Wrist Fatigue? 2024
CK_32 reply :
Does anyone else get wrist fatigue when fishing jerk/swim baits?
I'm going about 2/3 times a week now and my pole wrist I jerk the rod with is starting to get sore after the first hour or so of fishing..
Anyone else get this? Is it something that goes away over time due to using new muscles? Am I doing it wrong?
I've tried posting he rod on my hip while I drag, I've tried bracing it with my arm, but he repetitive motion lifting or dragging the rod is irritating my wrist.
Dwight Hottle reply :
Trying using your arm rather than your wrist.
CK_32 reply :
I've tried, when I do it turns into a dragging motion more than a jerk.
It does aid in the wrist fatigued but it's a totally different bait action when I do.
Dwight Hottle reply :
On 10/10/2014 at 6:07 AM, CK_32 said:I've tried, when I do it turns into a dragging motion more than a jerk.
It does aid in the wrist fatigued but it's a totally different bait action when I do.
Try tucking the end of the rod under your forearm for support & try keeping the rod parallel to the water. Short strokes with slack line should make your baits dance.
Catch and Grease reply :
Anytime you start making your muscles/joints do something they aren't used to or more than normal they can get sore... It may or may not get better as they get used to it.
Even though you probably will get used to it, if it doesn't go away try doing something that works whatever's sore less...
Think about it like this, if your running 5 miles a day and don't get sore at all then increase your miles to 6 miles a day what's going to happen? Your gonna feel it worse because your body isn't used to working that hard. I believe that's what's happened to you, since your fishing more often your body is still adjusting to the new demand.
Mike L reply :
Do you bowl? play tennis? Know anyone who does?
Chances are you've seen the arm bands that most "crankers" wear.
All it is, is a 2 1/2" wide velcro secured wrap that bowlers and some tennis players use to give support to the muscles that get strained by a range of motion that isn't done consistently or constantly.
You can put it above the elbow, or anywhere on your forearm down to your wrist. Any medical supply house, chiropractor office, bowling or tennis pro shop will have them.
Try it, I'll bet you a watermelon fluke you'll feel better.
Mike
BassinLou reply :
It's time to find a 5-6lb dumbbell and start doing reverse wrist curls. Strength training will help your fishing endurance.
Catch and Grease reply :
I'd only use a brace/support as a last resort, I don't like things like that because it makes your body get used to relying on a brace and gets weaker... Not saying braces are bad though, heck I wear knee supports/pads while I wrestle, But if you don't need them then don't use them. I would highly recommend trying other things before jumping to the conclusion that you need a brace/support, and if you do decide that you think you need a brace I would go to the doctor first and get their approval...
Treat the cause, not the symptom.
geo g reply :
I agree with Mike L, if it bothers you that much, try a wrist brace, at least for a while. It is a half glove with a good wide Velcro strap around the wrist. Go to a good medical supply store and ask them to suggest a product.
I once had a elbow problem on my casting arm. The Velcro forearm band worked miracles for me and I only needed it for a couple of weeks. I always keep it in the truck in case it starts hurting again. Good luck!
Paul Roberts reply :
Whatever the cause, do be careful of repetitive motion stress. It can become debilitating. I spend a lot of time on computers and have learned to mouse left handed, and I switch off. I once strained my right elbow wrestling big bass one spring. Took 3 weeks off after and when I returned to it the pain came back on the first fish! I then switched to left handed fishing -a real learning curve there- and fished lefty for a year until my right resolved. I switch hit now.
Fisher-O-men reply :
Learn to work the bait with both hands and alternate rigs.
SirSnookalot reply :
On 10/10/2014 at 6:56 AM, BassinLou said:It's time to find a 5-6lb dumbbell and start doing reverse wrist curls. Strength training will help your fishing endurance.
Probably good advise, a wrist band may help some. I fish 7 days a week, I don't get sore or tired at least not my wrist, arms or legs. Having a pinched nerve and bulging disk there is some discomfort in my neck, which comes and goes. I do believe having the those fishing muscles conditioned is a big benefit. I would not rule out changing techniques and equipment if your muscles don't respond.
A good example of conditioning are PGA golfers, most of them do specific training on their muscles related to the swing.
gardnerjigman reply :
does your wrist do the same thing when walking a top water bait? Not that you are jerking as hard as you do with a jerkbait, but you are twitching your wrist several more times walking a bait than a jerkbait. If it doesn't get irritated walking you may check your "form" while using a jerk bait.
CDMeyer reply :
Yeah that is fishing, after awhile you will build more muscle in that area and it will not last as long
CDMeyer reply :
The pain will not last as long my mistake
Darren. reply :
For me the pain used to be in my elbows, but rest, pushups,
among other things really helped.
I did use elbow braces of different kinds while I was working
on resolving the problem(s). So I don't have any issue with
using braces to alleviate pain. Will you become dependent?
Maybe, if you do nothing to work your wrists when not
fishing.
Good suggestions above. In addition to monitoring your
fishing style, on the non-fishing end you could also get one
of those hand squeezers/grips, even guitar finger strengtheners
will work.
I mentioned pushups helping my elbows -- when I did these
I could feel the warmth of the blood flow into my elbows and
this greatly helped over time.
Felix77 reply :
On 10/10/2014 at 6:03 AM, Dwight Hottle said:Trying using your arm rather than your wrist.
This ... It takes a little practice. I ended up with fatigue when working a Zara Spook as well and once I began working my arms more and wrist less it became easier to manage. It does take time though ...
SHaugh reply :
I've done a bit of buzz bomb fishing for salmon... quite a workout. What I found is that there are at least 3 ways to accomplish the same action... all wrist... all arm... wrist and arm... even a little body twisting for that kind of fishing..
My advice would be to work on several different ways to accomplish the same action.. then alternate between them. What does the damage is a repetitive motion that is exactly the same every time...
Chris S reply :
what kind of rod are you using?
J Francho reply :
I will fish until my hands and arms become T-rex claws - contorted, cramped, and useless. Never once did I regret it or complain about it, lol. If it hurts, take a break, try something else.
Josh Smith reply :
Not anymore. Not for a while. It used to be I'd get fatigued but that was, oh, 20 years ago maybe.
For a while there I could fish forever without a break. Now, it appears I have slight ulnar and carpal tunnel. (Numb pinky for the first; numb thumb, first and middle fingers for the last.)
For this reason, a lot of the action comes from my fingers these days. I sort of roll the reel in my hand. I split the wrist to finger action about 50/50.
My elbow only comes into play if I'm doing high lifts of a jig, or if I'm setting a hook, or something else that requires medium motor movement.
Actually, when I set a hook, my wrist comes up, my knees bend, and my back arches. I don't know that my elbow even moves when setting a hook if I'm standing up.
When I'm burning a lure, I keep my arm and wrist locked and turn at the waist.
Regards,
Josh
BassinLou reply :
On 10/10/2014 at 5:55 AM, CK_32 said:Does anyone else get wrist fatigue when fishing jerk/swim baits?
I'm going about 2/3 times a week now and my pole wrist I jerk the rod with is starting to get sore after the first hour or so of fishing..
Anyone else get this? Is it something that goes away over time due to using new muscles? Am I doing it wrong?
I've tried posting he rod on my hip while I drag, I've tried bracing it with my arm, but he repetitive motion lifting or dragging the rod is irritating my wrist.
Since we can't see your biomechanics, we will not be able to properly tell you if your fishing the jerkbait correctly. What I can tell you is, if your wrist is just sore without lingering pains or swelling than you may have not developed tendonitis yet. If you have developed these symptoms then you may have developed some tendonitis and you may have to take a break for a week or so and ice with mild stretching. The tendonitis will usually present itself on your elbow most of the time. Hence "fisherman's elbow" aka tennis elbow or lateral epicondylitis. Trust me you don't want that. I personally battled with this for 2 yrs and it can be debilitating. If this technique is new to you, then use the technique for shorts bouts instead of long bouts. Take breaks often. Over time you will develop the endurance. Also you may want to look at your gear and maybe lighten it up or make sure its properly balanced. Lastly, ask a fellow angler that has experience with this technique to evaluate your form and maybe give you some feedback on correcting your technique a bit. Maybe some or all of these factors maybe your culprit. Best of luck, if you are not finding any remedy, send me a PM and I could go into further detail. I am not pulling the information out of the air. My profession and backgound is in Exercise Physiology and I have dealt with these similar types of issues before.
CK_32 reply :
Never used a top water bait. Only a jerk bait and a drop sinker. Still new to fishing really. My experience is very limited.
I'll look into wrist rotations at home and see if that helps, if not maybe a brace. I just wanted to see if this was something the body overcame, just have to live with, or I'm doing something wrong.
cottny27 reply :
Might want to try putting a rod balancing system on your rod's butt and see how that helps. It works great for T-riggin where your rod is always in the 9-12:00 position. For a jerkbait application I am not so sure it will help though. I just take 1" platic end caps bought at any hardware store, add brass weights or quarters in the cap..slip on and you are done. I'm surprised nobody mentioned that yet.
BassinLou reply :
On 10/11/2014 at 4:23 AM, CK_32 said:Never used a top water bait. Only a jerk bait and a drop sinker. Still new to fishing really. My experience is very limited.
I'll look into wrist rotations at home and see if that helps, if not maybe a brace. I just wanted to see if this was something the body overcame, just have to live with, or I'm doing something wrong.
Bracing is just a band aid. Bracing will give a supported feeling, however they are making the muscles lazy. Unless your situation has become very chronic then I would look into bracing.
Here is a website I quickly found that can be a start for you. http://www.hughston.com/hha/a.seven.htm
Look into the exercise before you decide to begin bracing.
A-Jay reply :
I ran into this a while back - my solution was first to let my wrist rest by fishing with spinning gear for a while.
Then I rigged up two jerk baits - one on casting gear and one on spinning gear.
This enabled me to spread / share the workload with both wrists.
Fish one rig for a while, then switch to the other rig.
Kept me fresh, allowed me to fish all day and most importantly I didn't hurt anything.
Good Luck
A-Jay
hatrix reply :
It probably doesn't matter if you think you have bad form or how in shape you might be. Any repetitive movement will take a toll on you. Spending all day doing one thing over and over with basically the same repetitive movement is going to cause some kind of problem eventually. There has been times when the spook bite is super hot and it is literally that gets thrown all day long and for day after day and It will start to tear up my wrist. I couldn't even guess how many times I snap my wrist in a day but it's a crazy number I am sure. I already have a beat up wrist from swinging a framing hammer all day when I younger.
K_Mac reply :
I usually change something when I start wearing down. A lot of good advice here. I can say for sure that since I started strength training I am much more able to fish for long periods without fatigue or pain.
everythingthatswims reply :
Try throwing gotcha plugs from a pier and flukes/walk the dog/jerkbaits will feel like a walk in the park. I usually try to adjust the way I grip the rod/reel and it helps.
ClackerBuzz reply :
saw a great video a few months back. google John Crews pitching.
he was pitching with his reel upside down (casting reel facing down at the water instead of facing up at the sky). it takes the pressure and tension off ur wrist. i already pitch with my reel sideways but it made me more aware that lots of casting reel techniques can be worked with the reel sideways or upside down. it's alot easier on the wrists.
night fishing also really helps dial in ur techniques b/c ur more focused on feeling than seeing. i always seem to hold my rods more gently after a night outing.
Do you use a fish finder? Your brain is far more effective for locating fish than search baits. I'd much rather work 10 locations thoroughly found via sonar or map than blindly cast search baits for miles and miles. 'work smart not hard' is a moto that def spills over into my fishing
Driftb reply :
I used to use a rod that had a fat, pistol-style griip. At the end of a season throwiing walking baits, cranks and spinnerbaits, I had a painful case of tendonitis. It cleared up over the winter, but it also came back later in the next season. I gave that rod away and replaced it with a split grip. Now I have six split grip casting rods and another couple of split grip spinning rods. Although the split grip has a very thin handle and I have huge hands, I now find the split grip much more comfortable and I haven't had the problem since I got rid of that rod. My buddy has been complaining of a sore arm though......... I think that changing it up and using diifferent rods instead of one rod can be a help. Using lighter rods is also going to help with musce strain. As for using your arm rather than the wrist? You'll probably end up with a shoulder issue. Plus you are going to end up fishing like a guy who can't figure out how to walk the dog because he is using his arm, not his wrist.
SirSnookalot reply :
I use spinning and all my rods have a foregrip, holding the rod on the grip I not only suffer no fatigue or soreness but my hand is always in perfect position for a hookset. I can see why one would get sore or tired using b/c and holding the rod down by the reel using your weaker arm, it appears to be both awkward and have less leverage.
mjseverson24 reply :
The temporary solution ---> get a sports wrap and wrap your wrist so there is pressure on it, and or get the tennis elbow wrap and put it on your forearm ( am have played tennis all my life and frequently get the "claw" from jigs and jerkbaits and these things do help). This will help you continue to fish just as you are...
The long term solution---> I agree that stretching and strengthening of your "fishing" muscles will help with this issue, but they may not be the only key. I would invest in some very light weight equipment that will reduce fatigue on your wrist. an example would be a BPS carbonlite rod with a properly balanced reel probably in the 6 OZ range, they dont need to be super expensive just need to be light... Also I like the idea of having two setups ready that are opposite handed, this could help as well...
Last resort---> Step 1: grab a cooler, put your favorite beer, whiskey, tequila, chocolate milk, or any other beverage you wish in the cooler, then fill it up with ice...
Step 2: Turn on sporting event ie. football, baseball, golf...
Step 3: Use cold beverage from cooler to ice your wrist...
Step 4: Periodically drink the beverage to ensure proper temperature...
Step 5: When beverage is gone grab a new one from the cooler...
Step 6: If your wrist still hurts see step 3...
Mitch
Maxximus Redneckus reply :
Try using a pistol grip its all i use for JB and topwaters no fatigue here.
Fishes in trees reply :
I've had this happen occasionally over the years. Here's what I've tried and it more or less works.
A tennis elbow brace is helpful. More helpful in the late spring through summer, when you aren't dealing with extra layers of clothes. I'd use the brace when jerk baiting and take it off when I was using other techniques. Taking an Alieve or two before starting the fishing day worked great. Kind of a preventative measure, my elbow didn't hurt nearly as much at the end of the day.
You might also want to upgrade/lighten your gear. Lighter gear = snapping less weight when you're jerking = less muscle fatigue. I use a 6'3" Medium spinning rod with an extra fast action, a smaller spinning reel and 14 lb Fireline. I'll use a short, 2' or so 15 lb fluorocarbon leader. This rig is a lot lighter than the bait casting rig I was using previously. Additionally, you are kind of immune to the wind, which you definitely not when using bait casting gear. Wind seems to be an important factor for the jerk bait bite to be really working.
guitarglynn1 reply :
You can add in daily stretching to stretch your forearm/wrist flexors and extensors. Does not have to be anything crazy either. 15sec a couple times a day several days a week can be beneficial. Also roll out your forearms ( soft tissue work ). Both the medial and lateral aspects of them. You can use a cheap lacrosse ball which costs a couple bucks. There are massage balls as well which can feel really good. I have a spiky massage ball and a hard lacrosse ball and I alternate between the two. One is more soothing while the other works into the soft tissue much more aggressively. Both can help with overuse injuries and more importantly, they can help you avoid them in the first place.
And be mindful of the other activities in your daily life. Some times we only focus on the activity we do that brings on the pain and discomfort but there are a number of factors that contribute to that which we overlook. For example, today many people spend a lot of time at a desk typing and with very poor posture. This can leave you jacked up and vulnerable to pain and discomfort in joints like the wrist ect..
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