Talk about a no – no; it’s like going muskie fishing without long-nose pliers and quality hook cutters-if you don’t have ’em-don’t go! Quality polarized glasses are an absolute must for any good muskie or pike fisher. And, it goes well beyond fishing-efficiency – to eye protection. You only get one set of these eyeballs, and it’s best to do everything you can to keep them healthy. It’s amazing how folks will spend tons of money on boats, motors… on down to $30 + muskie lures – and then spend 10 bucks on sun glasses (often not even certain if they’re polarized). If protecting your eyes from harmful glare isn’t reason enough, consider how many more fish you are likely to catch with quality polarization. Oakley polarized glasses (blue and amber lenses work well) http://oakley.com/category/465, to me, offer the best in eye protection and polarization.
Top of the chain predators like muskie have a very high propensity to “check out” their prey before striking. Being low-density, any possible way to locate them (spotting them resting, briefly following, or just a flash) is a huge advantage. And, it’s extremely important to know of their presence behind a lure as soon as possible – so that attempts to trigger a strike (speeding up, twitching…) via lure action can be made on the retrieve and near the boat – leading right into a proper figure eight at boatside. Learn to always concentrate on that water behind and below lures, looking for approaching shapes, or anything different… at times a simple change in water color will give away a fish’s presence. There are so many other advantages as well – thing you will just never see without quality polarized lenses that can be huge factors: weed-type changes that create and edge, holes and pockets in weeds; tall rocks or dips in rocks (show up as distinct hue changes), submerged wood… all of these things are fish holding zones, and therefore should be specific targets for casting. It’s a huge factor. I simple won’t fish without ’em.