Vision quest
FLW co-angler Gary Nesty couldn’t find a suitable pair of fishing sunglasses, so he invented his own. The result was Solar Bat.
In the sport of fishing, good sunglasses are as necessary as rods, reels and line. They are as essential a part of your fishing gear as hooks on your bait.
Every tournament angler knows that the only good sunglasses are polarized sunglasses. Polarization eliminates sun glare so anglers can see beneath the water surface better and, theoretically, what they’re after – the fish.
Ten years ago, avid bass angler Gary Nesty had trouble finding a good pair of sunglasses for his time on the water. The problem was polarization. Polarized sunglasses had been on the market for years, but Nesty, who wears prescription eyeglasses, couldn’t find comfortable, polarized sunglasses with his prescription.
Fortunately, Nesty also happens to be an optometrist by trade, so he took matters into his own hands.
“I didn’t think any of the sunglasses on the market were really properly designed for fishing,” Nesty said. “(Pro angler) Tom Mann Jr. said, `You ought to design something for fishing,’ because there really wasn’t anything out there.”
Nesty took Mann’s advice and created his first pair of sunglasses designed specifically for an angler’s needs. Thus, Solar Bat was born.
The shades
The first pair of Solar Bats hit the market in 1994 when Nesty came up with the Noctular lens. Using two layers of lightweight polycarbonate as his base material, Nesty inserted a layer of polarizing film between the polycarbonate and covered the front and back surfaces with a double dose of scratch-resistant coating.
“We wanted something that was extremely safe to wear at maximum impact,” Nesty said. “They’re scratch-resistant and lightweight, which is essential for anglers who can sometimes be on the water for 12 hours straight.”
From there, he went about creating different frame styles for anglers’ various needs. Mainly, he focused on comfort and function, keeping the strains of a long tournament day on the water in mind.
“We’ve created our frames to block more light and wind,” he said. “They fit snug to the face and won’t blow off at high speed. That, plus the lightness of the polycarbonate means you can stay comfortable for long hours on the water.”
Various versions of the Noctular series emerged. Prescription styles like the Bat Wing, Bat Eye, Razor X, Perceptor and C Max caught on with tournament and recreational anglers alike. Nonprescription styles like the Flyweight, Cool Eyes, G-Bat, Sensor and Wake also emerged with Nesty’s eye toward comfort and safety.
In 1998, Solar Bat introduced the less-expensive Ecolar Series for anglers and hunters. While high-performance sunglasses like the Noctular Series can range in price from $50 to $180, the rugged Ecolar line sells anywhere from $15 to $30, and therefore made Solar Bat a much more accessible brand.
Most recently, Solar Bat introduced the Noctular Generation 2 Series, which retained the impact- and scratch-resistant qualities of the original Noctular, but which features a scientifically molded lens and razor-sharp, decentralized optics to reduce eyestrain. The Generation 2 lens is manufactured just like a prescription lens and is at the head of the fishing industry’s top-end, performance sunglasses.
The pro staff
Of course, Nesty couldn’t have done it all by himself. His wife, Leesa, president of Solar Bat, and daughter, Amanda Shepherd, vice president, are essential business partners and manage the day-to-day operations of the company, which is no small task considering Solar Bat’s nationwide distribution.
His friends in the fishing industry are indispensable, as well. Mann was one of the first pros to sign on with Solar Bat’s pro staff. Famed sight-fishermen Guido and Dion Hibdon soon came aboard, and the pro staff has swelled to 11 members. These pros – along with fellow pro staffers Davy Hite, Clark Wendlandt, Tommy Biffle, Stacey King, Peter Thliveros, David Fritts, O.T. Fears and Byron Velvick – not only use and endorse Solar Bats while fishing, they help develop the product by testing lens tints and frame styles on the water before they go into production.
“We tried to build a pro staff that not only has excellent sight-fishermen, but guys who had a wide variety of talents,” Nesty said. “We’ve got guys who are known for their crankbaiting, pitching and flipping, and everything else. They all like the product because it’s versatile.”
Nesty on the tournament trail
Solar Bat is an associate sponsor of the Wal-Mart FLW Tour, so you’ll often see Gary and Leesa Nesty pressing the flesh and promoting product on the tournament trail. But it’s not all work and no play for the 53-year-old Nesty, who still likes to fish – and fish competitively – as much as he did when he started doing it as a teenager. This year, he fished his first full season in the FLW’s Co-angler Division and didn’t do poorly, collecting three checks for a combined $1,500 along the way.
“I had a lot of fun,” he said. “I think it’s an exciting time for the industry.”