When it comes to fishing gear we anglers can be much like human sized pack rats, compiling various types of gear with the hopes that some of the gear might some day help us catch a fish. In my view this simply doesn't have to be the case. Call me a minimalist, but I believe that not only is fishing not that difficult, but we also don't need a ton of gear to simply go fishing. As a matter of fact, I personally don't need a lot more than a package of gang hooks, some swivels and split shot, a bait bag full of live worms, my rod, reel, and waders, and my most important piece of fishing gear…my polarized glasses.

That's right, my polarized fishing glasses are my most important piece of fishing gear. Why? Because they enable me to see under the water. Not only can I spot fish that I want to cast to, I can also spot underwater structure such as rocks and branches. More than spotting fish, I think I prefer the fact that my polarized glasses enable me to see the underwater structure. This is as important when fighting a fish as any single factor. You see when fish are hooked (especially large fish) they will immediately run towards structure in an attempt to get free. If you know where that structure is, it helps you in trying to keep them away from it. Before I had a good pair of polarized fishing glasses, many a fish ran to structure and got me hopelessly tangled, before ultimately getting free.

I emphasize the word "good" because I used to refuse to spend more than $25 on a pair of sunglasses, and subsequently never liked polarized sun glasses. I didn't realize that the reason I didn't like polarized sun glasses was that I was a tight wad and purchasing cheap ones that didn't work properly! One day I was fishing with a friend who insists on quality sunglasses. As a matter of fact, his cost him about $150! I had lost my cheap ones and asked if I could borrow his. He let me and I was impressed. His $150 sunglasses were amazing. The clarity and vision that I had looking underwater was incredible! After that day of fishing I obviously had to return the glasses. Within 2 weeks I had purchased my own for $125.

That was a little over 8 years ago! Since I spent over $100 on them, I take really good care of them (I never thought about this). If I amortize the cost of those glasses, they only cost be about 15 bucks a year! That's less than I used to spend on the cheap ones! This was quite a realization to a tight wad like me. My point is that skimping on your polarized fishing glasses is not the way to go. Skimp on your frozen vegetables, but not your fishing glasses. Do you remember what your Mother used to tell you? "You get what you pay for", well this is most certainly true with polarized sun glasses. Do yourself a favor and spend the extra money, you'll be glad you did!