Top 10 Best Polarized Sunglasses For Fishing (2023 Review)

Having a good pair of polarized sunglasses is a must when fishing. 

They protect your eyes from flying hooks and harmful UVA and UVB rays from the sun that can damage your retina and skin. 

Let’s take a quick look at the best three from the list…

The best polarized sunglasses for fishing can also help your vision cut through glare on the water so you can see what’s going on beneath the surface and tailor your fishing to what’s happening down there.

It might not be 20/20 vision but sunglasses will definitely help your sight fishing game. Read on to find the perfect pair for you.

The Best From The Review

Our Best Polarized Sunglasses For Fishing 

What Are Polarized Sunglasses? 

Polarized fishing sunglasses are a pair of sunglasses that use a polarized lens instead of non-polarized. 

This polarized lens technology is what provides extra UV protection from UV rays and removes some or all of the glare of the water so you can see what’s really happening under the surface. 

The first time I went from using a pair of non-polarized to polarized fishing sunglasses I was on a boat looking out to a reef in the Indian Ocean. 

The entire world changed.

Advantage

I could see all the different colors of the sea; light blues, dark blues, dark green patches, and sandy yellow parts too.

I looked down, and I could see the bottom crystal clear.

It was one of the best moments in my fishing career. 

I have worn nothing else since that day because they are the best-polarized fishing sunglasses. 

They changed the game, and I could now see fish coming a mile off and all the depth changes around me based on the colors. Plus, I don’t look half bad while waiting for my fish alarms to go off. 

How Do Polarized Sunglasses Work? 

When light bounces off a water’s surface, it creates glare. 

Glare is a reflected horizontal blue light and it’s what stops fishermen from seeing what’s happening underwater. 

Fishing polarized sunglasses have a chemical laminate on the lens that blocks out horizontal light waves, which is usually harsh blue light, removing some or all of the glare so fishers can see through the surface more easily.

See the difference when using polarized glasses with the cool video below.

Why Use Polarized Sunglasses For Fishing? 

You don’t have to use polarized sunglasses when fishing, you could just use a normal pair of non-polarized fishing sunglasses but you won’t have a clue what’s going on under the surface. 

In some fishing situations, seeing through the glare doesn’t really matter, like when bottom fishing for carp in a muddy lake.

Even when wearing polarized sunglasses, you won’t be able to see through the milky tea-colored water because it’s so dirty. 

See Through Glare

When you’re fly fishing in a crystal clear spring creek or sight fishing on the clean blue flats of Florida, the best sunglasses for fishing are polarized. 

Wearing polarized sunglasses lets you see through the glare and reflected light to spot fish and depth changes that you wouldn’t see without them. 

This gives you the upper hand, as now you can see the fish, or areas where fish might be, and throw your line in that direction rather than shooting in the dark. 

If you’re a dedicated fisherman, you’d be mad to use a non-polarized pair of cheap sunglasses. 

The Benefits Of Using Polarized Fishing Sunglasses

• When fishing on a cloudy day or sitting in the shade, the water reflects up to 85% of harmful UV rays into your eyes. These rays are damaging to your eyesight and the best polarized fishing sunglasses removes these harmful UV rays. 
• Polarized sunglasses for fishing also enhances clarity and contrast to give you a clearer image. When looking for fish, your eyes are working hard and can get tired, especially if you’re guiding. Having better image clarity and contrast takes the strain off the eyes and helps avoid headaches. 
• The more time on the water spent fishing, the more chance of a hook flying towards the eyes. A pair of fishing sunglasses protect your eyes from any random missiles that might come along. 
• The main benefit to a pair of polarized sunglasses for fishing is, of course, being able to see what’s happening underwater. You’ll be able to see fish, all the depth changes, and the shallow structure they might be hiding around.

Things To Consider When Choosing The Best Polarized Sunglasses For Fishing

Frame

Sunglasses are meant to look cool right? 

We all want frames that suit our face and style as much as possible, as everyone’s face is a little different.

But, when it comes to polarized sunglasses for fishing, there is one consideration that trumps both of these needs, the need to see fish. 

TIP
The best polarized fishing sunglasses will have a frame that blocks out as much light as possible from entering your eyes. 

Provides Clarity and UV Protection

This not only protects from harmful UV rays but also helps you get the maximum amount of clarity and contrast for your vision enabling you to see a lot more while you’re spending time on the water.

This does mean you’ll end up with dreaded ‘panda eyes’. Your face will be tanned but the skin around your eyes will be white – quite comical, 

NOTE

If you look at guides in Seychelles or Florida, they all have these ‘guide goggles’. 

Lens Material 

There are two main materials that lenses can be made out of, polycarbonate and glass.

Each of them has its pros and cons and one isn’t really better than the other overall, it comes down to your personal preference. 

Glass Lenses 

Glass lenses give you more clarity and overall provide you with better image optics.

They’re more scratch resistant and better at handling higher temperatures too. 

The negative to a glass lens is that they’re heavy and can weigh down your ears, making life a little painful.They’re also more expensive than polycarbonate. 

Polycarbonate (plastic) Lenses 

Polycarbonate is the most common material due to its affordability and because it’s durable and lightweight.

They are less likely to shatter than glass, are more impact resistant, and some come with a scratch-resistant film for extra protection. 

Plastic lenses also prevent more UV rays from coming through due to the reduced transparency it has compared to glass.

Which Is the Best Lens Material For A Pair Of Fishing Sunglasses? 

It comes down to personal preference. My favorite lenses are glass, as they provide added clarity and contrast so you can see more of what’s going on. 

I use polarized prescription sunglasses and glass is much better for prescriptions than plastic. 

I know a lot of guides swear by polycarbonate lenses but I think this comes down to the high-quality polarization they get from the brand of fishing glasses, rather than the material of the lenses. 

Lens Colors & Environments

There are loads of lens colors to choose from but not all lens colors are made for fishing glasses. 

The lens color you choose for your polarized fishing glasses makes a big difference to what you’ll end up seeing – You want to make sure you tailor them to the environment you’re fishing in and the light conditions. 

There are a huge range of lens color options out there, from green mirror and silver mirror to low light lenses, tan and blue mirror lenses.

You can divide the lenses up into three categories, shallow water, deep water, and low light conditions. 

Shallow Water 

The best fishing lens color for shallow water is amber, tan, or copper lenses (they’re all the same) with a green mirror on the front end. 

These provide the best clarity and contrast for shallow waters like rivers, lakeshores, and on the flats.

The green mirror reflects a lot of the light rays for UV protection and the tan lens provides good contrast behind it. 

Deep Water 

When I talk about deep water, I mean offshore fishing where you’re scouring the horizon for finning marlin. 

The best lenses for this environment are gray silver mirror or amber lenses with a blue mirror.

The blue mirror lens filters out all the harmful reflective blue light you get over the ocean and helps cut through the glare a lot more while the grey or amber lens gives great contrast for scanning large areas and spotting fish. 

Poor Light Conditions 

On cloudy days when there isn’t enough light to cut through the water and show what’s underneath, the best lenses to use are yellow with a silver mirror. 

The yellow lenses and silver mirror make the bottom light up with great contrast in low light conditions and the silver mirror lets more light in than the blue mirror or green mirror, giving you a brighter image when you need it. 

Polarization 

Not all polarized lenses are made equal, some are better or worse than others, but why? 

The quality of polarized lenses come from the lens materials to begin with, glass being the best and polycarbonate second. 

Then it’s about the quality of the polarized film and how it’s put on.

NOTE

The film should be top-notch and sandwiched between two lenses making sure it’s properly aligned when worn.

Ideal Fishing Sunglasses

The best fishing sunglasses will have polarized lenses with a higher quality polarized film and an anti-reflective inner coating to stop light reflecting off the lenses into your eyes. 

They’ll also use a hydrophobic and oleophobic coating to repel water and oils to make sure your lens is clear at all times.

Price 

You should expect to pay a couple hundred dollars for a good pair of polarized sunglasses for fishing. 

Cheap polarized sunglasses are not a great option as the polarization will be poor quality and will not last. 

Plus the lens materials will be cheap and most likely scratch and crack easily. 

Quality

The more you spend on a pair of sunglasses the better the polarized lenses are going to be and that’s what you need in order to have the best fishing sunglasses.

They’ll be durable, last, and give you the best chance of seeing the fish you’re looking to catch. If you can afford it, going to the higher-priced models is a great option.

Reeling Up

Here’s the top three sunglasses from the lineup…

Thanks for reading my article and I hope your world has been opened up to the value of polarized fishing glasses, they are worth every penny and will improve your fishing.

If you haven’t quite picked a pair from the review yet, here are a few more pointers. 

Top Pick

If you’re looking for all-around quality and style you can’t beat the Smith Optics Basecamps. 

The cut through the water as well as any other pair, they’re durable, affordable, and come in every color you could want for every fishing situation. 

Best Value

Where budget is a concern, or if you’re always breaking your sunglasses, then the Wiley X Peak have you covered. 

They have ballistic rated, shatterproof lenses that no fisherman would ever be able to break using them properly.

Plus their the most affordable, come in the two colors you need for shallow and deep water, and their polarization and UV protection ain’t bad either. 

Editor’s Choice

If you want the best, as I do, then the Maui Jim Peahi sunglasses are the way forward. 

They are the only ones with lenses made of glass and offer superior image clarity so you can see more fish coming.

Plus, the lenses come in every color you could ever need for sight fishing, plus the polarization, UV protection, and durability is excellent.

Feel Free To Share!

I hope you have found these polarized sunglasses reviews useful and please share them with anyone else you think might enjoy them.

I’ve also written some others such as ‘the best tarpon fly rod’ which may be helpful to your fishing experience. If you need more options, this Best Sunglasses For Fishing article can help you find great alternatives.

Enjoy your new sunglasses, send me your sunnies and your catches over on my social media channel – I hope you can see every fish that comes your way.