As for Me, I'll Fish Through the Pain



Spend a day on the water with me, especially a tournament day, and I promise you'll likely detect some indications of pain before all is said and done. If you have any doubts, just talk to my usual tourney partner, Rob.

Whether it's because of my sciatic nerve putting a crimp in my git-along, the arthritis in my hands causing my fingers to lock up, or any other run-of-the-mill age-related problems that torment me, you're apt to hear some audible sounds. I even groan nearly every time I reach for the front pedestal seat to pull myself up on the casting platform.

But you know what? I'm not alone here. I have a couple friends in my age bracket who share the same or similar experiences every time they hit the water. One's even on a first-name basis with everyone who works in a local chiropractor's office--it's been that way for a lot of years, too. And, as I learned from some online research for this article, we're "in good company," so to speak, with the likes of Larry Nixon, Mark Davis, and Denny Brauer, all of whom know what it feels like to have Father Time catch up with you. Those three veteran pros' problems even required surgery--multiple times--Nixon for a torn tendon in his elbow and carpal tunnel syndrome, Davis for a torn elbow tendon and shoulder injury, and Brauer for back issues.

There are many other injuries and medical ailments reported among the pro anglers' ranks today, too, most notably affecting such body parts as the rotator cuff, back, neck, and hands. You also can find instances of skin cancer, hernias, and at least one lightning strike--David Fritts was a victim of the latter.

As some pros are quick to point out, things today are much different from 20 or 30 years ago when they fished fewer events and supplemented their income by guiding and making appearances at sports shows. The norm now is to fish 250, and in some cases, 300 or more days a year, and that kind of repetition puts a strain on body parts.

Just what kind of repetition are we talking about here? I found an account by Takahiro Omori in which he said he probably averages 3,000 to 4,000 casts a day during a tournament--and the same during prefishing. "So in any given event, I'm probably making 15,000 casts or more," he asserted. Couple that statement with the fact he fishes the Elite Series, as well as the FLW and PAA Tours, and you quickly recognize the gravity of what he's saying. (Food for thought: If Takahiro makes that many casts, imagine how many a noted power fisherman like KVD must make.)

Professional bass fishing, from what I can tell, didn't have any kind of medical help available until Troy Lindner, son of angling legend Al Lindner, came along. A nationally certified health and fitness practitioner, as well as a competitive angler, Troy decided to do something after watching his dad and uncle struggle with fishing-related injuries, as well as fellas he fishes against.

Troy first studied the problem, then published two booklets titled "Fit 4 Fishing" (download both from this site: http://www.fit4fishing.com/products). Both booklets and a series of video tips he developed illustrate fishing movements that may create injuries, along with simple stretches that can mitigate or prevent damage. The "Fit 4 Fishing" series also is available by clicking on these links:
http://www.bassfan.com/tips_article.asp?id=285 and http://www.bassfan.com/news_article.asp?id=3781#.VKcZAPso6M8.

Then, in early 2008, Strike King Lure Company teamed up with The Orthopaedic Center (TOC) and Huntsville Hospital to provide Strike King's pro staff a world-class certified staff of athletic trainers and sports-medicine doctors--the first of its kind. In the years since, TOC sports physicians have cared for several of the elite team members who suffer muscular and skeletal ailments.

My research for this article revealed one angler who evidently feels that the effects of fishing generally begins in earnest with the middle-aged. According to him, "Every angler I know who is 40 years old or more has pain. If you're not in pain now," he continued, "don't wait. Build a stretching program, and use it... .

"Learn from what all the anglers around the country are saying: Bass fishing has injuries. However, most of these injuries are preventable if you start early. When you're 25 years of age, it's hard to believe that, by the time you're 40, a simple pitch to an overhanging tree can hurt, but it will if you don't take preventive measures now."

The same angler went on to say that when he was 20, he could fish all day and be only slightly tired. When he was 30, he would get tired but was ready to go again after a short nap. At his current age of 40, though, he says he needs a healing process, along with recovery time. What's the answer? For him, it's "stretching, exercising and staying hydrated."

Given that progression, I can't help but wonder what he'll be saying he needs when he reaches the 70 plateau where I find myself today. Perhaps he'll just resign himself to going the route of old race horses that have passed their prime. I, however, am not prepared to accept such a judgment. I'll just keep grunting and groaning while I'm chunking and winding, for as long as possible.