From fly-fishing to deep-sea fishing, and everything in between, an angler's most important tool, other than the rod, reel and tackle box of course, is a trusty pair of sunglasses. But what kind of sunglasses are good for fishing?

The short answer is: any kind of sunglasses are better than no sunglasses at all. Think about it, you will likely be in the water for hours at a time. The sun will be beating down and reflecting off of the lake's, river's or ocean's surface. This glare will be bounced right into your eyes and will cause eyestrain and headaches in the best-case scenario and macular degeneration, cataracts and even cancer in the worst-case scenario.

So to really step up your game while you are out on the water, and protect the health of your eyes while you are at it, there are a few features that are must haves when looking for a pair of sunglasses for fishing. They are as follows:

100% UV Protection

First and foremost, you want to protect the health of your eyes. In order to do this you must ensure that your eyes are protected from a minimum of 100% UVA and UVB rays at all times. Thankfully the vast majority of sunglasses being produced today are required to have some form of UV protection. You will know for sure if the pair of sunglasses you are looking at have been rated 100% protection by locating the sticker that has been placed on the lens or tag. If the sunglasses are not marked for UV protection, then the best advice is to move on to another pair.

Sunglasses and Polarized Lenses

Now that you have your eyes protected from damaging UV radiation, it is now time to step up your game and not only help you to see more fish, but also help you to see any possible snags that can turn a fishing expedition into a line tangled nightmare. No one wants to lose their lucky lure after all. So how do you accomplish this super hero vision? Well with a quality pair of polarized sunglasses of course. Polarized lenses block the light waves that are reflected off of shiny surfaces, such as water, so instead of seeing the light or sky reflected back at you, you will now be able to see into the depths of the water. Not only will this help you to save your line and spot more fish, but it will also allow you to spot any potential obstacles that may damage your boat.

Accessories for Sunglasses

You've now got your eyes protected and have super human ability to see under water; the next feature to look into is accessories. There are many great accessories that will not only enhance your sunglasses ability, such as with an anti-reflective coating, but will also help to protect your sunglasses. As mentioned, a great add-on feature to your polarized lenses is anti-reflective coating. This will stop the sun from bouncing off the back of your lenses into your eyes. Other accessories to keep your sunglasses safe include such things as straps and protective cases. Since you will be on the water, looking for straps and cases that float are great ways to ensure there is no mishaps should your sunglasses fall overboard.

Looking for a pair of sunglasses that contain these simple, but important features will definitely result in a pair of sunglasses that are good for fishing. See our collection here.

Here is a funny picture Kirk Bachelder the CEO of CTS Wholesale LLC., took while steelhead fishing. He was experimenting to see if he could get a funny photo of a this nice steelhead wearing sunglasses. It did not work out so well. This nice bright chromer was caught on the Siletz river in Oregon.