When fishing the flats, your vision is one of your greatest assets. Whether you're reading the surface, or catching that quick glimpse of a fin, clear vision is crucial for making split-second decisions. And Mother Nature isn't going to make it easy on you. Equip yourself against harsh UV rays, intense glare, and a lighting-speed opponent with the best polarized lens colors for flats fishing. Handpicked by our team of Sports Opticians, these lenses will help you spot and track fish in no time.
Table of Contents
A. Video Review
B. What to Look for in Lens Colors for Flats Fishing
C. Best Polarized Lens Colors for Flats Fishing
1. Costa Green Mirror
2. Costa Sunrise Silver Mirror
3. Maui Jim HCL Bronze
4. Oakley PRIZM™ Shallow Water
5. SMITH ChromaPop™ Bronze Mirror
D. Prescription Fishing Sunglasses at SportRx
Video Review
What to Look for in Lens Colors for Flats Fishing
When selecting a lens color for your flats fishing sunglasses, there are a few main factors to consider. Let's review the criteria required by our Sports Opticians when curating the best polarized lens colors for fishing the flats.
Polarization
No matter where you fish, polarization is a must. Anglers and opticians alike boast the game-changing effects of polarization when out on the water. It reduces glare, increases clarity, and allows you to see through the surface of the water more clearly. To read more on how polarization works for fishing, visit our blog on Do Polarized Sunglasses Help You See Fish?
Contrast-Enhancement
Since flats fishing focuses your attention on the surface of the water, it's crucial to have contrast-enhancing lenses that help to separate colors and make details like moving fish 'pop'. All of the lenses in today's lineup feature contrast-enhancing lens technology or specific lens color bases to boost contrast.
Hydrophobic Coating
Don't let water droplets on your lenses block your view of that suspicious ripple. Hydrophobic coatings can make the world of difference for keeping your lenses crystal clear. These coatings repel water and sweat, so your vision remains unobstructed.
Best Polarized Lens Colors for Flats Fishing
Let's reel in the lenses!
Costa Green Mirror
It comes as no surprise that we've got a Costa lens to kick off our lineup. A fishing favorite, the Costa Green Mirror is one of the most popular lenses for anglers. A copper base creates a warm amber wash of color that boosts contrast in a variety of lighting conditions. On overcast days, the copper base excels at making details pop and for bright days, the green mirror delivers the sun protection you need. With a 10% visible light transmission, these lenses provide excellent coverage and, like all Costa 580 lenses, 100% UV protection.
Want to learn more about Costa's favorite fishing lens? Check out our full review of the Costa Green Mirror.
Costa Fantail Pro in Matte Black with Green Mirror 580 Lenses
Shop Costa Fantail Pro
Costa Green Mirror Key Features
- Copper base with green mirror
- Blocks 99.9% of glare
- 10% visible light transmission (What is VLT?)
- Available in 580G (glass) or 580P (plastic)
- Plastic lenses have C-Wall® molecular bonding to repel water, oil, and sweat
- Rx-able
Costa Sunrise Silver Mirror
If you love to fish at dawn or dusk or in areas with generous cover blocking the sun, leave it to none other than the Costa Sunrise Silver Mirror to brighten your view. With a generous 30% VLT, you'll get noticeably more light making it to your eyes compared to traditional tinted lenses. Because of this, we recommend the Sunrise Silver Mirror only for our early risers or sunset chasers. It excels in low-light because of the yellow base that boosts contrast, while the silver mirror enhances color and clarity.
Want to learn more about this unique lens? Read our complete review of the Costa Sunrise Silver Mirror.
Costa Diego in Matte Black with Sunrise Silver Mirror 580G Lenses
Shop Costa Diego
Costa Sunrise Silver Mirror Key Features
- Yellow base with silver mirror
- Blocks 99.9% of glare
- 30% VLT
- Available in 580G (glass) or 580P (polycarbonate)
- Plastic lenses have C-Wall® molecular bonding to repel water, oil, and sweat
- 580P is Rx-able
Maui Jim HCL Bronze
Island-based Maui Jim only offers polarized lenses because they believe it's crucial to getting the best view and experience of nature. And for fishing the flats, we couldn't agree more.
The HCL Bronze lens is part of their patented PolarizedPlus2® lens technology. The HCL stands for a "High Contrast Lens," and the bronze color provides a warming effect that enhances color and contrast. Another standout feature of this unique lens is the bi-gradient mirror. The top and bottom of the lens have a subtle mirror to mimic how your eyes work when squinting. The HCL Bronze lenses do the work for you, so you get the extra glare reduction and protection needed to stay squint-free.
Maui Jim Stingray in Tortoise with HCL Bronze Lenses
Shop Maui Jim Stingray
Maui Jim HCL Bronze Key Features
- HCL stands for "High Contrast Lens"
- Bronze provides a warm wash of tint to enhance colors & contrast
- Bi-gradient mirror delivers comfortable vision free from squinting
- PolarizedPlus2® lens technology blocks 99.9% of glare
- Rx-able
Oakley PRIZM™ Shallow Water
As you may have already guessed by the name, this lens was designed for shallow-water environments. Featuring a rose base, you'll achieve enhanced contrast and a boost of green and copper hues. It also keeps the whites bright, so you can more easily spot the flash of a flash and follow their path. Like all PRIZM™ lenses, the Shallow Water comes with patented HDPolarized lens technology for maximum protection and glare reduction.
To read more about this performance lens, visit our blog on the PRIZM™ Shallow Water.
Oakley Split Shot in Polished Black with PRIZM™ Shallow Water Polarized Lenses
Shop Oakley Split Shot
Oakley PRIZM™ Shallow Water Key Features
- Rose-copper base boosts contrast while enhancing greens & coppers
- Polarized PRIZM™ lens technology for maximum glare reduction
- 16-26% VLT
- Not Rx-able
SMITH ChromaPop™ Bronze Mirror
Closing out our lineup of the best lens colors for flats fishing is the SMITH ChromaPop™ Bronze Mirror lens. Designed specifically to enhance contrast in medium to bright in-shore conditions, it helps boost reds, blues, and greens. These polarized lenses also feature hydro-olephobic coatings to effortlessly repel water and oil, meaning you get clear vision and easy clean-up.
SMITH Longfin in Matte Gravy with ChromaPop™ Polarized Bronze Mirror Lenses
Shop SMITH Longfin
SMITH ChromaPop™ Bronze Mirror Key Features
- Designed for medium to bright in-shore conditions
- Enhances contrast of reds, blues, and greens
- 15% VLT
- Hydro-oleophobic coatings repel water & oil
- Rx-able
Prescription Fishing Sunglasses Online at SportRx
Need prescription flats fishing sunglasses? Done. When you shop with SportRx, you’ll find video guides and tooltips throughout the build process as you customize the perfect pair. An answer to all your questions is at your fingertips, and if you want to chat with an expert, give us a call! We’ll put you in touch with one of our friendly in-house Sports Opticians who can help you build your prescription flats fishing sunglasses.
Ditch risky online shopping with our See Better Guarantee. Try your flats fishing sunglasses for 45 days. If you’re not 100% satisfied, send them back. Get a full refund, exchange, or credit towards a better pair. And return shipping? Covered. Get your fly fishing sunglasses at SportRx today!
