Blind Fishing Boat

Perspectives of the “Visually Impaired” / “Blind” Fisher

To assist people with limited or no sight interested in taking up the sport of fishing, I publish reports on techniques and equipment that I’ve found to work well.  These reports are intended to share my knowledge with others new to the sport of fishing so that they might climb the learning curve as quickly as possible. 

To give some context, it may help if readers first understand what sort of numbers I’m talking about.  While 90% of the roughly 11 million Americans and Canadians who are visually impaired or blind have some light or shape perception, for the purposes of my reviews, I take the perspective of those who are unable to: see the bait tied to the end of their line when casting, see a bobber floating on the water, or see fish swimming up to their bait.  If these were the criteria to be used when assessing if a person is without sight, I’m certain the percentage of those who would qualify would be far higher. 

When selecting a style of fishing or species for review, I always start by drawing on proven traditional and emerging fishing styles past on by old-timers and fishing pros.  My first question is this a fishing technique that draws on senses other than sight?  In some instances no augmentation of the technique or gear utilized is necessary, other than to simply acquire the right gear and master the technique.  In other instances, modifications to gear or technique or both is necessary to make the experience more productive.  Sure, there are styles of fishing that just don’t lend themselves to being mastered by fishers without sight, dry fly fishing is one which comes to mind, but there are others that mesh with the enhanced attributes of such fishers to a point that leave them dreaming of the next fishing trip.  In all cases, there are incidental learnings for all fishers since much of what fishing entails is discovering ways to penetrate the murky barrier water poses to human sight. 

Just how much do fishers without sight have in common with fishers who can see above water anyway.  When one stops to consider the degree to which sighted fishers attempt to compensate for their inability to see through murky or deep water or ice, it’s no wonder manufacturers of fishing technologies invest significant resources in researching, developing and marketing devices to assist the mainstream fishing population to make up for their visual handicap.   one could ask why then are not more fishers without sight central in the business of developing fishing gear?  After-all, if much of fishing is about depending on skill, experience and technology to overcome the fact that one can’t see, then it only makes sense that fishers without sight could offer a perspective to the sport that can’t easily be simulated by those with sight.  Just what are these advantages and how come they haven’t been fully explored and exploited are some of the more profound questions I attempt to touch on in my reviews. 

I plan on covering basic techniques that all fishers need to master.  From tying knots, netting fish, removing hooks and returning fish to the water, reports will describe in such a way that fishers without sight should be able to independently master the techniques.  .  I even plan on providing  step-by-step instructions on eating and cooking your shore lunch.  Of course, all descriptions will be naritive and will not be dependent on photos or graphics to convey meaning.  Providing such naritive descriptions is important as my own searches on the internet have yielded few usable examples, and experience in interacting with sighted fishers has taught me that few have the patience to explain in detail certain procedures – especially when on the water. 

As a fisher without sight myself I have learned to regard promotional literature advertising fishing technology innovations as being somewhat useless.  What may sound like it makes a lot of sense, like, “improved sensitivity”, for one, isn’t always what it means.  To me, sensitivity is experienced primarily through the hands, but the use of this term in advertising relates more to the attributes of the equipment being sold.  The rod, line or bait may have been improved to possess increased sensitivity, but this doesn’t necessarily mean the attribute is passed on to the hands of the fisher.  Human perception of this enhancement is often still associated with sight.  My reports assist in clarifying exactly what the applied attributes to new gear or fishing techniques really mean for fishers without sight.

You can accomplish a lot with some good spinning and spincast rod/reel combos, and once you master these, moving on to mastering baitcasting is an option.  While baitcasters may seem to be problematic for someone without sight, it is doable and can open up an entirely new world of fishing options that depend on heavy and extra-heavy gear.

Other equipment such as spincast gear needs to be taken off the shelf and revisited.  While much of what is being produced still has as it’s market the novice or beginner fisher, the advantages of using such gear when finesse fishing over that of spinning gear are numerous.  But then again, there’s no beating a good spinning combination for a fast retrieval of spinner and crank baits.  Sorting out the different roles these two types of fishing technologies play, and who’s manufacturing the gear that best fits the needs of fishers without sight, will hopefully assist readers in ensuring that the contents of your rod lockers represent more investments in pleasure than costly mistakes. 

Many other forms of specialized fishing are growing in popularity, and it’s my hope that thorough assessments of their “applicability” to fishers without sight will be published, if not here, then on other sites for all to read and digest.  Given the variety and cost of fishing gear on the market today, consumers without sight deserve some guidance based on sound testing methodology and fair and objective reviews. 

My reports are not about selling gear, and I’m not going to waist your time describing all the gear that one should avoid.  My objective is to report on quality gear that serves a specific purpose well for fishers without sight.  Of course, I represent a testing community of one, so there will always be others who may take exception to my findings.  People may find fault with my field-trial methodology, or the environmental variables may be considerably different than your own.  I promise however, to provide the context so that readers of my reports can judge for themselves if the findings will be applicable to their own unique circumstances. 

I’d also like to point out that it’s not my goal to draw a line in the sand in terms of what’s possible and what shouldn’t be attempted.  Ingenuity and determination can bring everything within reach, but just how much of fishing should be about proving ones ability, and how much is about being able to get into the “zone”.  If fishing a certain technique is more frustration and shows every sign of continuing to put the fisher without sight at a significant disadvantage, than why repeatedly bang your head against that specific wall.  There are lots of other species and styles of fishing that not only place the fisher without sight on a level playing field with those fishers with sight, but can actually place the fisher without sight at an advantage, so why not focus on mastering these? 

With the amount of variety in both styles of fishing and related gear, no one, sighted or not, can afford to fish for all species unless born rich.  Besides, unless you’re retired and single, there’s no way you would have the time to master all the different fishing techniques anyway. 

My equipment reviews may not contain everything you will need to master a specific style of fishing without the use of sight, but they should get you pointed in the right direction.  Which you choose to master will depend on your own unique resources at hand. 

If you are a fisher without sight, or you think you have a fishing technique that you have mastered that such fishers would appreciate, please drop me a line and I’ll do my best to put it in words to share with others or even post something you have written yourself on my website.  If your interested in having me review your latest fishing innovation, drop me a line.  In all cases, rest assured that I’ll try out first-hand the technique / gear to properly assess for myself the validity of your claims.  Besides, it  gives me one more reason to go fishing.