Adaptive Gear

This is where we get creative, finding things that will work for you. In my case I needed to figure out how I was going to hang on to my rod and reel when I needed to make a cast and to keep a fish that was hooked from pulling my rod out of my hand. Another challenge was how was I going to hang on to the reels handle well enough to crank in my line fish or no fish. Then I had to decide which type of rod and reel that I was going to be able to use the easiest and which would be the easiest to modify to fit my needs. You can make this as fun or as much of a headache you want it to be. As I move through this page you'll learn how and why I chose the out-fits that I currently use.

Ok the first thing I did was to gather up the rods and reels that I already had so I could experiment with a host of possible solutions to using my gear. I had mostly spinning rods and reels alone with one spin-casting reel an old Zebco 33. The rods were all mid to light weight in action and ranged from 5' 6" to 6' 6" long. The casting rod had a pistol grip on it where all the spinning rods had straight handles made from cork. My reels were from Diawa and Zebco/Quantum. Now that I had my equipment together it was time to put my brain to work for ways to use these out-fits. The fastest way for me was to start out working with my Occupational Therapist since she had most of the tools and items that I would ultimately need to finish the job. Then we put our heads together and looked at all types of different braces she had made in the past hoping to find one that with a few changes would meet or exceed my needs. After we found one that looked good she put it together so it fit my arm and hand without any areas on it that might cause problems with pressure points. By using the heated moldable plastic we could twist and turn the brace in any direction we wanted.

As for the type of rod and reel combination to use I can't tell you what to get it's a mater of personal preference. But with this particular brace I use a rod that has a straight handle not a pistol grip. There are a lot of spinning rods that work great as well as many of the two-handed casting rods. I enjoy using the Walleye Signature Series rods from Bass Pro Shops simply because they're available in several different actions that fit my fishing needs. I've also used Shimano, Berkley, and Daiwa rods with great success. Ok on to choosing a reel that will fit your needs. Here again this is a personal preference mixed in with how much you can use your arms and hands. I started out using Daiwa's Gold-Cast line of spin-casting reels and they work quite well. I am now using spinning reels for just about all the fish I'm after. As for what size reel you choose, that depends on what and where you're fishing for. Even techniques that you use can dictate what you decide to use. With spinning reels there is one feature I look for and that is the T shaped handle. For me they can be modified without much of a problem. If you have enough grip in your hand or fingers you might not have to make any changes to the reel itself. If you wish to use level-wind or bait-casting reels that's great, when I tried to cast I ended up with a big old birds nest. If you are going to be trolling or using another technique where you don't have to cast often they are great. Spin-casting reels are great in that they are very easy to cast, no back-lashes or birds nests to deal with them. Other alternatives would be to find an electric reel. I purchased one from a company called Royal Bee but it is my understanding that they are no longer in business. I took a Bass Pro Shops brand spinning reel and had several engineering students add an electric motor to it. Now I can really crank that reel in.

The following photos are a very good representation of what we did to make my days and evenings on the water more enjoyable. Click on each photo to get a larger image then use your browsers back button to return.