Darcizzle Sees Clearly With Revo
Recently I was lucky enough to be introduced to Darcie Arahill, the angler better known as “Darcizzle,” and our conversation made me want to get in the boat with her in the near future to experience her good fortune, inspiring attitude and perhaps some of her fishing secrets. I like to find out anglers’ backgrounds and how they got into fishing and as Darcie was getting off the water after a long day of fishing, she let me open fire. She was especially excited to talk to me about her new sponsorship with Revo sunglasses, a product that she uses day in and day out, on and off the water -- and the best part was she got to help design her signature models with all of us ladies in mind.
HPFC: What is particularly noteworthy about the new Revo glasses?
Darcizzle: Honestly, Revo helps me see into the water and I'm able to catch more fish, Revo really gives me the advantage on the water to catch more fish, period!
HPFC: What were your past glasses lacking for you?
Darcizzle: I would say that the clarity wasn't as good as Revo’s, the actual lens and the frames over time separated and got loose. So just the combination of things with sunglasses in the past that just never worked for me.
HPFC: This may be an odd question, but what is your head shape? I have a huge cranium so I find it hard to find glasses that fit well.
Darcizzle: I would say my head is oval.
HPFC: What went into the designing of these frames? Perhaps your oval head shape?
Darcizzle: We picked a frame that was going to wrap around the face nice and well so that way we would be able to protect the eyes as much as possible while on the water. So, we selected two different frames, one for smaller heads and a larger frame for larger heads. Both of them basically wrap around the eyes and really just protects the eyes from all angles.
HPFC: Do you wear the same glasses for inshore, offshore, freshwater, cloudy, sunny and all other conditions?
Darcizzle: No, I wear two different kinds of lenses for two different types of fishing. But basically, for deep sea or offshore fishing you wear a blue lens to see into the blue water and when you are inshore fishing or fishing flats you wear a green lens. As far as cloudy skies go, I wear the color based on the type of fishing I'm doing. I don't really focus on the cloudy conditions, it's really just about the fishing.
HPFC: That's something that I had no idea about. I have different colored lensed glasses and pick them based on my outfit. I had never thought about WHY the difference or if the color meant something. What are some of the other features or advantages of the glasses that people may not notice from just looking at them?
Darcizzle: Revo offers a unique sunglass, and honestly in my opinion they are the best lenses on Earth. They have a NASA technology that they have incorporated into the lenses. Most lenses are coated from three to six layers. A lot of them are obviously for your eyes and solarization, correcting the true colors and what you see but also to help protect the lens from getting scratched and/or damaged. They're also digital friendly. There's a combination of all different things that the Revo lenses provide that just are superior to other brands out there on the market. Revo has a wide variety of frames and lenses and all kinds of awesome things for people to select from. It's just the biggest selection, in my opinion, and I believe that everybody should be able to find a pair of Revo glasses that fit their life.
HPFC: Are Revos available if you wear a prescription?
Darcizzle: They will, but my sunglasses have adjustable frames but are not yet available for prescription although they're currently working on that. Other Revo frames are available for prescription.
HPFC: Do you use a strap to keep them on? And if so, which one do you prefer?
Darcizzle: I do not use a strap. I remove my glasses quite frequently when I'm on the water taking pictures and I do a lot of video and whatnot so I do not have a strap. I do recommend people wear a strap, but just me personally I have a lot of hair and a big ponytail and it just doesn’t work for me.
HPFC: What advice would you give women to find the proper fit for glasses?
Darcizzle: For the proper fit for glasses, basically you need to figure out what type of activities are you involved in. The first question you have to ask yourself is if you're into the outdoors or you know if you're going to wear them for a combined everyday use, in the car, in the city. So, for women in the sports world, I personally recommend my frames that I currently wear on the water which are the Sailfish frames. They come in two different color lenses, the blue for offshore and the green for inshore. But for women, there's not a lot of things out there that are great for women in the outdoors and sports world but I believe Revo offers the best lenses in the sports world.
HPFC: Are there any plans to expand the lineup?
Darcizzle: This is currently what we have for now and they are a limited-edition sunglass for fishing and boating, deep-sea or inland. They have been appropriately named, Sailfish and Mahi. We are just getting started with the two distinctive style frames.
HPFC: Back in the in the eighties (I’m aging myself), if you had a pair of Revos, they were considered the golden glasses. If you had Revos you were in, so it might have taken me 30 years but now I will consider myself in the “in crowd”.
Darcizzle: Yes, I did hear that. I have heard that. (giggle)
HPFC: How did you get involved with fishing in the first place?
Darcizzle: I started fishing at the age of three years old with my father; fishing and lobstering. I'm a third generation Floridian so I grew up on the water and at the age of three, my dad started taking me on the water and basically that's how I was introduced to this lifestyle. I have a lot of awesome memories fishing with him and I happened to pick fishing for my passion as that is what I know.
HPFC: Were there any impediments being a woman getting to get you involved?
Darcizzle: In the beginning when I was a child, no, but in today's world with social media, people are harsh out there. And a lot of people get discouraged from getting on the water fishing, because you hear, “You did that wrong,” or “You're not doing that right,” or people bash you instead of encouraging people and showing them how to do things, wanting to try to help people learn. So, I would definitely say it is tough out there. And every day, whatever I post, especially related to fishing, people will say I did it wrong, or that's not how you do it but never suggest how to do it correctly. And it's just it's a constant battle. It's a constant everyday battle that women struggle with and it's unfortunate.
HPFC: What type of fishing intrigued you at first? Did you continue to fish the way your father taught you or did you continue to explore?
Darcizzle: I mean, yes and no, I still do that type of fishing. But for the most part, I do a lot of deep sea fishing out in the blue water. And I would say that interests me the most. And that's what my brand name is wrapped around, Darcizzle Offshore. So yes, I love the deep sea fishing and all the huge variety of fish you can catch out there.
HPFC: How did you expand from when you first started?
Darcizzle: I would say just constantly being on the water and learning, as every fishing trip is a learning adventure. You're always learning so compared to five years ago, I'm a way better fisherman nowadays. I still feel like I have a lot to learn as I still have days that I go out there and I'm like, man, I still have a lot to learn and need a lot more experience. It's a huge sport, and I'm really passionate about it, I really love it and feel like as long as you put your time in on the water, that's what it's all about. That's how you get better. That's how you catch more fish and keep your lines wet. It's overall how you become a better angler.
HPFC: What do you consider your home waters?
Darcizzle: My home waters would be the Atlantic Ocean off Boynton Beach Inlet.
HPFC: How has the variety of opportunities close to your Florida home made you a better angler?
Darcizzle: Oh, everything that has happened in the last ten years, I mean, me having this job full time, it's a huge blessing. I never, ever thought I'd be doing this full time in my wildest dreams. So that alone is just making me a better angler being out there every day, making awesome videos and content and how-to tutorials and teaching my fans how I caught that fish. They're so appreciative of it and when I hear stories from all my fans about, you know how much I helped them catch fish, and it's just a good feeling overall to help people. But overall, again, I'm going to work every day and be on the water so I’m just getting better and better. And it's all about time, time and effort on the water, day after day, year after year. Just keep getting after it.
HPFC: If you had to choose one fish to fish for the rest of your life, which one would it be and why?
Darcizzle: I would say it would have to be a mutton snapper. Mutton snapper is a bottom fish that lives in the ocean. It's just a really pretty fish and it's a super hard fighting and they get up to 20 pounds. They're very, very smart, out of all the snapper species out there, muttons are the smartest and you have to outsmart them. Like a lot of these fish, they just put up one heck of a fight and you really have to use your angling skills to get them off the bottom so they don't wrap you around something, such as structure. So that's why I love to catch them and then also, they are delicious.
HPFC: What are some of your favorite places you have traveled to fish?
Darcizzle: One favorite places would definitely be the Bahamas. The Florida Keys which are where I'm actually at right now making videos.
HPFC: What is the place you want to visit that you haven’t been to yet. And what new species do you want to catch?
Darcizzle: There's a lot. To name a few, the Dominican Republic, Tropic Star Lodge and Alaska. I want to fish the Great Lakes. Oh, there's just so many places I want to fish. Also, I want to catch a blue marlin. I would love to catch that type of fish or even a walleye. Maybe do some ice fishing. There's a huge bucket list for me of fish I need to catch.
HPFC: What is the one item you can't travel or fish without?
Darcizzle: My Revo sunglasses!!
HPFC: What are your goals for the future?
Darcizzle: Goals for the future: I want to overall become a better angler, as any anglers would. I also just want to help empower women and children and tell people, don't be afraid to get out there and get your hands dirty. I hope to be doing this job for a long time to come and keep creating awesome content and videos for people to enjoy and brighten up their days. It's always a bonus when I hear stories of people catching fish because of my videos, which is very, very rewarding. And I also hope to do more public speaking in the future which would help to inspire new generations. Let them know not to be afraid to try new things.
HPFC: I understand that you had an office job for five years? And then you decided nope, that's it. I'm going fishing full time.
Darcizzle: Yes, I worked at a real-estate-slash-law-firm and I basically worked in the back, and I handled checks and deposits and paperwork stuff.
HPFC: How did you decide “That’s it”? Did you wake up one day and say, “I'm done”?
Darcizzle: My boyfriend and I had been talking about this for a while, probably a good year, that we were going to leave our jobs and go fishing. We put a plan together and to this day, we've been doing our YouTube channel and our job here full time, since 2016. At this point we realize we are so lucky to do what we do and we don't call it work.
Her parting words were “follow your dreams and keep on catching.”