Shedding Light on Fishing: How Light Conditions Impact Your Catch

Fishing isn't just about throwing a line into the water and hoping for the best. It's a game of strategy, patience, and understanding the environment you're fishing in. One crucial factor that often gets overlooked by anglers of all skill levels is the impact of light conditions on fishing success. 

Whether you're casting off the dock at dawn or trolling on a cloud-covered day, understanding how light affects fish behavior can significantly improve your chances of a successful day on the water. It can also let you adapt to those conditions and even improve your chances of success by using the right sunglasses to compensate for decreased visibility.

The Science of Blue Light

Before we look into how light affects fishing, let's first understand the basics. Light plays a pivotal role in the aquatic ecosystem, influencing everything from water temperature to seagrass growth and even plankton activity. All these factors impact fish behavior. 

On any given day, the intensity, color, and duration of light exposure can vary significantly depending on factors such as time of day, cloud cover, varying weather conditions, and water clarity. That’s why Bajío Sunglasses makes a variety of different polarized lenses for optimal fishing visibility. 

Benefits of Blue Light Blocking Glasses in Fishing

While many lenses work well in all light conditions by cutting down on glare, the level of light transmission that goes through the lens and hits the eye can vary with lens colors. For that reason, Bajío Sunglasses makes a variety of lenses, each with different light transmission levels to help adapt to changing angling and light conditions.

For many anglers, the golden hours of dawn and dusk are prime time for fishing. Why? During periods of warm weather, dawn is often when the water is coolest and the fish are most active. In the cold months, the sun heats the water as the day goes on, and late afternoon, and early evening are when the water is the warmest and the fish most active. 

Did you Know? 

Some gamefish also have the advantage of an extra organ in their eyes called a “tapetum Lucidum” which allows them to see better in low-light conditions. A lot of the forage items don’t have that, and thus can’t see as well in low light, and are more susceptible to predation. Thus, predatory fish take advantage of low light conditions when they are more active and see better to ambush their prey.

Another thing to keep in mind is that fish don’t have eyelids. Direct light bothers their eyes as much as it bothers ours. 

As the sun climbs higher in the sky, the intensity of light increases, reaching its peak around midday and causing the fishing light spectrum to change. This surge in brightness can send fish scurrying for cover, especially in clear, shallow waters where they're more exposed to predators. 

During this time, fish tend to seek refuge in deeper waters, under vegetation, or in shaded areas to escape the harsh glare of the sun. That’s also when having a lens that sees deeper into the water column will allow anglers to take advantage of the changing fishing light spectrum to spot movement or color in fish. 

Adapt Fishing to Light Conditions

Low light, overcast, and cloudy conditions typically increase glare and dilute color making it extremely difficult to see deep into the water column. This is when you need to cut the glare and improve your contrast, so you see more color differentiations to allow you to spot the color of a dark fish against a similarly dark, yet different-colored background.

While understanding how light impacts fishing is essential, it's equally important to adapt your techniques to changing light conditions. Pay attention to subtle cues such as cloud cover, wind direction, and water clarity, as these factors can influence light penetration and fish behavior.

Remember that different fishing sunglass lenses perform better in specific fishing conditions. For example, a low light lens like the Bajío rose mirror or violet mirror lenses that let in more light tends to enhance the contrast and make what are normally dull colors to the eye “pop,” which makes it easier to see fish movement. In harsh midday light over a blue ocean, a darker blue mirror, grey, or green mirror lens that has lower light transmission cuts the glare and allows the angler to see more color definition deep into the water column. That allows an angler to often see a fish before it strikes their lure or bait.

While having the right lenses helps you spot more fish and the places to cast or navigate, they also protect your eyes from the damaging effects of the wind and sun. You want to have sunglasses that protect your eyes from UVA, UVB, and Harsh Blue Light, all of which can lead to a variety of eye problems and in the long run, macular degeneration. 

Bajio's LAPIS™ Technology: A Closer Look 

Bajío Sunglasses block 100% of the UVA and UVB light, and 95% of Harsh Blue Light, the most damaging of all light. The sun is the largest purveyor of Harsh Blue Light, and Bajío’s proprietary LAPIS™ technology blocks the most Harsh Blue Light possible. 

Having frames that fit tight to your face and block wind and direct sunlight from coming in from the sides is also a big factor in eye protection. By blocking the wind and harmful rays of the sun, you avoid eye fatigue in the short term, and major eye problems over time.

The thing to remember is that light is a powerful force in the world of fishing, influencing fish behavior and ultimately determining your success on the water. By understanding how light conditions fluctuate throughout the day, you can adapt to each condition and strategically plan for the right fishing sunglasses and thus, maximize your chances of success.

So, whether you're casting off at dawn, battling the midday sun, or embarking on a cloudy day adventure, remember to harness the power of light and let it guide you to a better day on the water. And in the end, your eyes will thank you for it.