. I have a lot of research to do when I'm ready to buy some lol.

[LxVE Bassin]

I use Cocoons, they allow people to wear their proscription eye wear underneath them. I don’t have vision problems but I have a huge head and they fit confortabley. Amber is the best color IMO.

[burrows]

Renegade Ike Series very good glasses and comfortable.

4 hours ago, LonnieP said:

I wear 22$ Calcutta glasses. I would like to buy a pair of Costa’s but I would loose them within 3 months.

I agree I can’t spend much on glasses because I will either break them or lose them.

[Dan C]

Wiley x is a garbage pos company, sent them back a pair of glasses  and that company lost the glasses in there warehouse, out $200 ??? 

I’m cheap and Shady Rays glasses are super great quality for only $45 and have great customer service 

[Sam]

I met the Costa guys and gals at the Classic a few years ago and they suggested a combination of colors.

 

So I followed their advice and now have a pair of prescription Costa's that are excellent.

 

What is the color? Darn if I know. I have it written down somewhere.

 

But if you call Costa and ask them I am sure they can make a suggestion.

[burrows]

8 hours ago, LxVE Bassin said:

I use Cocoons, they allow people to wear their proscription eye wear underneath them. I don’t have vision problems but I have a huge head and they fit confortabley. Amber is the best color IMO.

I have a huge dome as well I do wear glasses though I think I’m upgrading to the cocoons tons of good reviews and affordable.??

[TOXIC]

Here is a post I put up a while ago on why I choose what I did.  My opinion has not changed.  

 

Do you sight fish?  Do you bed fish?  Are you going to use them for driving as well?  As is with most things, a jack of all trades is a master of none.  Meaning, the more you narrow down what the intended purpose is, the more you will be satisfied.  I was in your same position but knew I wanted a "quality" pair of mixed use glasses.  My problem was that I decided to go with my first prescription pair.  Up until then, I just used off the shelf medium quality fishing, polarized sunglasses (Solar Bat).  I found that bed fishing on Lake St Clair, I was not seeing the same detail my fishing partners were.  They were spotting fish on beds where I was just able to see the bed.  I knew it wasn't the glasses fault so I figured it was my need for a prescription.  Once I started checking into prescription quality sunglasses, I was floored at the prices.  I was griping about my experience at a show I was working and come to find out one of the guys I regularly worked shows with who was a reel rep, had a day job as a lense manufacturer in a lab.  I got an education that day.  Let me sum it up:

 

1. Cheap sunglasses are cheap for a reason.  Don't skimp on your eyes.

2. Only very, very, few manufacturers make their own Rx lenses.  Some that may surprise you that do not are Costa, Maui Jim, and a lot of others.  Once you go Rx, they pull their lenses out, send the frames to a lab and you get the quality of the lense the lab produces.  So you have just paid big bucks for a designer name stamped on the frame!!

3. In our freshwater fishing applications, NEVER go with glass lenses.  Yes, the optics are better but a 1/4 oz weight or jig that hits them will put glass into your eye.  Shatterproof or not. Not worth the risk.   

4. Best "overall" mixed use color is grey.  Get specific and the color choices change.  Yes, amber will be best for low light but wear them on a bright sunny day and you'll be disappointed.  Dark grey will allow you to almost look directly into the sun and would be great driving into the sun but will be like night fishing on a cloudy day.  That's why I went with medium grey.  

5. Get frames that fit your head.  There is nothing like the headache you will get from bad fitting sunglasses after a day on the water.  

 

I ended up with a pair of Rx Oakley that once I picked out the right fitting frame, got sent back to Oakley for them to make the lense.  This was after they put clear lenses in the frame and used a sharpie to mark all of the proper points on the lense for my prescription (progressive). I got a medium dark grey with a blue mirror. I use them for driving and fishing and do not know how I ever got along without them. 

[burrows]