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Posts: 186
| Being new to baitcasters and a newer musky angler i was wondering what others have done to help with the clawhand. Is it just grin and bear it? Or is their certain techniques to help lesson the issue that comes with this pursuit of the lunge? Thanks in advance |
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Posts: 20218
Location: oswego, il | Found this on the internet:
Treatment
It may include:
Splinting.
Surgery to fix problems that may be contributing to the claw hand, such as nerve or tendon problems, joint contractures, or scar tissue.
Tendon transfer (graft) to allow movement of the hand and wrist.
Therapy to straighten the fingers. |
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Posts: 4053
Location: Land of the Musky | Wrap your handle with WINN wrap. The larger diameter handle might help some...
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Posts: 2325
Location: Chisholm, MN | Try a pistol grip. Otherwise I just toughed it out until my hands and elbows got used to it. I had bad tennis elbow and muskie claw for a few years, but eventually it just went away. Others might not be so lucky |
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Posts: 186
| Yeah I think for me it's the angle of wrist and rod thinness combined with the puny finger grips that rods come with. I have bigger mitts and for me gripping on a ? pretty much sucks . I did get a couple jig rippers and installed one on my xheavy and that definitely feels much better. I'm going to put the other on my new bucktail combo.
Are their other options besides winn grip for fattening up the handle? Elongating the trigger finger? Different material that doesn't get slick when its wet? |
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Posts: 2325
Location: Chisholm, MN | I like the palming reel seat on the St. Croixs. Maybe try one of those. |
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Posts: 4080
Location: Elko - Lake Vermilion | Kirby Budrow - 10/18/2020 10:22 PM
Try a pistol grip. Otherwise I just toughed it out until my hands and elbows got used to it. I had bad tennis elbow and muskie claw for a few years, but eventually it just went away. Others might not be so lucky
Kirby,
You are still a young Buck ! Wait till your in your 60's..... Talk about joint and muscle pain ! Sheesh ! Getting old is something that really Sucks.
Can't wait to throw pounders for the next 2 or hopefully 3 weeks, Bwaahaaha..  |
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Posts: 1209
| I hold a few different ways throughout the day, I also stretch for 20 minutes as I'm getting to the lake and when ever I fire up the gas motor I stretch for a minute |
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Posts: 2325
Location: Chisholm, MN | Top H2O - 10/19/2020 1:03 PM
Kirby Budrow - 10/18/2020 10:22 PM
Try a pistol grip. Otherwise I just toughed it out until my hands and elbows got used to it. I had bad tennis elbow and muskie claw for a few years, but eventually it just went away. Others might not be so lucky
Kirby,
You are still a young Buck ! Wait till your in your 60's..... Talk about joint and muscle pain ! Sheesh ! Getting old is something that really Sucks.
Can't wait to throw pounders for the next 2 or hopefully 3 weeks, Bwaahaaha.. ;- )
I’m 34 but I’ve been doing it since I was 12! No pain now though! Just had to get used to burning blades for a few years and spend a lot of time at the gym. I’ve never casted a 2 pounder but I did finally buy one! If the lake doesn’t freeze by the time I get there I might throw it. |
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Posts: 1316
Location: Lebanon,Mo | Just like my motocross years with the handlebars,try not to death grip your reel. |
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| I have some arthritis in both hands and what has worked for me is alternating left and right reels. Really not that tough to switch after a little practice. Found that with a modest amount of practice can also cast left or right handed. And I am not the most coordinated guy so that should be something most can do. I will be 70 when next year's musky season starts and I try and keep fit and flexible enough to keep up this exercise in futility for a number of years down the road. |
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Posts: 186
| Lol yeah I hear all of ya just something to work through. Coming from spinning tackle I just held with 2 fingers its a big difference. I've been out of fishing for the past 6 years just going a couple times a year. I got back into it pretty good though with this virus, going 3 or 4 times a week putting in 6-12 hour days. Gotta get back into the groove. Ill recoup over winter ?? and sleep when I'm dead. Honestly I think tossing pounders with a jig ripper would be easier for me than realing double 10s. Good luck with them 2 pounders lol |
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Posts: 79
| Start out with Suicks or glide baits to get your blood flowing. Blood flowing is really what people attempt to do with stretching. Also don’t go out and fire off a pounder..I’ve usually casted 1-200 times before I break out rubber or supermodels. Also, get a 10 foot rod. Dear god. I’m 40 and I can cast farther than I was able to when I was 30 (7’6” Rod then). Also figure 8’s are 20 feet wide |
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Posts: 668
Location: mercer wi | Cbd and bourbon |
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Posts: 4080
Location: Elko - Lake Vermilion | I've tried the pistol grip's but can't seem to get used to it... I guess clawhand is my future. |
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Posts: 8781
| I switched from palming the reel to holding the foregrip. That helped a ton. Then, like NO8, I bought a couple left handed reels so I could switch out during the day. It's a bit clumsy for a day or so, but certainly something anyone can learn to do, especially since most of us started out with spinning gear anyway. Also gave up the "death grip" as mentioned above.
I Have less hand/wrist pain now than I had 15 years ago, so I must be doing something right... |
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Posts: 17
| Once you get used to holding the foregrip it's really nice. Your hand gets less wet, better control with jerkbaits (at least I think I do), better hookset power, and of course, no clawhand. I only palm the reel when jigging or throwing small bucktails. |
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Posts: 399
Location: WI | I'm using Jig Rippers on a couple rods. The revolution reel seat on Elk River Rods is another more comfortable option. Learning & doing proper forearm, wrist, & hand exercises will also help alot. |
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Location: Athens, Ohio | Best remedy I found is not to claw the reel, but instead, use one of the Outdoor Grip's jig rippers as mentioned above. The wrapped handle they sell is even more comfy than the cork, and the action I get with the rod saves my shoulders and back, especially while jerking. I think I get better leverage and hookset with the Grip, than with pivoting on the reel. m |
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Posts: 941
Location: Freedom, WI | To many years as a mechanic and autoimmune issues has taken its toll on my hands. The revolution reel seat as mentioned is all I will use now, I palm my reel and it allows me to loosen my grip and still control the rod along with changing the angle of your wrist. |
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| Emptynet - 10/20/2020 8:36 PM
I'm using Jig Rippers on a couple rods. The revolution reel seat on Elk River Rods is another more comfortable option. Learning & doing proper forearm, wrist, & hand exercises will also help alot.
Something I added to my work out routine a number of years ago at the suggestion of a personal trainer is hammer curls. I was talking to a fellow Y member about how my forearms would get sore after a weekend of casting and the trainer over heard me. He asked me about the motion involved to make sure he understood. The hammer curl works your forearm and wrists better than anything else I have done. Key is focusing on form. The trainer stressed going slow and as the end of the dumbbell nears your shoulder, very deliberately bend your wrist sideways slowly, first toward the shoulder than away, mimicking the casting motion. I do extra sets in the winter prior to opener and it really helps. I know some young guys think it's funny that I actually do exercises to help with musky fishing but my guess is when they are pushing 70 they will be doing the same. |
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Posts: 552
Location: deephaven mn | I like that north of 8....... get into shape.... or get stronger
i don't have any problems but hear a lot of complaining about how hard it is to throw this or that bait..... it's big baits that move water that attract muskies....
maybe you need a little training to get your forearms into shape
thanks |
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Posts: 93
| These work well: https://otcbrace.com/products/2438-wrist-support-with-compression-ge...
Also these: https://simiensports.com/products/simien-elbow-brace-compression-sle... |
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Posts: 864
Location: NE Ohio | my buddy switches from righty fishin to lefty fishin and has helped him beat it. i can't do it. i'm stuck fishin righty. i just downsize for awhile and loosen my grip. works pretty good for me. |
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Posts: 186
| I knew when I started this thread it was gonna get some attention. Some good advice on here and of course a few smartnice tryes as well lol. A while back I did get a 2 pack of the jig rippers and put the wrapped handle on my extra heavy and it works wonders for me. I recently got a few double 10s and bought a setup for that. When reeling those in is when I had the death grip going because the rod wanted to jump outta my hand. Which led to the infamous clawhand for me. Being out the last couple days I have worked on some positioning that works alot better for me. Im going to be putting the other jig ripper i have on that combo soon. That leaves my small baits/ jerk stick which is like a bass rod in comparison. I never used baitcasters and standard reels before. Its been taking a while to find the right positioning. I guess I've been outta fishing longer than it seemed. Its pretty much all new to me with the gear and different sized lures.. big difference in a rooster tail to a double 10. But I do wish they made the grips and trigger fingers bigger. But I'm not buying new rods I just bought these. Ill just adjust and keep it movin. Thanks for the replies. |
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Location: Athens, Ohio | Hang in there with it, like they say with boats, "seat time" makes all the difference. Best advice I got on the baitcasters is to change your mindset from 'throwing' a bait to letting the weight of the bait throw itself; float it like a soft pitch. m |
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Posts: 4269
Location: Ashland WI | A narrower reel and long power handle helps me.
My old Calcutta 400 had some serious "wobble" when trying to pull 10s. |
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Posts: 358
| something i would add is try to adjust casting and retrieve angles to reduce the force on your hands / wrists. A friend of mine used to really fight claw hand, but he was always holding his rod perpendicular to the retrieve angle, because you hands are the only really flexible joint in a retrieve they are forced to hold that additional loading. Get those casts out front and let the reel do the work |
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Posts: 4269
Location: Ashland WI | Another thing I have done when pulling 10's (seems to be the hardest on my wrists/hands) is to try to keep the rod pointed straight at the lure, and try to relax the hand holding the reel as much as I can. |
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| 14ledo81 - 10/23/2020 7:41 AM
Another thing I have done when pulling 10's (seems to be the hardest on my wrists/hands) is to try to keep the rod pointed straight at the lure, and try to relax the hand holding the reel as much as I can.
Joe Bucher made the same point in show a number of years ago, when 10's were exploding. Hard to remember to try and keep your reel hand relaxed but it is good advice. |
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