new Member

[right]Hello, I am new here, I have been looking for a place to get some information on where to obtain fishing gear that I can use without the use of my left arm. I used to tie flies and fish Atlantic Salmon as well as trout, bass and just about anything that would come to a fly. Most of the sites I have landed on thus far have just steered me to fishing camps with no mention of facilities for disabled anglers.
JJ

Here is an artical about his device

Fly fishing is too good a sport to give up or have to stop. To do so requires the most compelling of reasons: I will allow death! Anything less is no reason. Not even a major physical handicap. I have some friends whose son had been a very keen fisherman until he lost the use of his right arm in a motor bike accident. I had seen Robert Gibson-Bevan demonstrated his casting aids for the disabled and so decided to look further into what is available to help people carry on fly fishing.

From watching disabled anglers in action, unorthodox techniques may have to be developed and used but at least you will be fishing!

As well as people losing the use of a limb through amputation or accident, many suffer strokes that leave one arm perhaps partially paralysed. Fortunately neither event need mean the end of fishing. Although most of this article is about Gibson-Bevan's aids, the first device to look be looked at is the somewhat curious device from Finland known as Marc's Fishing System. Although not specifically aimed at handicapped anglers, the system offers them great benefits.

Marc's Fishing System was invented by Markku Rosnell and consists of a FinnKeep and FinnRod. The FinnKeep is a wooden device that takes the place of a traditional reel and has the line wrapped round it. Special brackets are available for one-armed anglers: one for walking anglers and one for those in a wheel chair, or, indeed, for anyone fishing sitting down. The FinnRod is the other essential part of the equipment. It has no reel seat (one is not needed) but it does have an extra butt ring near the top of the cork handle. This gives better line control as well as, it is said, increasing the effective casting length of the rod. Rod lengths of eight feet and nine feet are available, as either two piece or four piece rods. The final difference is that the preferred line is a shooting head and level monofilament backing or casting line.

In use the line is released from the FinnKeep as and when necessary. There is no need to have lengths of line on the ground or lying in the bottom of a boat. When casting with one arm, you use the one arm to cast and un-loop line. When retrieving line, a reverse motion will loop the line around the FinnKeep.

Robert Gibson-Bevan has two main devices for trout fishermen. One is for anglers with one arm and the other is for people with both arms but limited use of one.

The first device straps round the fisherman's waist and is held in place with another strap over the shoulder. An extension butt is fitted to the rod and this extension fits into the device. The rod is held in the device while the angler ties on his fly and when fishing. The angler has to learn to cast with one arm only and when he has completed his cast, the rod is put into the holder and the angler adjusted. Line is retrieved in the normal way and when a fish is hooked, the angle of the rod is raised and the fish played. If an automatic reel is used, the slack line can be retrieved quickly.

Gibson-Bevan's other device was developed for a man who had both arms but lost the use of his fore arm and hand. The device fits round the hand and fore arm and holds the rod, so allowing the arm to be used for casting, while the "good" arm controls the line etc.

The device for salmon fishers consists of a socket to hold the butt of a double-hand rod and a lanyard that clips on to the rod and holds it at the right angle while fishing the cast. The socket clips on to a belt around the waist.

As all his devices are tailor-made to suit the individual angler, Robert Gibson-Bevan likes to see his customers and measure them.

Here is a link to the automatic reel
http://www.sportfish.co.uk/product/33566/Vivarelli.html

Thanks for getting back to me and especially with the follow up message as I have been on so many sites lately that I was beginning to lose track.
I did see the site before showing the devices pictured above but the links on the site werte outdated and only led me to advertising sites etc.
I would not be able to afford to travel there to be fitted as I am on a pension and also would never be able to convince my wife to get back on a plane. I am not steady on my feet and only have the use of my right arm. I have seen a clip that attaches to a lanyard which is worn around the neck and clips to the rod when a fish is hooked. A friend of mine is putting together a belt to hold the butt end of a rod so I would have access to the reel.