Winter Maintenance

Well this is a topic that on the surface looks like a great rod and reel storage opportunity. It is vital to care for our gear and make sure it's ready when we get it out come spring time. Up here in Athabasca Alberta, we can forget about fishing for November, December, and sometimes into January because the ice is just not safe enough to venture out. This year we have had a warm streak that has the ice season off until at least mid January. So I at least have plenty of time to prepare my gear and clean not only my fishing gear but also my hunting rifles. As long as I have the gun oil out I might as well do everything, and that I did. While doing all of that I had time to think about the season we just had, and my wonderful wife winning her 4th Field team title and sweeping all the honors, she is a real MVP for JFL. So as I was cleaning and thinking and at the same time making sure not to miss my shoulder rehab appointment it dawned on me that the real equipment we need to get in order is our very own bodies. Yep us the angler, is there a more important piece of equipment we have than our very own selves? Of course not!
When we looked at Laura's posture here she is in good position and everything low, close and in front and her, rod tip up, yet her shoulders are square and in position to fight a fish.

It's no secret I got banged up this season, and suffered some very sore outings, and as fun as fishing is a sore joint or muscle can make it very uncomfortable. The end of my season was filled with ups and down's and for a while we thought  I might not get to fish again until the middle of next year if I was lucky. I did not care for my body the way I should have and it got me with a shoulder injury that nearly cost me a season of fishing. Believe me the idea of not fishing was such a bitter thing for a guy like me who has made his life out of fishing. But after going to Edmonton and actually finding a doctor who also loves to fish, the sun is shining on 2012 for ol #69. So the better part of winter will be spent working my body into shape, and preparing for spring fishing, that is my goal. I plan on being out there for the MLWT and not just being there but winning.
Here again Laura in good position.

So with this blog I would like to encourage you all who read this to make sure to care for your body!! Make sure to care for the most important equipment we have with us at all times. Because I can tell you when something happens it will be hard to fix and time consuming. Take care of your joints in your shoulders and elbow, keep your knees in shape and your ankles. A sprained ankle can be a very tough thing to come back from. As well a shoulder injury can result in surgery and months and months of rehab. Painful rehab, the kind where you have to have a towel in your mouth to grit your teeth and also make the odd swear word a little softer. Believe me you don't want to go through it, and I know some of you are younger. I am in my early 40's and I got hit hard, never thought It could happen, well, yes it can and it can FAST. I also know some of you are out like me almost every day doing something fishing related. It's Gal's also and guy's like us who are very at risk of developing something that can get you down. Arthritis and other joint related things can creep into our lives if we don't care for ourselves. The repetitive action of fishing and presenting lures, the repetitive fighting of fish and other factors can be very hard on our bodies without us knowing it right away. You can still very easily feel great but have done some damage. I have to from now on do a routine of exorcize to loosen up my muscles and get my joints moving. I have to carry this on into winter, it's a daily routine for me now. It has changed my life quite a bit, and takes some getting used to and the mental awareness that it has to be done. With a little care everyday you can avoid most injuries and keep your most vital part of your fishing equipment in prime shape for fishing season every year.
Here the doctor noticed I have the reel out to far in front of my body which creates the lean I have going on here. As well my hand is not on the cork in the proper place. I have a habit of holding the rod with the reel handle up creating stress in the elbow and on the very joint I injured in my shoulder. How I developed this habit is a mystery to me but I did this and it's part of what lead to my injury. My body is totally out of position to handle a fish right now. In the doctor office I had the bottom half of a St Croix rod like the one I use most of the time. When we positioned my hands and body like this photo I could feel all the areas of stress and the doctor marked them all out. What an eye opener!
Now here because I was not positioned properly to tackle a fish like you see in the other photo. Here is a prime example I am out of position and destroying my shoulder. It was on this exact fish I aggravated the shoulder to the point I had to make my first visit to the doctor. First, now I have a backward lean happening, the reel is now to high. My elbow is out to the side and all the pressure set to hit my shoulder, which it did. When the fish took off for the bottom by the boat it pulled hard and my shoulder could not handle the pressure and I got injured here. This was the action that got me, and it's interesting that Laura was shooting photos here and caught this part of a disastrous yet fun day of catching Pike in the wood cover. This happened because I did this repeatedly over and over fish after fish, and here it caught up to me, on one fish, on one day, boom done! You might remember these photos from the Pike in Wood cover blog I did a while back.

We are all of us different in many ways, different shapes and sizes and so on. So the routine that works for me might not be right for you, for me it's a lot of upper body work. For others I have met in the last couple of months they have lower body work to do. So I am not going to post a plan on here but. I do want you to empower yourself to think about this topic. To come up with an exorcize plan that best fits your needs and body type, ask your doctor and or check the internet for ideas on how to keep yourself in shape for our sport of fishing. In some cases the doctor will want to look at some of your photos of you in action to see if there is something to look at as far as your mechanics go. I know my doctor found several things for me to work on. With the lower half of a rod we practice hook sets and fights in the new frame set out for me to work within. I have to say with practice this is going to work for me and I am looking forward to on the water work. As a result I am willing to bet it makes me a better angler, so the will to try and develop better skills to work with my own body  has become a passion for me personally. And plenty of inspiration from my wife Laura and my bud Willis will keep me going full tilt.

Take Care of Yourself, like you take care of your other gear, your body must be on top of the list!

Anyway I want to wish you all a great Holiday season, filled with family and friends and great memories. As well a wish for your success in 2012.  Remember as an angler we need to care for all of our equipment and that includes us as individuals. I want to wish you all Ambassadors, WFN, and all anglers worldwide the very best in the coming year 2012.