Disabled Fishing Resources
Achievable Concepts produces some excellent helpers for physically challenged anglers.
Fishing Harness: The harness goes around the waist and over your shoulders with adjustable straps. You cast, then put the pole into the holder that’s attached to the straps. It holds the rod while you can turn the reel, and pull that big one in one-handed.
Strong Arm: This leather forearm wrap-around lets you hold the rod without much hand strength or grip. It essentially straps the handle to your forearm. You can be one with the fishing pole, as it’s an extension of your arm.
The Strikefighter: This is another great product for those with limited use or no use of one hand. It comes in a sitting or a standing model. The Strikefighter holds the rod for you while you run the reel with one hand, but it’s more than just a rod holder. The special thing about this adaptive fishing gear is that you can actually move the rod while you’re reeling in the fish, if you can move your legs. It straps around your waist with a part of it going down to one leg. Shift your weight from foot to foot, lift up that leg and you can actually play with the fish you’re reeling in and come very close to simulating what you would do if you were holding the rod. Someone in a wheelchair could get a similar effect by raising that leg up a little.
Ty-All: This little device assists fisherman in tying knots. It can be used by anyone but is especially helpful for people who need to tie on lures one-handed.
Fishing Pole Holder: This fishing pole holder clamps directly onto a wheelchair, whether it’s a standard or a sports wheelchair, and can also be used on a fishing chair, lawn chair and whatever chair you choose to sit in and fish. It’s a handy holder for when nothing’s biting, but it’s also good for holding the rod while you reel in a fish.
Electra-Mate: This electric fishing reel is designed for adaptive fishing for people who need to be able to reel in with the push of a button. The 312HS weighs less than 30 ounces and costs less than $400. It’s designed to power the Penn 320GTi. The THE450-PTH is designed for the Penn 4500 SS and 5500 SS Spinfisher Spinning Reels and costs less than $300. For either model, a $120 battery pack is required, as well as your own Penn. Both these models have remote, waterproof, push-button control, they’re fine to use for both freshwater and saltwater sportfishing, and they can be attached very quickly. They let you set the drag, play the fish and reel it in one -handed.
Where the Electra-Mate really stands out among electric reels and electric fishing reel systems is in the light weight and design. Others like a Daiwa electric fishing reel or a Shimano electric reel are designed more for bottom fishing and dragging heavy fish up through hundreds of feet of water. The Electra-Mate was designed with the disabled angler in mind, so it has all the features you’d want in an affordable solution for one-handed fishing.
The OH 4
Another great product that’s not fishing specific but could certainly come in handy on a fishing trip is the wheelchair cup holder from OH 4 Industries.
This cup holder will fit almost any wheelchair, stadium chair, or any chair that has an armrest. Because it’s not designed to fit just one style, it’s easy to put on and take off with velcro straps and foam grip pads. It’s less than $30, shipping included, and has more to offer than just about any cup holder I’ve ever seen.
Because of its slotted design it can hold coffee cups with handles on the side just as easily as cans, glasses or bottles. They’ve even thought about those sweating containers by leaving the bottom partially open. You won’t have to mop condensation out of the bottom of the OH 4 wheelchair cup holder.
For the handicapped fisherman (or fisherwoman), this can just make fishing with a beverage (is there any other kind of fishing?) a little bit easier. Then the one that got away won’t have gotten away because you had a cup or can in your hand. Of course, that might mean you have to come up with another excuse for why you didn’t bring in a record fish, but for some people, that’s half the fun.
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Filed Under Adaptive Fishing for Disabled Anglers | 2 Comments
Tagged With Adaptive Fishing for Disabled Anglers, disabled fishing, Electra-Mate, electric fishing reels for handicapped anglers, fishing electric reels, fishing in a wheelchair, fishing pole holder, one-handed fishing, push-button reel, Ty-All
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Hallo. Can you send me more info “electra mate” push buttom for one arm fishing. Thanks Karl
Anglers are always fascinated with fly fishing’s golden age, and nothing brings back those years as vividly as a fine old rod and reel bearing the honorable scars of a lifetime afield.