Mark Sutton woke up one morning to find everything wasn't quite right.
Fishing with disability.
The title suggests that one had some ability in the first place!
I started fly fishing after finding employment with a national supermarket who just happened to have a fly fishing club with several lakes and eleven miles of double bank fishing on the Test.
Well, it would be rude not to take up the opportunity.
Move the clock forward to November 2016. My wife shows a keen interest in fishing and casts better than me on a good day. As she works in care ,every other weekend is two twelve hour shifts in a dementia unit and then home to me!
One Saturday, after taking her to work at 7.00.am I went back to bed for an hour's further sleep. When I awoke I felt most odd with a complete loss of balance. On using the phone to let her know, the ringing tone and the voice on the other end sounded very strange.
A visit to the duty GP suggested diagnosis of blocked Eustachian tube of the ear followed.I was a bit taken aback to be signed off for a week immediately. A further visit to my own GP suggested the same diagnosis.
The Boots walk in hearing test showed 80% loss of hearing in the right ear,65% in the left. In addition to this tinnitus and loss of balance as well.
What did this all mean for my passion? A subsequent trip to my local favourite spot resulted in a stumble, cold water inside my waders and a severe loss of dignity.
Thankfully the two fishing forums I belong to were nothing short of marvellous.
To sum up their advice and help for fishing with a disability.
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Fish with a buddy if at all possible
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Wear an inflatable life jacket. Manual better as rain(!) can trigger inflation.
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Do not rely on felt soled waders. Studs or the more modern "grippy" soles.
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Let nearest and dearest know where you are fishing and your return time (not "a couple of hours")
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All singing/dancing phones can show others your location!
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KEEP FISHING.
Post script
Went out today.
No fish and it didn't matter! I am and will continue to fish. If you purchase non-nhs hearing aids do not wear them on the river. At a cost of £3500, they're too expensive to see floating down the river. Get nhs ones for fishing!