Fingers/Hand Issues - too much fishing?

[greentrout]

Had bad case of trigger finger in both hands....60 plus yrs. old...doc said best thing to do stop fishing for a while and let the hands rest with some exercise with a stress ball and the like...worked...

 

Now, don't sling the cast anymore -- now with a relaxed motion not attempting to throw it a mile when fan casting...too...find myself using spinning gear more...work mostly plastics...spinnerbaits not near as much...spincast will also see more use in the future...works for me

 

good fishing...

 

A man's got to know his limitations.

 

Dirty Harry Callahan

[1BADAIR]

had trigger finger surgery on both hands .  cortisone injections didnt last very long.  Alieve and rest helps.  I also would tape something to my finger to hold it completey straight at night

[Fairtax4me]

I’m 33 and have had issues with minor arthritis since I was a teen. Doctor said I’m a candidate for RA (sure makes me wanna live another 3 decades!) 

 

Ive had a few days when I can barely hold a rod after 30 minutes and just have to put it down. Couple things I’ve noticed are that hand positioning on the rod/reel and the size  of the reel and/or rod will make a significant difference at times.

Sometimes a 200 size reel is more comfortable to grip. Others a 75 size is best. I’ve returned one or two reels I bought that were horribly uncomfortable to hold. 

 

I also try to alternate grip between index, middle, and ring fingers on the “trigger” of the rod. This changes your hand placement on the reel. It may feel odd at first but after spending 30 minutes with one hold, then changing to another hold, it changes how your hand sits rather than leaving it in the same position for hours at a time. 

I have plenty of fishing days during the summer when I spend 12-14 hours in a single day holding a rod and casting/reeling, and making those change-ups front time to time make all the difference. 

 

Another thing that really helps is lighter weight rods and reels. Not necessarily lighter action, but less actual weight in your hand. They cost more, but they sure can make fishing a lot more enjoyable when your hands and arms aren’t tired of casting heavy gear after a few hours. 

[Mobasser]

I've done carpentry work all most all my adult life. Gripping tools, boards etc hasn't helped. Luckily, I don't have huge hand problems. I have a friend who is a mechanic, and he is worse off. He has to take a break from fishing sometimes. One thing that's helped him is to use rods with a thicker handle, or adding foam grips to increase the diameter of his rod handles. Too many years of gripping small parts, wrenches, etc has taken its toll. Unfortunately, these things creep up on us as we get older

[Harold Scoggins]

On ‎9‎/‎4‎/‎2018 at 1:52 PM, lo n slo said:

don’t worry, it gets worse as you get older. ?

You know it!

[Oregon Native]

Believe I've mentioned it before....my hands are getting horrible with the arthritis and there's a big knot on my left palm that seems to change sizes at will.  Doc says will have to cut some day...."we will see"!!!  Hope not.  Takes about ten to fifteen minutes most mornings to just get the hands working.....If it even looks cold outside I put on the Nitrite gloves and they are a game changer for me....could not imagine not fishing through the cold weather when everyone is inside looking out.