In the wide realm of outdoor activities, each endeavor has certain gear sportsmen just can’t do without. Hunting requires a weapon of some sort, anglers need a rod, canoeists and kayakers need paddles, and every well-equipped camper and hiker needs a tent, sleeping bag and backpack. In the second category of sporting equipment are special items that are more a matter of want than need. For example, many outdoorsmen desire a custom-made rifle or fly rod, a camo four-wheel drive ATV with a winch, or a professionally trained bird dog with championship bloodlines. The list goes on and on.

When I was growing up, my mother often reminded me “I had a champagne appetite and a beer pocketbook,” a job and phrase my lovely wife has now taken over. Due to these truths I put a lot of thought and effort into this second equipment list without a great deal of reward.

There’s a third classification of sports gear, and that’s what we’re going to discuss today. Certain outdoor accessories can be truly beneficial to the participant, but for some odd reason most guys either forget, overlook, or ignore these items without understanding just how essential they might be. One such article is a good set of protective eyewear.

Available as safety glasses, sunglasses, shooting glasses, and several other models, clear or tinted vision-shielding yields efficiency, proficiency, enjoyment, and safety for the wearer in every outdoor endeavor. The main stumbling block is that eye protection can’t be mandated like a license or safety course, and many outdoor enthusiasts just don’t fully understand the necessity.

Blind luck

An incident three years ago proved the necessity and effectiveness of sports glasses to me in a manner I’m not likely to ever forget. Having worn regular eyeglasses since I was 3, carrying glasses as an accessory was never an issue. I cursed them when they fogged up, got wet, or required cleaning during a fishing or hunting venture in foul weather, but they were still the first thing I donned each morning and the last to come off each night. I never could understand why anyone would wear glasses, even sunglasses, unless it was absolutely necessary. My answer came during a tarpon fishing trip in Florida.

Four of us were staying in Key Largo and fly casting for Silver Kings each day from two flats boats with a pair of local guides. Of the quartet, only I wore spectacles regularly, but due to the harsh reflection of the sun off the sea, and the need to spot fish below the surface in order to properly place a cast, everyone purchased and wore polarized sunglasses. Initially there was a bit of grousing about the cost and inconvenience of larger-than-normal shades with wide bows and small side lenses to filter all ambient light, but since each and every guide sported a set, my buddies capitulated.

At midafternoon of the second day, we arrived back at the marina to find the other boat already moored and the guide and anglers waiting, grim-faced, on the dock. Their explanation for quitting early came in the form of a hair-raising course of events. Steady wave action and gusting winds had kept the boats bouncing all day, Standing in the bow, attempting to cast to passing tarpon was a challenge. At one point about noon my friends were fishing a pass that offered a beautiful shoreline background worthy of a couple of photos.

With the guide and the angler whose half-hour shift was under way both standing on the bow platform scanning for fish, the second fisherman got his camera from his duffle and quietly climbed up on the elevated poling platform in the stern. The series of events that occurred next happened so fast, and were so bizarre, the odds of an exact repetition are astronomical. A small pod of tarpon breeched near the boat just as my friend on the stern stood to take a picture off the port side. Before he could get the camera to his face my buddy in the front attempted to make a cast to the fish. Neither man was aware of the other’s exact location and preoccupation.

On the second false cast a gust of wind caught the line forcing it sideways on the back cast. Just as the rod whipped forward with full power, the end of the leader and the large 3/0 fly wrapped around the photographer’s head. I can’t imagine how fast the line was moving but it caught and encircled his face. The keen point of the heavy hook snapped around in perfect alignment with his eye. And then it embedded like a tiny arrow into the groove between the lens and frame of his sunglasses directly over the right eye. The force and motion of the line actually pulled my friend off balance and from his perch.

Sitting on the wharf, both anglers were still visibly shaken and pale, and the guide held up the sunglasses with the fly and a short section of leader still imbedded in the plastic. Let’s skip the bad facts that the photographer shouldn’t have been where he was, the caster should have been aware of his surroundings, and the wind gust could have been a few seconds later. The most important fact is that a pair of sunglasses most likely saved an angler’s sight, taught a harsh life lesson, and both sports were casting to tarpon again the next day, wary and wiser.

Regardless of the type of fishing being enjoyed, safety glasses of some sort are essential. Even tiny size 18 dry flies can be misdirected by wind, poor casting technique, or bouncing off a tree limb, rock, or other obstacle. I shudder to think of a casting miscue with a lure or plug with multiple sets of tandem hooks. Of course the other consideration that’s often overlooked is an errant branch or brush tip poking a nimrod in the eye as they wander through the trees and bushes to reach a fishing hole. Even on overcast days, sunglasses serve a very real purpose for anglers.

Fun in the sun

Oakley is a premier name in sunglasses, a company with practical experience and innovative ideas for the future. For several years Oakley has carried on intensive testing in conjunction with opticians, optometrists, and ophthalmic surgeons regarding eye protection from sports-related injures, but more importantly how intense sunlight exposure over time affect the eyes. Facts bear out that ultraviolet light is associated with the occurrence of cataracts, photokeratitis (sunburn of the cornea), and pterygium, a tissue growth on the eye that can block vision. Some experts believe UV is linked to macular degeneration as well.

UVB light is a high-energy ray that causes the most damage to eyes, while UVA is lower energy but penetrates more deeply into the eye. As with sunburn, UV damage is cumulative, and since we can’t feel UV rays, there is no warning of damage being done. Oakley contends that a quality pair of sunglasses, worn regularly for various outdoor ventures, offers three-fold protection. They reduce the amount of UV rays reaching the eyes, and they protect from high-velocity impact and high-mass impact.

High-velocity impact relevant to sportsmen includes small insects striking the eye while sportsmen travel in a boat at high speed, brush tips snapping back into the eye, or even shotgun pellets gone astray. High-mass impact would include scenarios such as being struck by the scope due to the recoil of a high-power rifle, having a piece of tree stand fall and hit the face during setup or takedown, or something as mundane as slipping while ice fishing and landing face first on some piece of gear. Unlikely, you say, perhaps, but it happens more than we think; that’s why they’re called accidents. Buy a good set of sunglasses and make a habit of wearing them, just in case.

Good glasses

Criteria for top-of-the-line sunglasses comprise a long list, and certain outdoor activities require specific features. Fishermen’s shades, for example, need to have large main lenses and wide bows, preferably with small lens inserts where the bows on each side joins the glass’s frame. This configuration keeps bright sunlight out from all angles, yet allows the greatest front and side vision, all the while offering the widest protection from errantly cast flies and baits. Just as important, angling sunglasses must be polarized to allow spotting of fish below the water’s glare and surface haze.

If you’ve ever been smacked in the eye by an insect while traveling at high speed, you know it’s rather unpleasant, especially if the little bugger gets stuck under a lid or in a cornea. Any boater – fisherman or not, whitewater canoeist, or racing kayaker can experience this problem while speeding along the water, but a set of shades will prevent the event. Kamikaze bugs may seem trivial, but the impact can sometimes cause eye damage, occasionally require a trip to the ER or optometrist to have the insect washed or picked from the eye, or at best delay the fun while the sportsman tends to the irritation in the wilderness.

Outdoorsmen must remember that style trails way behind function when selecting sunglasses for sports. Plastic lenses are lighter to wear and less expensive to purchase, but even the best name brands will scratch with rough use over time. Plastic frames and bows, however, will stand up to more abuse than most metal models and are less likely to shift position due to perspiration, slippery sun block lotion, wind, or jostling by brush and tree limbs. My best luck has been with polarized glass lenses, full plastic frames, and wide plastic bows with a non-slip coating and adjustable nosepieces. Oakley’s Oil Drum model is a perfect example of this style and a great all around example of outdoor shade and safety glasses.

Lens color is the next consideration, and the options are vast. Once again, skip reflective or one-way lenses in wild colors that scream cool dude, and go for clear tints that actually serve a purpose for the wearer in various sporting situations. Black to green lenses work best on open ocean and in severe brightness, they preserve natural hues and color relationships. Brown shades are a good all-around lens for fishing, hunting, and boating in medium to bright conditions. Yellow and amber lenses are for low to medium light and enhance depth perception, so are top rate for shooting skeet and trap in lowlight or hunting and fishing early and late in the day. Rose-tinted glasses, much like the song, really do brighten up cloudy, overcast conditions and add definition.

As you can see from the many features, it’s a must to shop and compare, not just buy any old set of sunglasses, despite the fact that a poor set is better protection than none at all. Look for larger lenses with a curve to protect from the sides and opt for impact-resistant lenses with fusion polarization via liquid bonding. Heavy-duty plastic bows, or durable metal alloy or titanium bows and frames, will stand almost unlimited abuse. Many models come with a special matte rubber coating on the inner bows to prevent slipping, as well as soft adjustable nose pads. Several top-rate companies, such as Oakley, will custom craft prescription lenses to fit any model a sportsman desires, and for those who don’t want full-time sunglasses, Oakley makes transition lenses that adjust shading to any light conditions. Check these facts and companies out at www.oakley.com on line.

Remember that old Maine adage, “It’s better than a poke in the eye with a sharp stick?” For eye health and eye safety, even if your outdoor sport seems low risk, stop overlooking the one piece of equipment that will help you keep seeing and enjoying favorite pastimes. Buy a good set of sunglasses, attach a neck strap, and use them faithfully when afield or afloat. Not only will you be sharp looking, but you’ll keep looking sharp.

Outdoor feature writer Bill Graves can be reached via e-mail at bgravesoutdoors@ainop.com