Derek Elliott is an avid sea, game and coarse fisherman whose passion for angling takes him to far flung places around the world. With a wealth of knowledge and experience, he certainly knows a thing or two when it comes to fishing.
“For well over decade I have been a very satisfied wearer of Optilabs polarised fishing sunglasses which I have used extensively in all seasons and on many tropical fishing trips. My main fishing interests in the UK are fly-fishing for trout, and coarse fishing for barbel. In both cases, good quality polarised glasses are one of the most essential items in my tackle bag.
Abroad, my main interests are fly-fishing on flats and shallow mangrove bays for bonefish and tarpon. Again, polarised glasses are an absolute essential. The elusive and perfectly camouflaged bonefish (also known as the ‘grey ghost’) can be extremely difficult to spot as it cruises the shallow waters of the Caribbean and Bahamian Islands – but my Optilabs fishing glasses have always been up to the task.
I am a very critical user who has sensitive eyes and hates glare, but I have been delighted with the performance of my Optilabs glasses in both the UK and the Tropics. It’s invaluable that I am able to use them in all light conditions.
The end of 2024 saw my wife and I return to Placencia for the latest of our many trips to Belize. In our view Belize is one of the world’s loveliest countries, and the finest and the most reasonably priced venue for bonefish, tarpon and permit fishing. Our guide for the trip was Wayne Castellanos, who we now class as a great friend after so many years of visiting.
Before we arrived, the area had suffered torrential rain. However, from our first day the weather was exceptional with flat calm seas and high temperatures. The calm seas made for great journeys out to the glorious Cayes like the Sapodillos which were teeming with hungry bonefish.
It was my first chance to try my new Optilabs Luna glasses with Drivewear polarised photochromic varifocal lenses for sight fishing in the tropical sun. From day 1, I was not disappointed. I could spot my target fish almost as well as the excellent Wayne! I spotted more permit fish on this trip than ever before which was a mixture of both the calm seas as well as the excellent lenses. My varifocal prescription means that I never have need to remove my glasses when fishing which is a real help. The lightweight Luna frames themselves were also very impressive and fitted comfortably all day under the intense heat. I’d thoroughly recommend them.
As for the fishing, it was the best trip ever. The bonefishing was exceptional and we could catch as many as we wanted from a host of beautiful locations. My wife and I also caught Tarpon on the fly which was exhilarating.
On the penultimate day of the trip my fishing dream came true. I had always wanted to catch a decent sized Permit fish on the fly – a key target for tropical fly anglers. I had caught them before but they had always been very small.
In the late afternoon, we travelled 17 miles off-shore to a place called the Conch House. As soon as we switched off our engine, we spotted a small group of Permit actively feeding amongst the sand and coral heads. For once, my first cast was spot on and one of the Permit shot forward and grabbed my fly. Then the fun began. A 10 minute battle took place between me and the Permit before Wayne jumped into the water and netted it. My shouts of delight were probably heard on the mainland and I could not wipe the smile off my face all the way back to our hotel.
That evening saw us in our favourite restaurant in Placencia and the cocktails were on me. What a way to end our holiday, we cannot wait until our next visit in March!”
