WONDERING WHAT THE CONCENSUS IS ON SHADES.TIME FOR ME TO GET A NEW PAIR.I HAVE ALWAYS USED THE SMOKE COLORED LENSES BUT HAVE SEEN A LOT OF AMBER COLORED ARE THEY BETTER AND ARE THE $100-$200 PAIR ANY BETTER THAN THE $10 CHEAPIES.THANX

I just bought a new pair of Oakley A-wires. They are awesome .I wore them in Maui when I went out marlin fishing. There are a lot of things I didnt know about polarixes lenses that I now do.
1) there are several different angles of glare that you are dealing with. Kinda like 3 sheets on the bed, each time you remove one the easier it is to see thru.
2) the optics that you choose make all the difference in the world as far as clarity as well as eye protection as well as ease of looking thru them.
plus much more............
The guys over there are the experys as they have sun 365 days a year. Most all wear either Oakley,Ray-Ban or Maui Jims. I have fished polarized lenses for 15 years and I prefer amber lenses as they are the best color for enhancement of the river bottom as well as bringing the fish into view. I spent $215.00 on the ones I got and If you want a style number I can give it to you. You definatly dont need to spend a lot of money on fishing glasses but I would say that I fished the cheaper ones for years and I can tell a difference loking thru them side by side plus I can wear them every day and they look cool.
My .02 -John

Alot of peope will tell you amber on cloudy days and smoke on bright, sunny days. Personally, I only use smoke colored lenses because I'm usually wearing singlasses only on bright sunny days. Most of my use is for spotting salmon/steelhead in rivers. I've tried amber and don't like them because I seem to lose my sense of depth perception which is a ***** when casting to spotte fish. Just my $.02

I always use a good quality set of sunglasses. The optics will let you see better, your eyes will not get fatigued as quickly, the lens are of better quality and will not scratch as easily and the frames seem to usually fit better making them comfortable all day. I currently have a set of oakley glasses which I love. I think if you make the investment in a good pair and take care of them you will never go back to the dime store glasses.

For use around here, considering we're likely to have overcast 10 mos out of the yr...I like amber. Cuts thru haze and sharpens definition. If I lived in a sunnier climate, it would be dark copper or gray.
If you're going to spend $150-$200 on a pair of glasses, make sure you're getting glass lenses. Smith, oakley and some ray-bans are polycarbonate. It's safe and light but takes scratches alot easier. When I buy glasses, I expect to own them for a few yrs and glass just hold up better.
But it will shatter.
I just bought Action Optics in their 'all-hours brown' tint. Great winter steelhead glasses. maybe too light tinted for summer sunshine.
See Ryan or Kent at Ted's.

I bought a pair of amber Maui Jims($99 COSTCO) and now can't go anywhere without them. Awesome glasses. I used to buy the $10 pairs. The difference in optics is incredible. Buck up and spend the money, you won't regret it.

I wear hard contacts, I am so light sensitive that I wear my sunglasses outside everyday of the year! Needless to say I have lots of experience with sunglasses... I like the Oakley Frogskins (polarized) but recently bought a pair of Maui Jim Waimea Bay w/ smoke lenses.. They are awesome!
Maui Jim Waimea Bay click here



anyway.. I loved my Oakleys until I put on the MAui Jims..

I bought a pair of Orvis polerized glasses with copper lenses a few years ago. They were very good until last October when I got all excited and stepped on them while landing a 17 pound coho. I called Orvis regarding repair and after a month's wait, they replaced them with a new pair! (These are $150 glasses). The copper lenses were discontinued, so I requested vermillion, which are good low-light lenses. I fish mainly for steelhead and mainly in mornings or dark days when I can. Amber or vermillion are better in these conditions than gray. I have a gray pair I use for lakes in sunny summer. During the month I was without my copper/vermillion lenses (December 01), I not only caught few fish, I fell in a number of times because I couldn't see boulders under the river surface.

My experience with glasses is that the amber lens give a better contrast between the bottom and the fish. Steelhead are a blue grey color that matches smoke lenses preaty well. One day on the Kalama I fished half the day with smoke lens the other half with yellow the difference was amazeing I was able to spot many more fish. Just my .02

Action Optics frames (now using a wrap-style San Lucas frame) with Clear Water Copper, amber colored, polarized glass lens, have been my choice for several years. From intense Baja sun, to cloudy days, to intense glare on higher elevation snowfields and glaciers, they work great. And Action Optics (Smith Co.) stands behind their products.

HEY THANKS FOR ALL THE INPUT.THINK I BETTER GIVE AMBER A SHOT.$1OO FOR MAUI JIM'S AT COSTCO SOUMDS LIKE GOOD DEAL.IF YOU GUYS CAN THINK OF ABETTER DEAL LET ME KNOW