Spotting the fish on the flats is one of the keys to success. We all know that a quality cast is required to have a chance at hooking a fish. A good guide can help you with 45 feet at 11 o’clock but if you can spot the target your cast will be much more accurate. Having a good set of sunglasses helps the anger see through the water and hopefully catch a glimpse of your fish. I’m not a sunglasses geek and each brand seem to have their own proprietary tech that makes them the best. Here are the basics to know Polarization is a surface treatment that filters out and blocks certain light waves.

Polarized sunglasses cut glare and improve contrast while reducing eye fatigue. This is the technology that allows us to see through the water. All the different colored lenses help vison by enhancing certain colors and creating greater color contrasts. Depending on where you are dictates what color lens you should have. At the pool and nursing a hangover, a nice dark lens really cuts down on brightness. Winter Steelhead fishing in the PNW in low light, a yellow/amber lens that sucks in tons of light to help make things brighten up. On the flats green mirror, copper, rose and amber are all popular colors for anglers.

On my latest trip to Cuba, I had the chance to try out two different lenses. In the past I have used the Smith lowlight rose lenses with good success. This year I had a pair of Costa Sunrise Silver Mirror and Smith Green Mirror lenses. I have been a fan of yellow/amber lenses on flats for a while now and have worn them all day. That color draws in so much light that it makes seeing the fish a bit easier, especially in low light morning or cloudy conditions. Some anglers say they are too bright for them, and they become uncomfortable in the full sun. I needed a second pair of shades for this trip, so I picked up a pair of Green Mirror Smiths.

Both Smith and Costa make great high-end sunglasses for fishing. I found Costas to work the best in the morning when the sun is low in the sky. When the sun rises higher, they did not have enough contrast compared to Green Mirror. I was very impressed by the Smiths and how well they worked at all times of the day. I felt like the Costas did have the edge in the early morning which they should because they are amber color. I found myself switching to the Green Mirror around 10 or 11am once the sun was up and bright. The contrast of the Smiths made seeing the bonefish and permit a bit easier. I did prefer the rubber nose part of the Costas because they held firmer on my greasy sunscreen covered face. In the afternoon I found I needed to push the Smiths up my nose a bunch which was a bit annoying.

I would never recommend a person only take one pair of glasses on a trip because if they get lost or broken you are 100% hosed. But If I could only have one, I would go Green Mirror. It performed well enough in low light conditions and excelled in the midday and afternoon bright light. I believe all traveling anglers should have a pair of yellow/amber lens glasses and a second pair for brighter conditions. Consider adding both the Costa and Smiths to your collection for your next trip.