Home Forums Fishing Saltwater Polarized glasses

I'm going to the keys in October and I need some good fishing glasses. What are some good reccomedations that won't break the bank

Costa's are what I use

I really enjoy my Costa's as well. I sprung for the 580 mirror lenses too. Its really impressive how well these things cut glare. Up front cost is steep though...depending on the dealer it is easy to get close to spending almost $300 on a pair. I got mine through my employer's insurance program so it didn't hurt as much as full price (thanks Obamacare for taking that benefit away now).

Got a buddy that swears by his Maui Jim's though (higher end glass lenses, not the Walmart junk).

If you want good performance at a better price point, look into Flying Fishermen. I rotated through a few pairs of these before I bought my Costas and for the price, performance is not that much less.

Definitely go to a shop that has good selection though and try on as many pairs as possible of whatever you decide to buy. Fit makes a big difference in all day comfort.

Look for designs that have a wrap around lenses, eye shields or tall frame arms that block light from entering in the sides. This is really key to being able to see into the water and not dealing with reflection off the inside of the lens. No Aviators here unfortunately.

On the flats, creeks and sloughs, I prefer amber lenses. These really help with contrast and allows you to pick out fish against sea grass and sand much easier. Greens are more vibrant too which seems to help also. Gray lenses do better offshore for me. YMMV.

The Maui Jim's may have once been glass but they are all polycarbonate now. It's the reason I went with the 580g Costa.

I never messed with the MJ's so I can't comment. My buddy has had his for a while though.

I have a pair of Maui Jim's. They are at least 8years old, definitely way better than more common and fashionable brands for sure. Never used Costa's so can't compare, but I don't need them with how the MJs perform so far.

I actually like the MJ's fit better. I like their Pilot model. I bought the Fisch model Costa glasses and while I love the clarity I do not like the way they fit like a pair of goggles for every day wear. It's fine to have a wrap around pair of goggle fitting glasses on when you are do 60 mph down the lake, and even in most fishing but they get too hot sometimes and fog up more than a pair of aviator style for general every day wear.

I got the MJ brochure and it lists all their models as poly lenses.$300 is a lot for me for sunglasses so I wanted glass lenses for better scratch resistance.

Here's a place that sells Costa cheap. They are legit because I know some guys that bought from there and had to use the Costa warranty. I also buy a bunch of closeout hunting and fishing stuff from them. They can't advertise the Costa price ,so give them a call.
http://stores.sheltonsclothing.com/

I have some Scott's I really like for fly fishing the San Juan in NM. I also really like my polarized Oakley Gascan models. I've never tried the Costas.

The rap around style frames always fog up on me, too.

Was just there, with a variety of tints and manufacturers.

Best overall: Costa Amber. Stay away from gray and also mirrored lenses for flats fishing. Offshore, mirrored lenses get the nod.

Fished with Bruce Chard, who was wearing yellow-lensed Smiths. Guy knows what he is doing big time. His rationale: more light = more contrast. Tried his. He was right. His were mo 'betta for what he does: sight fishing the flats.

I had a set of Costa yellow lenses with me too, which were much more garish and, well, yellow than the Smiths, but you know what, once you get used to them, they ARE better. Even than the Smiths. But man they are yellow!

The Amber are still superb (the turquoise water POPS, as does the bottom) and great for flyfishing and all-around wear. For hard-core flyfishing-only glasses, the yellows perform best in those conditions, IMO, if you can like the tint.

BTW, I own and use Costa and Maui Jims with premium glass lenses, and I love them. And yes, the glass IS better optically and more scratch-resistant than poly.

That said, I took a beadhead just next to my right eye on a very windy day flyfishing in Patagonia (every freaking day is very windy in Patagonia!). It hurt like hell, eye swelled up pretty good. I was wearing glass at the time, and I can promise you that if that beadhead would have hit that glass I would have been in deep doo doo, because it was moving FAST!

So now I still own various glass lenses, but have included also various polycarbonate (all bought well below retail). I use the poly's for flyfishing and shooting, and anywhere else where shatterproof means something. I do not flyfish without polycarb lenses.

Glass everywhere else.

Horses for courses. Something to think about.

As to the "won't break the bank" part:

Costas at Sierra Trading Post

I'd jump on that last Cortez with Amber lenses if the medium fit would work for you.

I got a 30%-off email a few months back, and paid less than $70 each for camo Hamlins in Gray, Amber, and Yellow polycarb.

All three will pull double duty as shooting and flyfishing glasses.

I love the camo Hamlins in amber. Just ordered a second pair with the a 20% off coupon.

I like the Seven Mile as well. Maui's are still, however my fav overall glass. Most of mine are older.

May have to jump on the Cortez Ambers. But not sure about the medium fit.

Sure wished I had all those that broke or are now at the bottom of the drink!!

Over the years a number of different glasses have come forward as incredible "for a very specific function" and they remain golden for their niche. I carry no fewer than a half-dozen glasses for a day of fishing and they get narrowed down as the fishing progresses.

A lot of what I do it is very important to see what is going on. The best tidewater red salmon glasses I have are old plastic things that cost $10 on a day when I forgot my "better" lenses. I baby them these days because nothing I have ever seen hangs neon on intertidal gray bottom red salmon like they do.

I have Costa, junk, Smith, junk, Oakley, junk, Serengeti, junk, Revo, junk, and junk junk of a lot of different ages. Under perfect circumstances a good glass may suddenly turn golden for the day...

My buddy ltppowell showed up this weekend for our fishing trip on Lake Ontario with a brand new pair of Costa Brines with amber glass lenses for me....can't beat that deal!

Maui Jim's with real glass lenses for me.

I fish the keys a few weeks every year. I have used both Maui Jims and Costas.

I default to the Costas most of the time with the brown lens for both. I think the Maui Jims get the edge for the bifocal models I wear. They are a bit better if you buy the bifocal version.

For Bowfishing here I use the Costas 100% they are astonishing at determining shot placement for an arrow in the water

Where do you get them with glass lenses?

Bought my first pair at something like a Sunglass Hut, in a strip mall near Phoenix, about 10 years ago. And my second pair (also new) off eBay. One of the glass lenses chipped when it fell out of the frame on my first pair.

These are so far above the Serengeti's I used to wear, which required new temples every 2-3 months.

Hmmmph....don't forget the Rattletraps.

I've used the Costa's for years, with the bifocal option. Makes tying that 6 pound test Trilene so much easier as I don't have to take off my sunglasses and switch to reading glasses.

Oh I didn't and in the next couple weeks you will receive photo's of staging king salmon I catch with them!