Eyewear Evolution Modern fishing eyewear has made leaps and bounds recently in the arenas of protection, fashion and functionality. Everyone knows polarized lenses allow you to see fish under water. Glare and reflected light obstructing the ability to peer through surface is erased. Sight casting to target fish is fun. Everyone wants to see the “hit”. It becomes the excitement of spotting a fish as you hunt for them and placing a perfect cast to that quarry. Consequently, high tech sunglasses are popular. Companies like Kaenon, Costa Del Mar, Maui Jim, Wileyx, Old Harbor Outfitters, 7eye, Oakley, and Ocean Wave vie for consumer cash out there. Customers want that magic x-ray vision to spot fish for a casting opportunity. Each company has their own philosophy for accomplishing the goals. Some use sandwiched lenses, some block yellow light--some blue. Others add films and reflective coatings and mirror finishes. The green mirror is touted as best for shallow water, and the blue great for offshore applications. It has gotten complicated. They say gray is best for driving and amber best for low light sight fishing. Who knows? What it has come to on materials is mind boggling. Glass, high tech plastics and sandwiched materials bonded together have created a myriad of amazing new innovations that all really work well. With copper, amber, grays and the shades of blue and green, who knows what is best! You probably really need several pairs! The truth is anything is better than nothing. I drive with Maui Jim’s. I fish with Costa’s. I like green mirror-even offshore. What matters is that you have good eyewear and the harmful rays of the sun do not reach your eyes. UVAUVB light is the culprit. It needs to be limited to your eyes over the water. Reflection from the water surface is double trouble for your poor old eyes. Decades of abuse will make you pay later if you “tough-it”, and prove you are a man. People with light colored eyes are even more light sensitive. It is even more important for younger fishermen. To get up to speed you first must find a pair of glasses that fits you well. Fishing considerations are related to the coverage on your face. Glare can sneak in past open sides and be just as harmful. The new wrap-around models are sleek and stylish, they really make a difference! Being light, comfortable and extremely effective does not come cheaply! Cost is 200.00+ dollars for good fishing glasses. Then you must decide what lens type, color and boasted capability by a pack of manufacturers trying to sell you their product. True it might require one lens like the amber for lower light or shallow water, and a green mirror for deeper blue black offshore water on bright days. You cannot take them back if they don’t work very often, but many are now trying out glasses and re-selling the rejects on EBay and finding other new ones there at discounts. No one seems to pay retail prices now. Once you find a brand that works for you, price may not be as big an object when capability surpasses the sticker shock. You really get your money’s worth with the amazing high tech optics available now. Some even have cheaters to help tie the knots built in! Another innovation is holes to clip a lanyard so you don’t drop them. During the winter-we were looking down from the transom offshore at fish that had come up from deep water to clean up some chum. Without glasses a Shark looked like a Cobia or just something big. Grab your Costa’s and peer again, and not only could we see the type of Shark it was twenty feet down in the chum, you could see the fish eating. It was time to grab wire for a busy day. Nothing wrong with getting Sharked for hours. They tug well on a slow Tuna day. The Mahi are fun too. Triple polarization, oil and dust coatings, and bullet proof lenses can confuse you. Cr-39, and Polycarbonate Rhino lenses will dazzle you also. NXT chopper windshield polymer is also cool. All these amazing propositions for a better product are very confusing. This carnival of choices is grows every day! Just keep it simple! What matters most is to limit UVA/UVB rays, and cut the glare on the surface. Make sure they are comfortable and hang them on a lanyard so you don’t scratch them up. Put them on and wear them even on cloudy days. Harmful sunlight punches right through overcast clouds. Sun damage is an accumulative effect! If you need several pairs rejoice. It is a marvelous age. High tech protection, x-ray vision, looking cool and catching fish-all at once! You just can’t beat that!
DVD & BOOK REVIEWS Flyfishing Knots & Leader
Systems by Dave Chermanski This is one of the most interesting books on the topic of fly fishing leaders and knots. The author covers many related items such as reel capacity and how to measure it, and modern fly line construction. The excellent well written discussion of the strengths, weaknesses, and differences between nylon monofilament and pure fluorocarbon monofilament is probably the best in print. The author presents all of this through a discussion of a "leader system" that he has used for decades and which has proven itself on stream, lake, and saltwater. This proven system uses only six knots considered essential and one additional knot which may be used to modify leader systems using the essential six knots. There is a well developed and extensive discussion of knots; how to make them, why they fail, and how to select them for a given job or given material. The benefit of this presentation is that it starts the fly fisherman out with a system that has been proven to work. The fly fisherman is starting out from strength not ignorance. Thus, even if one does not decide to use a portion or any of the author's system one can modify or alter it knowing that this workable system is not the cause of any failures to the modified system. This makes it much easier to find the problems after one makes changes. This is an excellent book on the practical and technical aspects of one of fly fishing's most important areas presented in a very enjoyable reading format. It is definitely a book every fly fisherman will want to own and refer to often.
The Boomer’s Guide to Lightweight
Backpacking by Carol Corbridge The author presents a collection of hints, methods, and equipment that provides the most efficiency, effectiveness, and safety in outdoor living from years of personal experience and endless trials of gear and techniques. What you have as a result is a book that is directed to the best gear and best techniques for backpacking, or any outdoor living, providing the most comfort and ease of use with the least amount of distraction from enjoying the outdoors you are traveling through. The design of the book is excellent in that it allows one to either cut to the executive summary or enjoy the full story of how to choose, use, and enjoy your gear. The color photographs and B&W line drawings are both well done, enjoyable, and provide a excellent addition to the book. From a practical standpoint this is a fine book. But there is more. The author's writing style is fun and fun to read. Once you start reading you cannot put the darn book down. I ended up reading the whole book in a single sitting. It really was that good because the author lets you into her world. And you simply feel that you need to enjoy her personality more than you need to learn about gear and techniques. If you overnight in the outdoors in any manner, this book is a truly enjoyable must have.
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