Lateral Lines

I was once discussing exercise with a colleague. I mentioned fishing as a form of exercise and he burst out laughing. Understandable, really, if your idea of going fishing is sitting on a dock or a bank waiting for the telltale sign of a bobber going under the water. For those of us who fish long and hard, in whatever conditions we're presented with on the day, exercise it is... A physical toll is taken and we, as anglers, have to pay it.

At some point, starting around 2003, I began to experience increasing amounts of lower back pain when spending long days on the water. I've known this was coming for some time now. When I was a 12 years old, I slipped and fell backwards off of the high-diving board at the local pool, falling to the concrete on my tailbone. Things in my lower back haven't ever quite been normal since. Increasingly, consideration for my ability to last an 8-12 hour stretch on the water without pretty serious pain has led to some changes in both the way I fish and the way I prepare.

My preference for smallmouth bass fishing on the Great Lakes hasn't actually helped matters any, but that's not something I'm willing to give up. I'll have to play with the pain, but I've also alterered some of my basic habits on the water to compensate. First of all, I'll preface with "each back pain is different" and "I'm not a doctor." All I can offer is advice from personal time on the water with experimentation and some things that have made a difference in minimizing the onset of the pain:

Start With The Feet

I learned early on that what I put on my feet was the single greatest factor to how fast the pain encroached upon my enjoyment of the day. Primarily, this is caused the by the level of heel support in my choice of footwear. The greater the heel and arch support, the slower the onset of pain. I've been a heel-toe, heel-toe walker all of my life so forcing my stance and stride onto the balls of my feet was necessary to offset my bad habits.

I wore Teva brand sandals for many years but I increasingly found the soft, lightweight material that makes them so comfortable to wear on hot days is also a liability. On a hot summer day the foam rubber material used becomes very soft and spongy - especially around the heels. Last year I made the switch to sandals made by Ecco which are much heavier, but offer excellent heel support. During the summer months, especially, this has made a very significant difference.

For cooler days I have a pair of super lightweight Montrail hiking boots that are the most comfortable shoes I own, period. They are also completely waterproof which is a blessing on rainy days in the early spring or late fall. I know others who swear by Rocky's World Worker boots as well. For tennis shoes, there are quite a number of decent options out there. Once again, though, the deal breaker is heel support.

Adjust Your Stance

Remember when your coach used to tell you that? Well the same applies, for fishing - especially for bass fisherman (and others who prefer to cast vs. troll) who spend their entire fishing day with one foot on the trolling motor pedal.

The usual suspect is of the duck-footed variety, with a stance that places one foot parallel to the centerline on the trolling motor pedal while the other foot is pointed at a 45 degree or more angle towards the direction of the cast. Even if steps are taken to bring the trolling motor pedal on a level with the boat's deck, this stance places tremendous strain on the lower back while casting (and setting the hook!) - more so as the angle formed by the point of your toes exceeds 45 degrees. Different techniques (jigging, casting, pitching) contribute to varying degrees.

Take up Golf

No, seriously, though not for reasons you may think... It turns out that many of the muscles that are used for supporting your lower back also come into play when hitting a golf ball (with a correct stance). I haven't been on a golf course for at least 4 years now since I prefer to be on the water with a fishing rod instead, however, hitting a bucket of balls 2-3 times a week at the local driving range keeps those "hookset muscles" in shape (if you don't have a set of clubs, a 5-iron works well). This goes a long way to reducing backpain on days where frequent casting (and, hopefully, catching) is on the menu.

One note, though: Hitting golf balls with a incorrect stance and swing can do more harm than good. A Ben Hogan-like swing, however, gives the muscles a correct workout without placing stress on the back.

Stand Tall

When you're intent on trying to feel the bite, sometimes instinct is to hunch your shoulders and shift your weight forward of your natural center of gravity, in anticipation of the bite. Over the course of a day, especially when fishing jigs or plastics, this can place significant strain on your lower back. Forcing your body to relax and stand with your shoulders back helps to transfer your weight correctly and, over the course of a day, can make a huge difference.

Don't be a Slouch

I have a butt-seat installed on the front deck of my boat. It's a great invention, however, it also has some significant drawbacks. The problem comes when using the butt seat to rest when fishing in rough or wavy conditions.

The legs are the body's natural shock absorbers. By partially sitting on a butt seat, the workload for handling the shock is transferred directly to the lower back. Need I say more? When fishing in really rough conditions, it's nice to have the seat on the front deck for additional stability. Instead of sitting on it, though, either raise it up and lean against it with your back or lower it down enough so that only the backs of your legs are using it for stability. Alternately, a seat with a side made for leaning - like the image to the left- may be a pleasant upgrade for your boat.

When fishing on calm waters, removing it altogether may make for tired legs, but this is a welcome sight better than dealing with pain.

Once again, I'm not a medical professional. If your pain is severe enough, you should see a doctor. Treatments like steroid injections and, in extreme cases, back surgery can leave you feeling like a new person. For dealing with pain, excercises like those used in the Escogue method (Update: The old link was broken. I've changed it to the egoscue home page. Here's another link with some of the key exercises in the Egoscue method.) can help to reduce the pain and get you back out on the water.

Serious back pain can suck the fun out of any day on the water and make you a bear to be around when you get home to your spouse, kids, or friends. Hopefully one or more of these tips will help you keep your cheerful disposition and, since you won't be thinking about the pain, feel a few more of those light bites you would have otherwise missed.