Best Fly Fishing Magnifying Glasses

Boomerang Multi Tool with Magnifying Glass

This is not just a magnifying glass, it’s a multi-tool. It comes with a clip-on tether that can move 36″ and retracts back into place once you need it again. The magnifying glass provides 3 x magnification, the nippers are high-quality stainless steel and there is a hook eye cleaner also.

While the multi-tool is useful, you’re going to have to give up one of your hands to use the magnifying glass. This will make tieing knots hard as it’s much easier when both your hands are free. You can imagine the struggle of holding a fly and the magnifying glass in one hand and then trying to thread the line with the other, it’s going to get frustrating.

Hat Eyes Magnifier Lens

The lense on these magnifying glasses is of optical grade quality. They are acrylic dual lenses and are free of distortion or irregularities. The lens moves with the line of focus, the angle is adjustable and there is a large field of 3D vision.

The lens clips on to the rim of most hats with brims of 3″ or more. You can swing it up or down and lock it in place once you have found where you want it. Once you’re done, you can simply swing out of the way. The fact that it’s clipped to your hat means both your hands are free to tie knots and organize things.

The glasses are very lightweight, the frame is stainless steel and you can change the lenses as you need to. They come in 4 different strengths.

Clip on Fly Tying Flip Focal

This is another clip on fly fishing magnifier that attaches to the brim of your hat. It comes with a clip and pin for sticking it on your hat and it is easy to lock into place where you need it. You can also flip it out of the way once you’re done. This means both your hands will be free to tie knots. The clip is not the best quality and is easily broken.

The lenses are not the best quality but they do give you 2.5X magnification to thread even the finest tippets with ease.

Carson Optical VisorMag

This is a set of clip-on, flip-up magnifying glasses that attach to the brim of most caps and hats. Once again, the clip-on style allows your hands to be free to tie knots and these glasses are easily stowed by flipping them up when you don’t need them. The clip system is made entirely from plastic and may get damaged easily.

They come with a protective soft-pouch, crystal clear acrylic lenses and give you a sharp, distortion-free view that allows you to see even the finest details with ease.

The VisorMag magnifying lenses come in three different options, from 1.75 – 2.25 x magnification. The VisorMags are backed by Carson’s Limited Lifetime Warranty.

Fisherman Eyewear Flip n Focus Magnifier

These magnifiers come in one strength, 1.5 x magnification. They are rimless lenses that clip on to your fishing glasses and are compatible with most frames. Flip them down when you need them and flip them up when you don’t.

The lenses are good quality and are Polarized TAC Lenses. These are very useful as they make sure your hands are free to tieing knots but having them sitting on your forehead while you don’t need them may be annoying and take some getting used to. 

Carson Clip and Flip

Similar to the magnifiers above, these turn any pair of regular glass into magnifying glasses. Simply flip them down to magnify and flip back up to get them out of the way. This keeps your hands free and ready to tie knots.

The crystal clear acrylic lenses give you a sharp and distortion-free view and come in 3 different options from 1.5-2x magnification. The clip is made from plastic and is not very durable but the product does come with a limited lifetime warranty.

Fisherman Eyewear Flip and Focus Magnifier

Another pair of magnifiers that clip on to your glasses and flip up and down for use and storage. This makes your hands free and ready to tie knots when you need to. The lenses are large and clear and are great for seeing small objects. They only come in 1 magnification though, +4.00.

The lenses are big and a little heavy, they will feel heavy on your ears. The clip is also fiddley and feels like it’s not very secure.

Orvis Flip Focal

Made by Orvis, this magnifier clips on to your hat with a clip and pin. The clip is made of plastic and feels a little fragile and ciould easily break.

It has a single lens that you can flip into focus or out of the way when you don’t need it. This keeps your hands free so you can tie knots easily. The lense is clear but a little small and comes in one strength of 2.25 x magnification.

Carson OcuLens Clip-On

This is a single lens clip-on magnifier that attaches to most glasses, making it hands-free and easy to tie knots with. The lens itself is small, reducing the field of vision and will make it hard to use. It comes with 2 options, 5x or 8x magnification, this is probably overpowered for fly fishing and more suited to making jewelry.