Fish Tales

By Ing Wong-Ward

As a child, Danny Winters spent many summers fishing on the lake. It became a lifelong hobby. So, it’s no surprise that, after sustaining a spinal cord injury in 1969, Winters wanted to know how soon he could go fishing again.

Winters is just one of almost four million fishers in Canada. According to the Ministry of Natural Resources, fishing contributes billions of dollars to the Canadian economy, and Canada’s lakes, rivers and streams draw 3.5 million visits a year from out-of-country visitors.

While fishers with disabilities aren’t counted in any official way, Winters believes there is a lot of interest. Fishing itself is straightforward—basically, baiting a hook and throwing a line into water —but most fishing docks and lodges are not accessible to people using wheelchairs, walkers and canes. Fishing websites and guides offer plenty of tips about what to fish for, where and when, but there’s next to no information about accessibility.

That’s why Winters has turned his love of fishing and his expertise in disability issues into a new business venture. Sittin’ Fishing Consulting (www.sittinfishin.com) provides a listing of accessible fishing spots, including details about docks, washrooms and parking. Winters also acts as a consultant, making recommendations to improve accessibility for homes, docks, cottages and businesses. He says interest in his services is starting to grow after one year of operation. “My wife and I were at the Toronto Spring Fishing Show,” he says. “There were lots of people coming up to our booth, wanting more information.”

Winters says that since fishing is a family sport, it makes good business sense for lodges to make their docks, trails and accomodations accessible, as people will want to bring their partners, children and friends along for the fun. Winter says it doesn’t take much to make a dock accessible. His own dock in Southampton, Ontario, has a ramp.

Some fishing companies are paying attention to the disability community and are reeling in customers, so to speak - family-friendly Fish 4 Trout (www.fish4trout.ca) in Milton, Ont., for example, has wheelchair-accessible fishing and washrooms.

For some fishers with mobility disabilities, casting a line isn’t possible. While there’s nothing on the conventional market to eliminate this barrier, fishers with disabilities can approach The Tetra Society of North America (www.tetrasociety.org) for help. Tetra recruits skilled volunteers to make customized devices to help people with disabilities with activities. Gregg Harris of Burnaby, B.C., designed a fishing rod holder for a man with quadriplegia. Made of aluminum, it clamps onto the client’s chair and keeps the rod in place, enabling him to throw a line and reel in his catch using his right arm only.

Tetra also helped a young man who was paralyzed from the neck down to fish independently. Russ Weir and his Tetra colleagues were asked to develop a system for him to cast a line and reel in a fish unassisted. They created a sip-and-puff fishing device that uses an electric fishing rod already on the market.

Once the rod is attached to his wheelchair, the client throws the line into the water with a flick of his lips. Once a fish bites, he reels it in on his own, with another flick to retract the line. “His father arranged for him to go to a neighbour’s to fish for blue gill,” Weir says. “He caught six fish the first time out.” The work of Tetra volunteers and the donation of a fishing rod helped the young man regain an important social outlet and become more extroverted.

The sip-and-puff device is a one-off invention, which is what Tetra specializes in. While this device is not financially within reach for everyone, Winters notes that in Ontario, people with disabilities can fish with an attendant, who does not need a fishing licence to assist. People with disabilities can fish without a licence.

Winters hopes that in the next seven to 10 years, he’ll have a full list of accessible fishing areas in Ontario. He hopes that other people with disabilities will discover the joys of fishing and of being outdoors. “When I’m out there, I talk to God. I talk to the birds. It’s a great way to be close to nature.”

Ing Wong-Ward is a producer for CBC Radio Toronto and a freelance writer.