When fly fishing, your vision is one of your greatest assets. Give yourself the upper hand with lens colors that enhance your view and make spotting and tracking fish easier than ever. Handpicked by our team of Sports Opticians, and fellow fishermen, we almost feel guilty about the advantage over our finned friends. Join SportRx for our lineup of the best polarized lens colors for fly fishing!
Table of Contents
A. Fly Fishing Lens Features
B. Best Polarized Lens Colors for Fly Fishing
1. Costa Green Mirror
2. Maui Jim HCL Bronze
3. Costa Sunrise Silver Mirror
4. Oakley PRIZM™ Shallow Water
5. SMITH ChromaPop™ Polarized Brown
C. Prescription Fishing Sunglasses at SportRx
Eyeglass Tyler covers the best lenses for fly fishing. Watch below or keep reading to learn more!
Fly Fishing Lens Features
When selecting a lens color for your fly 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 fly fishing.
Polarized Lenses
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 fly fishing focuses your attention on the surface of the water, it's crucial to have contrast-enhancing lenses that make details pop. All of the lenses in today's lineup feature contrast-enhancing lens technology or specific lens color bases to boost contrast.
Hydrophobic Coating
When you're out on the water, nature's elements may try to interfere with your catch. Don't let water droplets on your lenses block your view. Hydrophobic coatings repel water and sweat, so your vision remains unobstructed. It also makes cleaning a breeze, so you can get back to casting sooner.
Best Polarized Lens Colors for Fly Fishing
Costa Green Mirror
A fishing favorite, the Costa Green Mirror is one of the most popular lenses for anglers. Its copper base creates a warm amber visual experience that provides high 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
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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 (polycarbonate)
- Plastic lenses have C-Wall® molecular bonding to repel water, oil, and sweat
- Rx-able
Maui Jim HCL Bronze
Leave it to Hawaiian Maui Jim to bring nature to life with their PolarizedPlus2® lens technology. The HCL stands for a "High Contrast Lens," and the bronze color provides a warm wash of tint that enhances color and contrast. Another standout feature is the unique 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.
In addition to blocking 99.9% of glare, PolarizedPlus2® lenses have coatings galore to give you crisp vision (and help you spot that bedding bass). The hydrophobic coating repels water, the oleophobic coating repels oil, and the backside anti-reflective coating reduces glare even further. And it's Rx-able!
Maui Jim Stingray in Tortoise with HCL Bronze Lenses
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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
Costa Sunrise Silver Mirror
For early birds and sunset chasers, no other lens will do than the Costa Sunrise Silver Mirror. These lenses offer an impressive brightening effect thanks to their 30% light transmission. Allowing in triple the light of standard lenses, the Sunrise Silver Mirror excels in low-light conditions. The yellow base boosts contrast, while the silver mirror deflects reflected light off the surface of the lens for improved 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
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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
Oakley PRIZM™ Shallow Water
As the name suggests, this lens was specifically designed for shallow-water environments. Featuring a rose-copper 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 fish 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 inland-favorite lens, visit our blog on the PRIZM™ Shallow Water.
Oakley Split Shot in Polished Black with PRIZM™ Shallow Water Polarized Lenses
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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
- Rx-able
SMITH ChromaPop™ Polarized Brown
Closing out our lineup of the best lens colors for fly fishing is the SMITH ChromaPop™ Polarized Brown lens. We love the warm effect the brown base gives and how it performs particularly well in low-light conditions. ChromaPop™ lens technology provides a sharper and more vivid color experience. You'll also experience reduced eye fatigue and greater visual comfort.
As for coatings, the ChromaPop™ Polarized Brown lens features both hydrophobic and oleophobic coatings to keep water and oil at bay. You'll also get a boost of glare reduction thanks to the AR coating.
SMITH Longfin in Matte Charcoal with ChromaPop™ Polarized Brown Lenses
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SMITH ChromaPop™ Polarized Brown Key Features
- Removes confusing light in visible light spectrum for a more vivid color experience
- Warm wash of brown tint reduces eye fatigue & enhances visual comfort
- 14% VLT
- Hydro-oleophobic coatings repel water & oil
- Rx-able
Prescription Fishing Sunglasses Online at SportRx
Need prescription fishing sunglasses? We're here to help! When you shop with SportRx, you’ll find video guides and tooltips throughout the build process as you customize your perfect pair. The answers to all of your questions are 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 fishing sunglasses.
Ditch risky online shopping with our See Better Guarantee. Try your fishing sunglasses for 45 days. If you’re not 100% satisfied, send them back. Get a full refund, exchange, or credit towards a different pair. Shipping is covered both ways.. Get your fly fishing sunglasses at SportRx today!
