R
Ron 'The Hat' Clay (ACA-Life Member)
Guest
A very interesting piece Eddie.
My own fly fishing over the past 12 years has been a sort of stop-go affair. For periods like 4 months solid I fished at least 2 1/2 days a week for 5 months a year as I had Draycote Water within a few miles.
Then I left Warwickshire and moved to Yorkshire. For 3 years or so I did much less fly fishing. But when I did it I noticed two things. First I was not casting as far, or as easily as I could. Secondly, I was getting a pin point ache in my right elbow.
I went to see my doc.
I told him my problem. He asked me when I was born - "1942" I said. He then asked me again. "1942" I said.
"2005 - 1942 = 63 years Mr. Clay."
"You can't do what you did at the age of 30 mate and keep that in mind." He renewed my prescription for anti-inflammitories.
Shortly after that, A had a new fly rod made for me by Steve Parton. He told me he would leave the handle quite thick as I could always sand some cork off if it didn't fit my hand. The handle felt a bit thick when I got the rod but I decided to leave it.
Since I have fished with this rod, I also noticed something. I don't get the elbow pain any more. Secondly, the rod has enabled me to cast easier.
Could it be the handle. Maybe I think so.
We are perhaps fishing with handles that are too thin. This is probably a result of the thinness of carbon fibre blanks. To make it look right proprtionately, many rod makers are making the handles so slim, they are causing the grip on the anglers hand to go awry.
Maybe fly rods should be made with slightly thicker handles so that the owner could remove sufficient cork to make the grip fit the hand perfectly.
It's something to think about.
My own fly fishing over the past 12 years has been a sort of stop-go affair. For periods like 4 months solid I fished at least 2 1/2 days a week for 5 months a year as I had Draycote Water within a few miles.
Then I left Warwickshire and moved to Yorkshire. For 3 years or so I did much less fly fishing. But when I did it I noticed two things. First I was not casting as far, or as easily as I could. Secondly, I was getting a pin point ache in my right elbow.
I went to see my doc.
I told him my problem. He asked me when I was born - "1942" I said. He then asked me again. "1942" I said.
"2005 - 1942 = 63 years Mr. Clay."
"You can't do what you did at the age of 30 mate and keep that in mind." He renewed my prescription for anti-inflammitories.
Shortly after that, A had a new fly rod made for me by Steve Parton. He told me he would leave the handle quite thick as I could always sand some cork off if it didn't fit my hand. The handle felt a bit thick when I got the rod but I decided to leave it.
Since I have fished with this rod, I also noticed something. I don't get the elbow pain any more. Secondly, the rod has enabled me to cast easier.
Could it be the handle. Maybe I think so.
We are perhaps fishing with handles that are too thin. This is probably a result of the thinness of carbon fibre blanks. To make it look right proprtionately, many rod makers are making the handles so slim, they are causing the grip on the anglers hand to go awry.
Maybe fly rods should be made with slightly thicker handles so that the owner could remove sufficient cork to make the grip fit the hand perfectly.
It's something to think about.