Fly Fishing Gear | Wearing Bajio Polarized Sunglasses for a Year Changed My Mind

I'd been disappointed with my past experiences with sunglasses. Bajio changed all that.

Guide and fly fishing angler stalking the flats for Redfish / photo by THOMAS BARZiLAY FREUND

Fly Fishing Guides Swore by Them

Bajio sunglasses are relatively new to the eyewear scene. I kept hearing guides rave about them, and since I needed new sunglasses, I figured I'd give them a try. After a year of hard use in all kinds of conditions, here's what I learned.

Big striped bass landed and safely released. / photo provided by BAJIO

First Day on the Water

Right off the bat, the Bajios fogged up on me while poling the flats for redfish. Fogging is something I've dealt with in every pair of sunglasses I've owned, so it didn't surprise me - how Bajio handled it though, did.

Before I tell you what Bajio did, let me tell you about my past experience with one of the big five sunglass companies when I had similar fogging issues.

Hunting the oyster beds for cruising redfish / photo by THOMAS BARZiLAY FREUND

Big Brand, Big Letdown

When I guided in Alaska, I was in the guide program for this big brand company (let's call them "X"). I bought a few pairs of their sunglasses before my season kicked off. They were well-made, but fogged up constantly while running the jet boat. Not what you want when you're trying to avoid rocks and logs.

I contacted the woman in charge of the guide program for company "X" and explained the problem. Her answer was, and I kid you not, "Well, they are sunglasses, that's what they do; they fog up. I don't know what to tell you." That was how it was handled, and sadly, that's the kind of customer service I've come to expect from the big brands.

A long and productive day on the Missouri river. Bajio's Hopedale sunglasses cut the glare of a sunny day and kept my eye fatigue to a minimum / photo by Jay D'Arpini

Big Brands vs. Bajio

After that experience, I was expecting the same when I reached out to Bajio about the fogging. Instead, Bajio's response was simple and straightforward: "Let's get that fixed." No excuses, no attitude, just flat-out good customer service.

Turns out, the wrap-around style of sunglasses I'd chosen from Bajio sat too close to my face, preventing airflow. They recommended the Hopedale, a flatter design for better ventilation. Problem solved. No more fogging.

Bajio polarized sunglasses cut through the glare and protect your eyes from errant fly hooks. / photo by Ken Baldwin

The Erosion of Brand Integrity

Why didn't the mega-company help me? My guess is they just didn't care. The company had become so big, it felt like a numbers game to them – sell as many sunglasses as possible and keep the shareholders happy. Gone was their passion to make great eyewear.

Al Perkinson, the Founder, CEO and Creative Force Behind Bajio

Founder and CEO Al Perkinson of Bajio sunglasses walking the walk. / photo provided by BAJIO

Sunglasses are a passion for Bajio's founder and CEO, Al Perkinson. He built Bajio from scratch, focusing on quality and innovation. His sunglasses are a reflection of his commitment to crafting the best eyewear for the outdoors. He's built a team that shares his vision, and that's what sets Bajio apart – they genuinely care about the customer experience.

Real Recognizes Real

At iCast this year, I met Renato Cappuccitti, Bajio's VP of Operations and Rx. This guy lives and breathes sunglass technology. He's as obsessed with making great lenses as I am with fly fishing. I tried steering the conversation towards Florida fishing, but he kept bringing it back to lenses. He loves to fish, but he LOVES developing lenses. You know those trout bums John Gierach writes about? That's Renato, except his obsession is the perfect polarized lens.

The typical Bajio all company meeting. / photo provided by BAJIO

Lens Technology That Ups Your Fly Fishing Game

To get detailed specs on Bajio's lens technology, check out their blog. It's written by optics experts way smarter than me. But here's what I do know: their patent-pending LAPIS™ technology blocks 95% of harmful blue light and a ton of harsh yellow light. That's way more than the big companies. Because of this technology, wearing these glasses is like looking at a high-def TV.

Bajio Research and Development / photo provided by BAJIO

Performance on the Water

Eye and bear protection / photo by Rod Thurley

I want my glasses to look good; I want them to have a bit of style. But at the end of the day, I consider sunglasses a tool, a core piece of technical gear for my fly fishing. They need to cut through the glare and assist me in seeing fish, protect my eyes from stray hooks, protect my vision from the effects of too much sun exposure, prevent eye fatigue, and in the end, make my time on the water more productive and enjoyable. Design and style are nice, but quality and performance come first.

Bajio Delivers in Service

Sincere customer service is also a requirement. I'm done with mega-companies that don't care about their customers. Give me a company that's there for me after the sale. Plenty of companies sell quality products, but I want the one that backs it up with outstanding service. Bajio does just that. KB

“The gods do not deduct from man’s allotted span the hours spent in fishing.” - Herbert Hoover

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Although I have not been paid by any of the manufacturers, some of the gear reviewed in this article was provided to me at no cost for evaluation. The views and assessments presented are entirely my own.