What colour lens ?

yorkieman · Jul 17, 2016

Only just started fishing, and after two sessions I'm finding that keeping my eye on the float is difficult. I've changed the float colour without success and thought maybe some polarized clip-on sunglasses would help ?
Visited the well known auction site to purchase but found there are lots of different coloured lens.

Is there a preference for fishing ? or is it just a cosmetic thing.
If anyone has bought some clip-ons recently could you send the link.

Hope I've but this in the correct section.

trotter2 · Jul 17, 2016

I like amber lenses for fishing

Derek Gibson · Jul 17, 2016

Amber for me too.

flightliner · Jul 17, 2016

Amber, as light as for me. Go for wrap rounds too if you can.

robtherake · Jul 17, 2016

I find amber to be the best shade, overall; it emphasizes contrast and gives a decent perception of colour and depth of field. Yellow lenses make best use of the low light levels of dawn and dusk; grey lenses seem to turn everything drab, but are good in most light conditions.

Any decent tackle shop or opticians should allow you to try a few on and see what suits you best, then you'll have a better idea what to order.

If you have a Yorkshire Trading Co. anywhere near to you, they're selling off Foster Grant and Anarchy polaroids (you may have to sort through several boxes) sold previously at £20-30 a pair, for only £2. I can categorically state that there are none left in the Redcar and Guisborough branches, though; the ten pairs I found will last me a few years, even at the usual rate of attrition.

Mark Wintle · Jul 17, 2016

Polaroid sunglasses are great for reducing reflected (polarised) light and glare but won't necessarily make a float easier to see and can even make it harder to see bites because you can see the part of the float under water. An eyeshade or peaked hat reduces light to the eyes and can held with reducing eyestrain.

Amber Polaroids help in spotting fish.

When it comes to float tip colour then black is best for big-sky white water, red or orange for general use and yellow for bright green reflections. If you have red/green colour blindness then yellow or white may be best.

barbelboi · Jul 17, 2016

I'm in agreement with Mark's post - Polaroids are certainly not a help in seeing your float.............

tigger · Jul 17, 2016

I prefer the amber type polaroides but the grey ones are better in really bright sunshine. They do wrk best when combined with peaked cap. I've found they do help me see the float when there's a glare on the water.

trotter2 · Jul 17, 2016

I think everybody's vision must be different? they definitely help me.

With polarised lenses I can see the bottom of the river " underwater" but not to any great distance. And definitely not the distance I would trot a float.
Polarized lenses cuts the glare and stops squinting and eye strain. IMO The glare is the reason why you cant see the float, remove the glare and I can see the float. It helps in bright sunlight if your float tip is black and you wear a visor as well as glasses

yorkieman · Jul 17, 2016

Thanks for the very speedy replies but I'll not bother with the auction site and try to buy locally.
Sods law I only bought some transition lens two months ago following cateract operations to both eyes but they cannot be polarised and just make things darker.

Suppose I can use the feeder type method and watch the rod end ?

Thanks again for your time its very much appreciated.

Tee-Cee · Jul 18, 2016

Have you asked the people who did the cataract operations for an opinion ??

I had a similar operation to one eye and it changed my eyesight to some degree, so I went to a proper optician rather than one of those found on the high street for advice. I'm not saying they don't know what they're doing - I just went to someone who's husband is an eye surgeon, so best of both worlds....
They also had the latest Optimal Coherence Tomography ( OCT ) technology which uses light waves to take cross section pictures of your retina ( the light sensitive lining the back of the eye ) which was a revelation as far as my eyes are concerned in that it gave a total picture of how one eye worked with the other, so my long vision specs could be adjusted to suit to get optimum focus and a simple clip on lens completed the picture. In other words the lack of clear vision may well be down to the specs rather than the colour of your sunglasses - just a thought !

Personally, I have never looked back and have scans every year, BUT everyone's eyes are different, so I'm not going to say what I ended up with ( glasses wise ) as that would suggest ' one size fits all ' as far as glasses / sunglasses are concerned.........

As likely as not a change in lens colour will solve your problem but I would still suggest a chat with your eye surgeon worthwhile before you make a choice.

Good luck !!

yorkieman · Jul 18, 2016

Had the cateracts done this year with 6 weeks interval but I found one eye was still hazy.
Went back to Opticians and he recommended YAG laser treatment for a PCO (look it up as I'll be typing forever) ..lol
So at the moment I've had one eye done and waiting of the left eye requiring YAG.
At 71 I'm afraid we have to accept the aging problems.

Don't recommended getting old !!

sam vimes · Jul 18, 2016

yorkieman said:
Sods law I only bought some transition lens two months ago following cateract operations to both eyes but they cannot be polarised and just make things darker.

Transitions Lenses are a brand. That brand don't do polarized lenses in their normal lenses. However, you can get light reactive lenses that are polarized. They are called Transitions Drivewear. However, I've been told that any polarized lens will have some form of tint. They supposedly can't do clear polarized lenses.

Mark Wintle · Jul 18, 2016

It is possible to make float tips more visible whilst retaining most of their sensitivity. Dave Harrell does wagglers with a dart flight type tip, an old idea dating back to at least the 60s. Similarly I use a hollow tip on wagglers with a hole at the base of the tip and an open end that are also easier to see yet sensitive. I have chronic open angle glaucoma that means one eye is less sharp than the other and also use tinted prescription glasses in the sun, not transition or polarised.

Tee-Cee · Jul 18, 2016

Yorkieman..........Yes, I know it takes an age to get eyes sorted and age certainly doesn't help ( I'm 73 and counting ).....Let's face it, eye sight is a downward trend and more so with age, BUT ' they ' can do much to help with today's technology.

I thought treatment would never end but I'm glad I went through with it...

Good luck !

ps I tend to stay away from fishing into overhanging tree reflection, or if I do I use a thicker tip painted flame orange or yellow on my home made floats. This helps somewhat, even if I lose a bit of sensitivity with the float thickness............You win some and you lose some !

yorkieman · Jul 18, 2016

I'm way off being blind thanks to the NHS and maybe when the waiting lists subside I should be ok.

Never held a rod in my life before until my pal asked me to assist him ( assist maybe wrong word ) in a days fishing and the only problem was the float.

Enjoyed the peace and quite so much I've now bought some s/hand tackle and attempted a day without anyone to advise me ( bad mistake ).

Bleddy hell, never realised there was so much to know and fully expected the lake owner calling me to be Entertainments Manager. Hooked myself more than I did fish and the trees look a little sparse..lol.

I did eventually catch 3 fish (don't know the names ) but they were all caught in the gill and body ...strange ?

Going to give this feeder thing a go on Thursday as the rod tip is nearer to see than float.

YouTube is very helpful at this time.

Nice very helpful forum.

robtherake · Jul 18, 2016

Keep firing the questions in, bud; we were all beginners once, remember.

binka · Jul 18, 2016

As a confirmed optimist I would opt for rose tinted

Sorry, that's no use to you at all but I think mine are brown as were the pair before them and I get on just fine with 'em and they double up well for driving too.

I go with the theory that everyone's different so why not try a few different pairs in different colours, even if it means taking a float with you and looking a complete oddball as you view it from the other end of the shop?

john step · Jul 18, 2016

I suggest you have a good second read of Marks thread about float tip colour.
Absolutely spot on for seeing your float. It will make more difference than poloroids which although good for spotting fish and reducing glare/UV. Use both.

What colour lens ?

yorkieman

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