Aging baby boomers

[whenican]

Bignose,
I have an aluminum canoe/kayak cart sold by sailboatstogo.com that was overkill for my kayak. I can loan it to you until your surgery as I'm using a Hobie scupper cart for my Outback now.. Let me know how I can get this to you. It's a great tool to transport your canoe to & from your car but it wont help you lift the canoe.

[bignose]

Thanks for the kind offer.
I have a kayak cart.
It's the lift from the water, while turning the canoe over that's the issue. I can do it, but it hurts!
Once I get the canoe yoke across my shoulders I'm fine.
I'm just gonna have to stick to my ultra light pack canoe for a while.

I have been working with the trainer at the High School I coach at, using rubber bands. Even some of these exercises produces some rather interesting crunching and popping sounds!

[manlystanley]

I will be 72 on my birthday...13 major surgeries- 4 knee surgeries (2 on each knee) no ACL in my rt knee, miniscus damages to left knee...no large intestines- completely removed...skin cancer surgery last year on my forehead...and I plan on fishing as long as I can out of the Lady Luck....

Yeee Haaaa!!!! When I grow up, I want to be just like you!!!! Well, I'm 61, so don't have much time left to make it to 72...... Any ways, you are my hero!!! You take a licking and keep on ticking... Keep it up Ron, you make us young-ins not whine and complain about our hip pain.......


Best Regards,
Stan

[manlystanley]

I have been working with the trainer at the High School I coach at, using rubber bands. Even some of these exercises produces some rather interesting crunching and popping sounds!

Two points:

1.) Good job!! Is the traininer helping??
2.) You might want to get a doctor and Physical Therapist involved too. I found that sometimes trainers are too much into the "work through the pain big guy", then they end up causing more damage.

Following up Ron's post, I get down sometimes when I extrapolate life out. Like, I start to wonder how many more years I have to drag my kayak out. I think it's good for us to instead focus enjoying the current fishing trip that we have.

Best Regards,
Stan

[Mark]

The great thing about kayak fishing is that it is so varied.

We see evidence of that every day on this forum. We have members in pursuit of big fish who go offshore or bob among the pilings of the Bay Bridge in heavy gear-laden kayaks equipped with more electronics than the US Navy had at its disposal in the recent past. We have others who paddle quiet waters in minimally equipped lightweight boats for panfish and barely legal stripers.

I came to the hobby relatively late in life. I inched toward the former approach above but now am moving on the scale toward the latter.

Each point on the kayak spectrum brings enjoyment to those who pursue them. Each is a stop in the evolution of a kayak angler. And each participant can contribute something interesting for readers of this forum because we all can or will eventually relate in some manner to the experiences described here.

The important thing is to stay on the water in our plastic boats for as long as we physically can. And course, to continue sharing our exploits in those boats here.

[bignose]

The "Good Hurt"

I pushed myself to get out and on the water and fish through the pain today.

I traveled down to Weems with my 12 foot Old Town Pack Canoe today. No motor, no fish finder, no anchor, just a paddle and one rod.
Just to prove that I can still do it.

As soon as I got there the wind picked up and things got a little sporty.
In an hour I caught several perch all within about 200 yards of the Tucker St. Ramp on the usual spinner jig.

I'll have trouble picking my arm up over my head tonight, but I "feel" a lot better. Soothing for the soul. I'm working the Charter Boat Sunday, not really fishing, helping the clients fish.

Stan, as to my trainer: she is not a personal trainer, rather she is an athletic trainer and her expertise is in rehabilitating and treating injured athletes. She's the best!
She got me into the University of Maryland Orthopedic Unit with one day's notice. She has some serious clout with them! They hooked me up with a Sport's Medicine Specialist and that's why I know I need surgery.

[manlystanley]

Stan, as to my trainer: she is not a personal trainer, rather she is an athletic trainer and her expertise is in rehabilitating and treating injured athletes. She's the best!
She got me into the University of Maryland Orthopedic Unit with one day's notice. She has some serious clout with them! They hooked me up with a Sport's Medicine Specialist and that's why I know I need surgery.

Perfect! You're the man. Glad that you're in good hands.

Best Regards,
Stan

[ronaultmtd]

I am already past the Medicare Age and I am finding that I am having some physical issues, mostly attributed to me thinking that I was an athlete in my younger days. I am paying for that now.

I had some trouble loading my canoe onto the car at Tucker St. about 5 weeks ago, my left shoulder kinda buckled and caused me to lose my balance. I ended up rolling inside the canoe as it shifted and fell, not hurt, but realizing that my shoulder had pretty much given out on me. My canoe goes about 55 pounds.
I do have an ultra light canoe that weighs 33 pounds, but I don't want to risk that on anything but small local ponds. Paddling is is bit of a problem right now, though. Lots of crunching sounds!

The doctor originally told me that I was in pretty good shape, "all things considered" until the MRI reports came back.
Bottom line, I'm going to need to have rotator cuff surgery on my dominant arm, probably around the first of the year so that I can heal by fishing season.
It may affect my ability to produce spinner jigs for the Flea Market, but I have a supply left from last year.
The other shoulder....well I tore the bicep tendon in that so many years ago, that's it's not worth even repairing.

I also am have issues with my knees. I have to be careful fishing from the shore. I already slipped and fell once this year on a frost heaved bank.
The knee? Cortisone shots.

Getting old sucks, but it beats the alternative.

The “old line” of you are not getting older but better is strictly BS..nothing older is better with maybe the exception of quality red wine correctly stored...the problem with humans is that youth is wasted on the young...we don’t get wise enough to utilize our youth until we are too old to...and I am speaking from first hand experience of someone who did a lot of...”here, hold my beer and watch this...”

[manlystanley]

The “old line” of you are not getting older but better is strictly BS..nothing older is better with maybe the exception of quality red wine correctly stored...the problem with humans is that youth is wasted on the young...we don’t get wise enough to utilize our youth until we are too old to...and I am speaking from first hand experience of someone who did a lot of...”here, hold my beer and watch this...”

I have a doctor's appointment at 12:40, to get a referral to get a MRI. My back is really acting up, with my right leg going numb if I stand to long. Kind of scary seeing yourself age and waste away. I am hopping for another 15-20 years of yaking (currently 62), God willing.

Best Regards,
Stan

[bignose]

I finally got back in the saddle today!

I took my Old Town Pack canoe out on a small local pond for a couple of hours of bass fishing. I caught several medium sized bass, but that was not the point.
This is the first time out since my rotator and bicep tendon surgery back in November. I didn't have any issues loading and unloading it, and paddling wasn't too bad.
I'll be a little sore later, but that is why there is alcohol.

[Mark]

Good for you Stu.

Congrats on your recovery.

[mchottie]

Stu - good to see you back in the saddle!

[J.A. Veil]

Welcome back to the water. I look forward to some good reports from you.

[J. Rentch]

Know that feeling, my knee swells after an outing on the water. Dr.says that will continue for a few more months. Hang in there!

[ronaultmtd]

My knees are really bad..both...no ACL in my right knee, meniscus in left knee...both unstable..the Hobie Mirage Drive has been a life saver...the stair-stepper motion maintains muscle tone which is essential to maintain stability of both knee joints...after a five hour fishing trip my right knee sometimes is very sore and swells...one thing I spray on my knees that helps me is Phara grade DMSO...you can get it on EBay very reasonable...