So to make a long story short, I had major surgery on my casting shoulder in August (shattered humerus and head of the humerus). I have a trip booked back to Patagonia in March 2012 and can start a bit of fly casting practice in late November/ early December if everything goes well until then. Good thing my Doc is a fly fisherman, too. Anyway I'm thinking to load an 8 wht line on a 5 wht rod to load up and make casting a bit easier. I should be able to cast further this way than keeping the lines matched. After a month or so maybe I'll switch back. Any thoughts or experience?
Beautiful day today in the Bahamas and I'm talking about fishing - NOT fishing!

Maybe not as much as an 8wt on a 5wt rod but the principle is sound. Try to aerialise the same amount of line as you usually do but with an increase in weight of upto 25%. The extra weight will then demand of you less speed and effort in the forward and back casts.

Stay away from casting a fly.

Go to a sports injury clinic, explain what it is you want to do in March and they should be able to devise a specific programme of exercises, gym based, that will have you in shape to start casting in three months time and probably casting better than ever in March.

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Get yourself a switch rod - mine is equivalent to a 6wt single hander. Double hand casting reduces strain on the shoulders considerably - I now use the switch rod for everything from 1 lb brown trout to 10 lb salmon !

Nigel

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If it doesn't fit, use a bigger hammer!

Have a look around to see if you have a hydrotherapy pool in your area. In those you can exercise in very warm water which not only keeps the muscles warm but also takes a large percentage of your body weight off the affected area. I found this invaluable when recovering from (a) a broken femur which led to (b) a total hip replacement which was not done correctly and which led to (c) a serious infection in the bone and a complete re-build.

Many hours of exercise in a hydrotherapy pool means I now go picking up with my dogs and can fish rivers in Austria and British Columbia.

With a trip to Patagonia in the offing I would consult a witch doctor complete with bone in nose if I thought he would do me any good!

I'd be inclined towards a 1wt rod and a 2wt line .

Chris.

"+1" Nigel, "+1"

Shoulder injuries are what have brought a considerable number of folks 'here' into the two-hander world. The Sports Clinic is also a very good idea to help promote healing.

Once you get your shoulder back in shape, and you find the two hander is still uncomfortable to cast, it's a strong sign that you're pushing/forcing your casts and not allowing the rod to do the work that it was designed to do. Slow down and ease up.

Fred

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I'm with the switch rod, huge amounts of old guys or people with medical issues are suddenly discovering the joys of a switch rod, lighter and for some easier to cast, certainly easier than a full 2 hander, and you can use both arms relieving the demand on your bad one, good luck!

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I like the switch rod idea. This is the way to go.

As for over lining the 5 wt, you do realize that when you cast a rod, you are doing WORK by moving a mass of line over a distance. So whether you move a greater mass over a shorter distance (the 8 wt line) vs a lesser mass (the 5 wt line) over a longer distance, work is being done. It is a higher force over a shorter distance vs lesser force over a longer distance.

You can't fool the law of physics. The components are strength vs mobility. Think of as Force (shoulder strength) vs Distance (shoulder mobility). So you need to work on regaining both strength and mobility.

Whether the problem is strength or range of motion, I think physical therapy is the way to go. It can be done during the day in the house without getting out the fly rod. Once the mobility and strength allow, get back to doing some casting.

What you don't want is shoulder instability caused by just working on the casting muscles through repeated casting. Strengthen the entire shoulder is what I would recommend.

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Silver Creek- "Discovery consists of seeing what everybody has seen and thinking what nobody has thought"....Szent-Gyorgy

Dont listen to anyone , Go and get a exercise program from a sports injury specialist. I had serious knee surgery and problems a few years back. A decent physio is the way forward.....

Andy