There are thousands of arm amputees each year, veterans and non-vets. The one item that has yet to be perfected for amputee fishermen is a one handed knot tyer. Using vest mounted fly pads helps, but it takes a LOT of skill, and the two advertised one-handed hook tyers don’t really work very well (just my opinion, but I own them both).
The creator/inventor of a one handed knot tyer will not make a lot of money, but will do a real service to amputee fishermen.
Put on your thinking cap, come up with an idea and post it or do whatever is needed to make it available.
I don’t know how this works, or IF it works, but I saw it online only a couple of nights ago, so perhaps fate is taking a hand here.
Coach,
Not exactly a ‘knot’ tyer, but this may be what you (they) can use:
http://www.basspro.com/NoKnot-FasSnap/product/2463/
It’s probably available in other catalogs or at fly shops.
Hope this fits the bill.
Allan
Here’s a video of that electronic tyer in use. Doesn’t look like a one handed solution to me.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynF2aEKIEQ8
Unfortunately, the electronic requires both hands and you still have to tie on the fast-snap.
But…keep thinking.
The best invention to date may be Project Healing Waters. I’m sure there are many fly fishers who would be happy to spend a day on the water with these folks and tie on as many flies as required. I say that as the father of an amputee vet (legs) who has seen how generous people are with their support of these guys.
I just ran a little experiment. I placed pair of hemostats in my bench vise with a hook in them. I was able to tie a Davy Knot only using my right hand. Most amputees I have met develop much more dexerity than I have ever had, I think if you and mount a device (strong magnet?) to securely hold hemostats on their vest they will work out the rest of the knot. I had the idea, just don’t have the means of manufacturing it of adding an extension on the end of the hemostats to gently hold the line (think small material holder). A couple of pins perpendicular to the line could be used to tie a Duncan Knot. A mounting device where you could easily mount forceps with the hook in their jaw, insert the line, remove the forceps and twirl them, remount and insert the tag appropiately would allow a clinch or improved clinch knot. I am thinking a magnetic base with a slot wide enough to accept the forceps and angled to toward the usable hand as a start. It would be movable with a magnetic base under the clothes/vent. Just thinking outloud.
These are not complete because I did not have a piece of ferrous metal to make a back that would work with a magnet underneath the best. I made these out of scrap PVC structual material, you will recognize the test clip in the left device and medical forceps or hemostats in the the other. The slot for the forceps is a saw kerf that has been sanded a little, had I thought of it I would have heat the finger hole end and melted a mounting point. It’s a start, if I can find some metal to make the back I will get my daughter to make a video of me tying a fly on. Or trying to do so.
Oh now you have me thinking!! My wife is an OT and is always having me mod something or another. I may have to put this idea in her head over a glass of wine tonight. BTW. before we got married she had me learn to tie my shoes one handed. I guess if I couldn’t the deal was off.
Will just throw this in here … for whatever it’s worth. Velcro strips can hold anything to the prosthesis, and facilitate about any motion you need for tying flies, or flinging flies. A jewelers pin vise will hold the little things accessible. ( http://www.widgetsupply.com/product/SGS3-841DH.html )
Avoid frustration by NOT using the fastsnaps from Bass Pro. They will reduce fully capable people to tears.
Harbor Freight sells a cheap little gadget that might be of some use, possibly with some modification required. I don’t know the name and couldn’t find it in their online catalog, so I’ll try to describe it.
It has a 2"x2" heavy metal base that holds a round 5" bar horizontally. The bar has a magnifying glass and two alligator clips. The position of the glass and the clips can be adjusted in all sorts of ways and locked into place with their wing nuts. The glass can be removed if wanted, which would make the gadget easier to carry in a vest pocket, etc.
I haven’t tried to do it, but I’m thinking that one clip could hold the fly and the other could be padded to hold the tippet without damaging it. Then the vet could use his hand to tie a clinch or other knot.
I have one of the devices you are describing Oldfrat, the problem with it is it weighs a pound or more. Also how would a guy with one hand get the fly into the alligator clip? I took the approach of having one hand to do everything. The fisherman is going to need a fly box that hinges open and is attached to him. I know those exist already, witht he forceps or test clip he can select and remove a fly from the box and place the clip or forceps in the holder on his vest, thread the line and tie the knot with the good hand. Darn I just realized I may have learned something from that time and motion course I took in college.
Sorry if you think it is a bad idea. I’m just trying to help. My motivations are pure. My youngest son lost both legs in Iraq. I’ve met a number of amputee veterans through him and by the volunteer work I do for this great organization.
http://www.homesforourtroops.org/site/PageServer
Given this, I greatly appreciate how hard you are trying to help on this request. I take absolutely no offense on your criticism of that last idea and, indeed, appreciate it. I know from your posts that you are a good guy!
Motivated by your post, I investigated this further.
On the alligator clip thing, I tried this (which I hadn’t before) and could get even small flies in the alligator clip by laying them on my elbow joint or on my knee and then using one hand to operate the clip. I suspect I could use a similar tactic to get the tippet in the other alligator clip, but I haven’t tried this. If opening the alligator clip is a problem for some, this might be solved by gluing a longer “lever” to the top of the alligator clip.
As for the weight issue, you must have a bigger one than mine. Mine weighs in at under 10 ounces without the glass, about the same as a loaded reel. I would have no problem carrying it to the stream. So I wouldn’t rule out the idea entirely as an option for an amputee to try out.
The alligator clips swivel, which might make tying a knot even more feasible. Attach a fly to one clip and thread the fly. Form a loop in the tippet and catch it in the other clip. Swivel the fly clip about 6 times, then bring the tippet end back through the loop (possibly using a forceps to do this) and tighten.
In my experience, these young amputees are extremely successful at coping and adapting. Amazingly so!
This gadget, though hardly fast, elegant or custom designed to tie flies, could be worth a try.
Brad
Give me a few days. I may have an answer . I need to walk through it while the wife checks it for feasibility. Plus I’m waiting on a part.
Gave this some thought and in my mind this is what I came up with that needs a lot of “tweeking” by others:
I feel this item needs to start out inside the fly box rather than having another gadget hanging on the vest. I invision a fly box suspended at both corners and hanging either from a lanyard or other means with the bottom of the fly box resting against the fisherman’s chest and the fly box lid facing out with the hinge at the bottom. When you need to tie on a fly, you reach up and open the lid on the fly box and the lid opens out and down and stops at a 90 degree to form a working platform. Mounted in the center of the lid on the inside is a short post with a slot in the top and the post will swivel around and around. You remove a fly and pust the hook bend into the slot at the top of the post which will then have the hook eye facing up. You then insert the tippet through the hook eye and hold the tag end between your thumb and your first finger and lower the next or index finger down to the post base and turn it around and around about 5 times and then insert the tag end through the loop made and pull the knot tight. Sort of a clinch knot. The slot will need a metal pin going through it so that when you put the hook into the slot you will run the hook point around the pin. This will hold the fly in the slot as you pull on the tippet to tighten the knot. After tightening the knot you can take your line clips and clip off the tag end, remove the fly and go fishing.
I am sure the above is clear as mud, but, it sure is clearer in my mind…
Actually Warren, I could clearly pciture the gadget you were describing; perhaps because I had something very similar in mind. Here’s what I was thinking. It’s difficult to see and read as a PNG file, so I’ll explain it. It is a fly box that secures to the fisherman’s chest. When he wants to change the fly, he opens it down exposing the flies and creating a small platform to work on. THe hook holder is a machine screw mounted through the bottom of the fly box. There is a hole drilled through the screw at the end and a long nut on the screw. The fisherman inserts the hook and twists the nut one turn to tighten it and secure the fly. He now has it secured and he can insert the tippet bring the tippet to the tag holder at the other end of the fly box. Secure the tag and the main line between the two washers and turn the bolt 6-7 times to twist the tipper to start the cinch knot. Then remove the tag and complete the cinch knot. He would leave the fly in the hook holder to clip the tag end short, then with one twist of the long nut, the fly is loose and can be removed. You could have different boxes with different sized “holders” mounted depending on the size of the hooks/flies.
I realize it would take practice, but I’m sure they could learn to tie a knot if the hook is held secure. Just an idea…
Jim Smith
Jim, that looks incredible!! How hard would it be to set up a prototype? Expensive?
Betty,
Thanks for the kind words. A prortype would cost about $2 and should take about an hour to build since it is the first one. I was actually planning to build a prototype and send it to Caoch Bob to have the guys try it out however, I had Carpel Tunnel surgery on my right hand last week and I have a huge, very cumbersome bandage on that hand that makes it difficult to work with. I even have trouble typing (retyping) and using a mouse with PowerPoint. I should get cleared in the next week or so and I will make the prototype and send it to Coach Bob. I’ll also take some phots and post them here for folks to see and offer any suggestions for improvement.
Thanks again and have a great weekend.
Jim
I am truly looking forward to seeing them! If there is ANYTHING I can do to help you, please let me know!
Betty
WOW - I can’t tell you all how impressed I am. Terrific ideas.