Benjamin Franklin once said, “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.” That couldn’t be more true when it comes to flats fishing.

One of the most valuable tools in any flats angler’s kit is a good pair of polarized glasses. They cut the glare off the water’s surface, allowing us to see through the water column and spot fish.

My personal go-to. The Bajío Rose Mirror lenses. These lenses are incredibly effective in a wide range of light conditions, but where they truly shine is in helping create contrast in the water—making it easier to pick out movement, shape, or shadow. They perform beautifully even during early morning light or under partial cloud cover, and they’re comfortable enough to wear all day without fatigue.

If you want to set yourself up for success on the flats, your preparation should start long before you board the skiff. One of the most effective ways to increase your chances of success is by learning to spot fish early and often.

The ability to locate fish quickly is one of the biggest advantages you can give yourself. Having a real target to cast to makes everything easier. It’s a far more productive and confidence-building approach than relying on last-second instructions and blind casting.

If you’ve spent time on the flats, you’ve probably lived this scenario: You’re on the bow of the boat, scanning. Suddenly, your guide calls out—

“2:30, 20 meters! Do you see it? CAST! CAST! CAST!”

In that moment, your brain scrambles—converting meters to feet (okay, 60 feet), figuring out clock orientation, scanning for movement. Then comes the cast, often uncertain and off-target. Your guide might shout again, “CAST AGAIN! MORE RIGHT!” You finally see the fish—but it’s too late. It’s already spooked or passed out of range.

Now imagine a better outcome. You’re on the bow, and you see the fish at 2:30, just over 60 feet. You calmly begin your cast and ask, “Is it moving left or right?” “Left!” the guide answers. You lead the fish perfectly, drop the fly in the zone—and now the game is on.

As trout anglers—especially those used to moving water—we get conditioned to read the surface and currents to tell us where fish should be. On a spring creek, you might scan for subtle structure or riffles that suggest holding water. But spotting fish in flats environments means retraining that instinct.

On a gin-clear spring creek, a fish may sit motionless in a tailout or beneath a riffle at the head of a pool. You’re often trying to look through the distortion, focusing on shadows or faint shapes hugging the bottom. It takes practice to switch from reading water to reading what’s in the water.

Often, we’ll first notice the shadow on the bottom before we see the fish itself. But once you train your eyes to look through the water instead of just at it, a whole new world opens up. You go from casting blindly to feeding fish you’ve spotted, studied, and stalked. That’s where things get fun—and that’s when everything changes.

So start your flats prep with the right tools—a quality pair of polarized glasses like the Bajío Rose Mirror lens—and train your eyes to see what others miss. Because seeing the fish first? That’s where the hunt truly begins.