All About Polarized Sunglasses, with Renato Cappuccitti of Bajio
May 28, 2024
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Renato Cappuccitti, an expert on polarized sunglasses, delves into the intricacies of sunglass selection, including lens types, glass vs. plastic debate, and lens colors. The Fly Box segment covers topics like braided leaders, fishing techniques, avoiding casting knots, and tips for improving coordination while fishing. The discussion also touches on UV light curing, fly rod design, brook trout fishing, and the importance of customized lens colors for enhanced vision.
Polarized sunglasses enhance visibility by reducing glare and reflections, aiding anglers in spotting fish and structures underwater.
The choice of lens color in polarized sunglasses serves specific purposes based on environmental conditions, optimizing light absorption for improved vision clarity.
Glass lenses offer exceptional optical clarity, while polycarbonate lenses provide safety benefits and are lighter, catering to different preferences and needs.
Deep dives
Importance of Polarized Sunglasses
Polarized sunglasses play a crucial role in reducing glare and reflections, allowing anglers to see beneath the water's surface with clarity. The lenses are designed with a polarized film that blocks horizontal light, absorbing reflections to enhance visibility of rocks, structures, and fish. Higher quality lenses, made of materials like glass or specific plastics, ensure consistent optics and reduce distortion for extended wear comfort and clear vision, making them essential for angling activities.
Lens Color and Functionality
The choice of lens color in polarized sunglasses serves specific purposes based on environmental conditions. For instance, a blue mirror lens on a gray base is ideal for offshore fishing in bright, dark water conditions, absorbing 90% of brightness. Transitioning to a green mirror on a brown amber base enhances visibility in flats environments, highlighting fish colors effectively. Additionally, a silver mirror with a copper base offers moderate light transmission, suitable for inshore fishing, while plain copper lenses provide similar light transmission without the mirror effect, catering to personal preferences.
Enhanced Vision and Performance
Mirror coatings on lenses improve functionality beyond aesthetics, diminishing oblique reflections for better clarity and comfort. Diverse lens tints and mirrors optimize light absorption and reflection, aiding anglers in spotting fish and features in varying water conditions. Innovative filters, like blue light absorption, sharpen color separation and definition, enhancing vision quality for detecting subtle details and movements in the water, thereby elevating angling performance.
Customization and Lens Options
Leading sunglass manufacturers offer a range of lens customization options to suit specific angling environments and preferences. From offshore to inshore applications, mirrored coatings and unique base colors ensure optimal light absorption and glare reduction. The diverse selection of lens tints and mirrors allows anglers to choose lenses that align with their fishing needs, providing a blend of functionality, comfort, and vision enhancement for an improved angling experience.
Different Lens Options for Specific Environments
The podcast discusses various lens options for specific environments such as silver, green, rose, and violet mirrors. Each lens type is designed for different light conditions, from medium to bright environments. For instance, the rose mirror lens enhances contrast in low light conditions like shady areas or cloudy days, while the violet mirror is suitable for high light transmission situations.
Glass Versus Polycarbonate Lenses
The episode explores the advantages and disadvantages of glass versus polycarbonate lenses. Glass lenses offer exceptional optical clarity and durability, but are heavier and prone to breakage. On the other hand, polycarbonate lenses are lighter, impact-resistant, and safer, making them a popular choice for those seeking comfort and safety. While glass lenses are preferred for their clarity, polycarbonate lenses are recommended for their safety features and lighter weight, especially for individuals with strong prescriptions or those needing magnification in their sunglasses.
I get lots of questions about polarized sunglasses—how are they made, what exactly do they do, glass vs. plastic, what color lens should I pick, and do expensive ones really offer an advantage? And why can't I get clear polarized sunglasses for low light? My guest, Renato Cappuccitti [41:51], is an expert on polarized sunglasses and will answer your questions and mine about one of the most essential pieces of gear. In the Fly Box this week we have some thoughtful and interesting questions and comments, including:
Why can't I get braided leaders any more?
Can I just put a long level tippet on a braided leader?
My brook trout stream does not seem to have any fish larger than five inches. Do you think there are any bigger ones in there?
I was fishing a sulfur hatch and it started raining and the fish turned off completely. Why do you think this happened?
How can I eliminate wind knots when fishing a dropper rig?
My girlfriend has trouble stripping in fish. Do you have any tips for improving her coordination?
What are the pros and cons of furled leaders?
My floating line starts to sink after fishing for a while. Can I apply gel flotant to it?
A listener reminds us that for many balance problems while fishing the best place for help is to find a licensed physical therapist
My fly line broke eight feet from the tip. Can I still use it?
How many leaders should I carry in my leader wallet?
A listener reminds us that too often when wading we worry about dropping our rod or phone in the water at the expense of safety.
An expert on UV cure adhesives gives advice on using the right wavelength of light and the correct amount of time and distance to use the light.
If you have a 9-foot 5-weight and a 10-footer in the Helios models, what reason is there to have a 9-foot, 5-inch model?
How can I avoid putting a set into my bamboo fly rod?
How can I catch brook trout in high water?
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