I've been lure fishing for years, both street and large bodies of water. If there's one "tool" that's changed my sessions, it's a real pair of polarized sunglasses . Not a gadget: an advantage . Seeing through reflections, reading weeds, following a fish by sight... it's like going into "X-ray" mode.

Why polarized lenses change everything

The water reflects stray light (specular reflection). Polarization filters these oriented rays and cleans the surface . Result: we can better read the seagrass beds , breaks , sandy plateaus , shadows ... and sometimes we can actually follow the fish by sight. On the fast animations of power fishing, I gained bites just because I saw a follow and I was able to change the tempo at the right time.

Street & Power Fishing: What I'm Watching

Street fishing

• Docks and bridge piers: I scan the shadows. Perch often “stack” their hunts there.
• Concrete edges / rockfill: see the micro-breaks, the water vein, the scree where the forage fish nest.
• Building reflections: polarization breaks this annoying mirror, I can see algae filaments and collect less algae on the hooks.

Power fishing

• Read quickly: I scan the “visual” positions (grass beds, gaps, dead wood) and move forward. A clear view avoids “stirring up water”.
• Visual tracking: pike escorting? I schedule a pause / twitch / acceleration depending on its posture.
• Clean trajectories: limit drifts, maintain the exact angle in relation to the current/wind.

Pike • Perch • Catfish: my reading of the water

Pike

I target the edges of weed beds, clear tongues, and drowned woods. Visually, we can identify both the position and the behavior : a stationary pike, set in an "S," or one following from afar? I adjust: a suspended jerkbait, a stop-and-go crank, or a slow spinner in the window.

Pole

Clusters on breaks, piles, barges. The polarized ones show the micro-reliefs and often… the hunts . I switch to small shad / finesse / blade, then I set the pace as soon as I see tracking.

Catfish

In urban areas, I watch for slow eddies, deep veins, and lock returns. I sometimes spot a shadow moving "heavily." I opt for a large lure, animated lower down, and I apply the brakes.

How I choose my lenses (color & VLT)

Lens color:

• Amber / Copper: My “all-season” favorites. They boost contrast in tinted water / variable light.
• Neutral gray: great in full sun, respects natural colors.
• Mirror (blue/green): useful on very shiny surfaces (boat/clear day).

Light Transmission (VLT): Roughly 10–20% in bright sunshine, 20–40% in cloudy/morning-evening conditions. The lower the VLT, the “darker” it is.

My typical setup & checklist

Zoom in on my KDEAM Vortex pair

Quick FAQ

Are polarized glasses essential?

If you want to see beneath the surface and react to a follow-up, yes. It's often the difference between "almost" and "fish."

Is one glass color enough?

Amber/copper goes with everything. I like to complement it with a gray/mirror for sunny days.

Street vs. Power: Same Glasses?

Yes, but on the street I appreciate a slightly higher VLT when it's overcast (fine reading of urban details).