Fishing sunnies

musto 07

Member
Hi Guys!

In your opinion, which are the best pound for pound fishing sunglasses out there? Mako, Costa etc...

Also, how are these different to lets say a normal pair of polarized Oakley shades? And are they really that necessary

Keen to hear your guys' views

Cheers
 

Limpopoking

Sealiner
I may be wrong but I suspect that to a large extent the high price name tags are going to just be a mid range pair of specs with a name on it. I buy polarised glasses in the R200-400 range that have lasted well and allow me good visual penetration into the water. I was marveling just yesterday at the clarity I had in looking at my line on the water through a pair of sensation glasses. Maybe I'm just a cheapskate but I can't see the need for glasses costing the same as a mid range Shimano reel full of very clever engineering.
 

Pylstert

Sealiner
Limpopoking wrote:
I may be wrong but I suspect that to a large extent the high price name tags are going to just be a mid range pair of specs with a name on it. I buy polarised glasses in the R200-400 range that have lasted well and allow me good visual penetration into the water. I was marveling just yesterday at the clarity I had in looking at my line on the water through a pair of sensation glasses. Maybe I'm just a cheapskate but I can't see the need for glasses costing the same as a mid range Shimano reel full of very clever engineering.
Me too, have had a couple expensive brands, some I bought, some were given to me and now I just buy the budget ones  and I don't cry if they fall in the sea or get scratched. Struggle to see the difference between them and top end brands. If there was a clear difference to me I would cough up again but have not seen the need to date.
 

plugger

Senior Member
I remember a couple of years back Carte Blanche showed a test my some Uni and the pavement specials beat the name brands . Not all though. Polaroids are a must for fishing. It was conducted by CSIR.
 

Pylstert

Sealiner
plugger wrote:
I remember a couple of years back Carte Blanche showed a test my some Uni and the pavement specials beat the name brands . Not all though. Polaroids are a must for fishing. It was conducted by CSIR.

An optometrist also told me you can seriously waste your money on some of the big brands. Most of the big brands are owned by an Italian company. Yes polarised is a must. I usually get Bondi or Ocean Eyewear after several other big names like Oakley
 
If you want stella quality you can get you optometrist to replace the lenses with glass prescription polarized ones..be better than the expensive ones then but cheaper..
 

willo

Sealiner
I am a big fan of Spotters Photochromic ,i have two sets now , one with blue lenses and the other with gold to suite the conditions.
My first set is 10 yrs old and there is not a scratch on the lenses . The only thing that has slightly defected is the paint on the inner frame work has flaked a bit from i assume sun block and sweat over the years.
My second set is just over a year now and same thing - still in perfect condition.

I Just rinse them off in fresh water after they have been kissed by the salt and let they dry off before cleaning them.

They have 100% protection from UVA and UVB radiation and are 100% polarized which are an absolute must for my styles of fishing . Spending hours upon hours wading the flats or fishing from a boat site casting and cutting the glare they make a massive difference and well worth the $'s to protect the only two eyes one gets.

I can fish all day in comfort with no headaches or swore eyes that i have had from other brands before.

I have had 4 pairs of oakley shades(because they were cool ) over the years and in my humble opinion they are over priced Cr@p , the lenses tend to bubble and scratch far to easily and i would rather just buy a cheapo set than a set of oakleys ever again.
 

phumba72

New member
I am on the opposite side of the spectrum when is comes to sun glasses. Previously I had no name brands and then upped them to Oakleys. However, whilst fishing a mate of mine offered me his Costa's and I was beyond impressed with there glass polarised lenses.

So I bought myself a pair and I can honestly say that they are the bomb. I fish mainly rock and surf and find that the protect ones eyes and my eyes don't get sore at all. Yes they were pricey at R 2900. a few years ago but it is the aftermarket service that is outstanding. I accidently drove over them (Don't Ask) and was in tears. I contacted the dealer as they have a lifetime warranty and without hesitation they gave me a R 2000.00 voucher off a new pair as they couldn't be fixed. It was really great service. I think it is totally personal choice but the real lesson is to look after them properly and they will look after your eyes as they are the only eyes you will ever have. I always keep them in their carry case.
 
I've had three pairs of Costas, and although they were really nice, the soft gaskets inside the frames did not last long.

I recently bought Dirty Dog from Australia at around R800, and they are awesome, plastic frames and lenses and so far it's been just a pleasure owning them.

www.smartbuyglasses.co.za is the best place to buy.
 

musto 07

Member
Thanks for the input guys

Shades are a non negotiable for me as I am a cricket coach and spend almost every day in the sun on top of the fishing I do.

I honestly agree with Oakleys being overpriced nonsense as I use them for coaching and I have to replace lenses two or three times a year. I've used two different models that I have for fishing and both are nowhere near as good as my mates Mako's I've tried before so I'm looking at getting a quality pair now. Problem is I cant really physically test and compare them thus I'm trying to see which are generally the option to go for that wont disappoint

P.S. I fish rock and surf so whatever pair I buy i'll probably need two different pairs of lenses right? One for clear bright conditions and one for darker conditions and dirtier water? OR??
 

Blikkiesvis

Sealiner
I once bought a pair of polarized Angling Specific Oakleys at R1800... Never again! They lasted just as long as any other pair of Snowbees, Ocean, Bondiblu or other "cheapies" that I have used. And to be honest there wasn't much difference in visibility between the expensive pair vs the cheapies.

In my opinion most important thing is that it has to be polarized and brand doesn't matter as much. Just remember that blue/green lenses for the ocean and amber/copper lenses for the darker river water works best. Also Amber/Yellow lenses is better in low light conditions.

These days I use a pair of Oceans and a pair of Bourbons. They cost between R300-R500 each.


http://www.bourboneyewear.co.za/

https://oceaneyewear.co.za/
 

Limpopoking

Sealiner
Blikkiesvis wrote:
I think the Amber lenses is probably the most versatile...?

I've got amber photochromatic glasses that I got for about R500. I use them mainly bass fishing at my local dam, but for some reason, I reverted to my green lenses on 2 recent offshore trips because they felt so much better and offered better visual penetration into the water.
 

plugger

Senior Member
Spec Savers made me a pair of polarized prescription lenses for around R1500. Eye protection and I can see ! Have to take them off to tie knots though.::jdchk::jdchk::jdchk
 

Blikkiesvis

Sealiner
Limpopoking wrote:
Blikkiesvis wrote:
I think the Amber lenses is probably the most versatile...?

I've got amber photochromatic glasses that I got for about R500. I use them mainly bass fishing at my local dam, but for some reason, I reverted to my green lenses on 2 recent offshore trips because they felt so much better and offered better visual penetration into the water.


I agree. I'm not a sea expert, but think that the green/blue lenses would be better on the deep blue.

Let me restate... Amber lenses is probably the most versatile for general fishing from the shore :)
 

Vades

Sealiner
Click this link for Costa's recommendations regarding lense colour choice:

http://www.sunglassimagedesignerapparel.com/lenses%20COSTA.jpg

I have been using their glass green mirror polarised lenses for some years now and have found them to be excellent for rock, surf, river and inshore fishing.
 
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