hello,

I've been fly fishing about 15 years now but i've developed tennis elbow, which coincided with me buying a new comp rod last august. the doc told me to rest it but it hasnt got any better over winter. has anybody had a similar experience and how did they overcome it?

got any suggestions as to suitable rods (10' 7wt)as im sure my rod was partly to blame (or just my technique maybe)

any advice would be much appreciated cos i'm only 42.

ketch

More likely to be technique than the rod, I had a similar thing a couple of years ago, relaxed my grip and rested, it does improve

Chris

__________________
APGAI Single Handed Casting Instructor
GAIC Double Handed Casting Instructor
GAIC Fly Dressing Instructor
ADB Level 1 Coach



http://www.gamefishinginstruction.co.uk

http://www.oakroyalgolf-countryclub.co.uk/

http://chrisaldred.blogspot.com/

Hello Ketch,

had exactly the same thing for two seasons in a row when I started and funny enough with the same type of rod : a Scierra Titanium 10' #7, a beast. You're right it's partly the rod, but mostly our own fault. We force too much. You'll have to learn (like I did) the hard way that it is the rod and not our arm that has to do most of the work. I know it sounds simple but it's not that easy to do, especially when you look at others casting to the horizon. Start by not wanting to copy them, be content with the distance you cast in a relaxed way. Get to feel the flex of the rod and learn to load it without forcing. In the mean time focus on your double haul. Line speed can and will add to distance. But don't force it. The doctor is right, rest and a good balm treatment is all that helps. If you bite the pain and continue in the same way you might get serious and everlasting problems. I know, I've been there : couldn't lift a box of matches anymore. Adapt your casting style, start with a lighter, less powerful rod and build up very gradually. It'll go away in time.

Wish you a good recovery,
Johan

__________________
Johan Janssens

hi, ive been working as a physio for the pasty 6 years and see this pretty commonly in gripping sorts (tennis, golf, badminton). basically what happens is that poor technique leads to over reliance on wrist extension (bending backwards) during your casting stroke. firstly i'd advise getting casting lessons, try and identify the area which is leading to this. also try incresing the size of the grip. too small a grip is one of the most common causes for it in tennis..hope this helps

This is very interesting, as I've been getting pain in my right hand, my casting hand, but put it down to arthritis caused by long days in cold weather.
The joint where my little finger joins the palm has been tender for weeks and the finger is really stiff and sore.
Maybe it's related to the way I'm gripping the rod too hard?
I do try to 'push' my casts too much to gain distance and get the line shooting.
I'll try relaxing the hand more and try to rely on technique rather than power.
Steve

__________________
There's a fine line between fishing and just standing on the shore like an idiot.

Hello i am sure there are many incuding myself who have had problems like you describe and mine too was using a rod 10.5 8 w/t that was rather cumbersome in weight and casting in the 80s with realising the effect this can have when fishing large fisheries also i am of slight build then and still am and before i realised i too suffered from tennis elbow so my descision was to stop using and find a 9ft 6 w/t more practical. in the early years of trout fisherman magazine a Dick Shrive wrote an article on this a came up with a wrist band design of leather and i had 1 made which realy helped, anyway you live and learn and now thanks to modern materials we can enjoy our fishing better so hope you can too.

And go to a shorter rod. The longer the rod, the longer the lever arm that the force of the line is acting on. A 10' rod is significantly more work than a 9' rod. Similarly, a rod with a slower action will be less force on your elbow than a rod with a faster action because of the lever arm shortening as you cast.

Do you really need a 10-7 or would a 9'-6wt work?

Thanks
Rick

I've never had any problem casting but have suffered tennis elbow several times, goes with my job! All the above advice is sound. Rest being probably the best cure.

Might sound a bit daft but have you considered learning to cast with your other arm? Sure it's going to be interesting for a while-learning, but it can be done and would give your other arm a break (break ). If you saw a good fish rise that demanded your immediate attention then you could switch back briefly. Meanwhile, you learn another skill and any resting of the bad one must be a good thing.

Chris.

Interesting stuff. Made me think.
I broke my casting wrist when a kid and now, at the end of a day casting with my 10ft 7/8 rod, my wrist aches like hell and often lasts into the next day.
I think I'd better get some casting lessons and even step down a rod size, before I develop worse problems.

__________________
"Take not out your 'ounds on a werry windy day" Surtees.

Good advice there about stepping down a rod size. Long casting with long powerful rods does put a lot of strain on the arm. In the longer term I'd agree you need to step down, even people with very good technique can develop tennis elbow. Another helpful aid may be one of the wrist straps where the butt end of the rod is fastened to the wrist. The worst thing to do just now is carry on fishing with that rod.

That's all well and good but what of the moment?

The easiest choice is probably to get a switch rod and learn to fish double handed. This is very easy as long as you remember to use the bottom hand to generate line speed. The first day will feel strange but most people get used to it. You may find as many do that you can cast much longer distances than you can with a single hander.

Second would be to learn to fish left handed which is what I tried and found difficult to pick up - but I managed to cast fairly well after a few days. I never managed to get as comfortable fishing with my left hand as my right.