Pro Tips Weekly: Randall Tharp

Sunglasses: When fit is more important than fashion

Good fishing glasses are always important, but they are especially useful in early spring when bass are bedding or cruising the shallows. Distortion-free, polarized glasses will let you see fish, but they also will help remove any doubt that what you’re seeing in the water is actually is a fish and not something else. Personally, I wear Costa del Mar Corbinas sunglasses – and about 75 percent of the time, I use green mirror lenses. The rest of the time – which usually occurs when there’s low light or the water is dirty – I like the copper lenses because it makes contrasting objects pop out better.

Fit is important

Have you ever noticed people trying on sunglasses in stores and then checking a mirror to see how they look? To me, the most important thing about fishing glasses is how they fit, not so much how they look. Sunglasses need to fit your face the way your shoes fit your feet. I want a snug but comfortable fit because light can come in from the sides or between the bottom of the lens frame and your cheekbones, and that’s no good. I want a frame that will shield out as much of that ambient light as possible. Another reason I want frames that mold to my face is that I wear contacts, and air gushing in bothers my eyes when I’m running. First thing in the morning, every morning, I use a good lens cleaner to clean off my sunglasses as well as the screens of my electronics. Shop for new sunglasses every year because the better sunglass companies like Costa make improvements to the lenses and to the frames every year.

—- EverStart pro Randall Tharp, Gardendale, Ala.