I don’t recall exactly when it was. Maybe 2 or 3 years ago? Like many people over 40, my eyes suddenly stopped working. It felt instantaneous. Out of the blue, I couldn’t read stuff like menus in restaurants, or even my phone, and damn if I could thread 6x tippet through the eye of a size 16 fly.
The latter scenario kind of freaked me out a bit the first time I took note of it on the stream, as I spent the better part of 10 minutes fumbling around trying to replace a lost beadhead nymph. It’s a task that normally would have taken no more than 30 seconds. First my waistline, then my knees, now my eyes… sucks turning into an old man.
After putzing around with a bunch of different (and luckily, inexpensive) options, I now employ a set of what I call “Ben Franklin” cheaters whenever I need to quickly read something. (They conveniently stash in a little pocket on the back of my phone case for easy access).
For other, more extended uses, I’ve got a few pair of plastic “drug-store” reading glasses scattered around my house and office at work. They’re not my favorite, but they’re effective on the occasions I need them.
But for fishing? Oh, I splurged, and quite honestly, these are the best solution of them all…
Bajio, an eyewear company based right down the road from me in New Smyrna Beach, Florida, makes polarized “reader” sunglasses… and f*ck, they are amazing!!!
I went from basically blind on the stream on anything 3 feet or closer to my face, to having great vision immediately. Plus, since I’m always wearing sunglasses while fishing, I don’t have to worry about putting them on, taking them off, etc… I’ve been using these sunglasses for about a year now, and I can’t advocate for them enough.
Anyway, I thought compelled to share my personal experience with them. Tom Rosenbauer just did one of his Orvis podcasts featuring Renato Cappuccitti of Bajio, and while they mostly discuss polarization and lens colors & materials, they did mention the readers briefly.
So, if you find yourself in a similar position as me, you may want to check out what Bajio has to offer… they’re certainly not cheap like the ones you’ll find in the drug store, but believe me when I tell you they’re well worth it.
