Fly Fishing With Rheumatoid Arthritis: How RA Changed the Way I Fish

By Stuart Longhurst, Balticflyfisher

On the days when my hands remind me that fishing is a privilege rather than a given, it's the rod that keeps me on the water.

I wrote that line in a review of the Yamaga Blanks Linn 226cm #3 and it's the truest thing I've written about fishing in years. I was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis in 2018. This is the honest account of what that has meant for my fishing — where I go, how I cast, and the tackle that has kept me on the water when a less forgiving setup would have driven me off it.

If you fish with RA, chronic joint pain, or any condition that affects your wrists, shoulders, or mobility — this article is for you.

What Is Rheumatoid Arthritis and How Does It Affect Fly Fishing?

Rheumatoid arthritis is not the same as the wear-and-tear arthritis that comes with age. It's an autoimmune condition — the body attacking its own joints — and it is unpredictable in a way that makes planning a fishing trip genuinely complicated. Some days are fine. Others are not. The wrists and shoulders are the joints that affect my fishing most directly, and on a bad day, the simple act of casting a single-handed rod becomes painful enough to make it not worth attempting. For a detailed clinical overview of the condition, Versus Arthritis is the most comprehensive UK resource available.

Before 2018, I fished single-handed rods almost exclusively. After 2018, I had to rethink almost everything.

How RA Changed Where I Fish

The first thing RA took from me was easy access to difficult water. Rough terrain — boulder-strewn riverbanks, steep valley sides, uneven wading — became a genuine risk rather than an inconvenience. On bad days I carry a wading stick, and I've learned to be honest with myself about which stretches of river are within my limits on any given morning.

That has actually changed my fishing for the better in some ways. I fish more carefully chosen water now. I spend more time on accessible stretches that I might previously have walked past in search of something more remote. I've discovered that the fish don't know the difference — and that the best fishing is often on the water that's easiest to reach, because fewer anglers bother.

On the worst days, I fish from the bank rather than wading. On the best days, I wade carefully and take my time. I've stopped being in a hurry.

The rivers I fish most — the lowland streams of Lower Saxony and Jutland, the chalk streams of southern England, the grayling rivers of Austria, and the Baltic coast for sea trout and pike — all have accessible stretches if you know where to look. RA has made me a better reader of water, because I now have to choose it more carefully.

How RA Changed How I Cast

This is where RA forced the most significant changes.

A conventional single-handed overhead cast loads through the wrist and shoulder — exactly the joints that RA affects most. In the early years after my diagnosis, I simply couldn't cast a single-hander for any length of time without pain. Coastal fishing — which I'd always loved, particularly for sea trout on the Baltic and North Sea beaches — felt like it might be finished for me. The long, powerful casts required on open beaches were beyond what my joints could manage.

Two solutions changed everything.

The first was trout Spey. A two-handed rod distributes the load of casting across both arms and removes the wrist snap that causes most of my pain. The Spey casting stroke is smooth, continuous, and surprisingly low-effort once you understand it. I can fish the ECHO Trout Spey 335cm #2 on a river for a full day with far less discomfort than I'd experience after an hour with a single-hander on a bad day.

The second was two-handed overhead casting on the coast. For sea trout on open shorelines, I use the Echo Boost Beach 366cm #6 paired with the OPST Commando Smooth 200gr — delicate enough for sea trout presentation yet powerful enough for the long casts that coastal fishing demands. For pike fishing on the coast and larger estuaries, I step up to the Echo Boost Beach 371cm #8 with the OPST Commando Smooth 275gr, which handles large flies and the wind that comes with open water pike fishing. A two-handed overhead cast is mechanically very different from a single-handed cast — the power comes from the body and both arms working together, not from a single wrist snap. It opened up coastal fishing again when I thought I'd lost it.

How RA Changed My Tackle

Rods — lighter and softer

Weight matters more than I ever appreciated before RA. A rod that feels fine for the first hour becomes a problem by the third. I now fish the lightest rod that's appropriate for the water, and I prioritise soft, progressive actions over fast tip-action blanks. A medium-slow action absorbs shock through the blank rather than transmitting it to the hand and wrist — which on a long day makes a genuine difference.

For small stream dry fly fishing, the Yamaga Blanks Linn 226cm #3 is the rod that has given me the most pain-free days on the water. It is extraordinarily light, the action is forgiving, and I can fish it single-handed all day without the joint fatigue that heavier or stiffer rods cause.

Lines — short heads and easy loading

Line choice has changed as much as rod choice. For single-handed trout fishing, I moved away from long-belly weight-forward lines to short belly tapers. The Wulff TT Short is my go-to — it loads the rod effortlessly at close range with minimal false casting, which means less strain on the wrist and shoulder for every cast made. On a day when I'm fishing a small stream and making dozens of short presentations, that reduction in effort adds up significantly.

For two-handed coastal fishing, the OPST Commando Smooth has been equally transformative. It's an integrated shooting head — no running line to manage, no loops to tangle — and it loads the rod with a short, smooth stroke that puts almost no strain on the wrist or shoulder. I use the 200gr with the Boost Beach #6 for sea trout and the 275gr with the Boost Beach #8 for pike. Both turn over cleanly in wind and require a fraction of the effort of a conventional shooting head setup.

For salmon fishing and larger river work with a two-hander, I moved away from long-belly Spey lines to short, compact Skagit-style heads. The OPST Commando Head was a revelation. A short head loads the rod with minimal effort and a short stroke — there's no need for the long, sustained anchor and sweep that full Spey lines demand. On a day when my shoulder is complaining, the difference between a 9-metre Skagit head and a 21-metre Spey line is the difference between fishing and not fishing.

Access and wading

A good wading staff is now part of my kit on any day when the terrain is uncertain. I use it without embarrassment. It has kept me on water I would otherwise have had to leave, and it has almost certainly prevented falls that would have set my condition back significantly.

What I've Learned

RA has made me a more thoughtful angler. I plan more carefully, choose my water more deliberately, and fish with more patience than I had before. I've discovered techniques — trout Spey, Skagit casting, careful single-handed fishing with ultralight rods — that I might never have explored without the necessity that RA imposed.

I've also learned that the fishing community is full of anglers managing similar challenges — joint conditions, mobility issues, chronic pain — who simply don't talk about it. This article is partly for them. The water is still there. The fish are still rising. With the right tackle and a willingness to adapt, most of it is still within reach.

On the days when my hands remind me that fishing is a privilege rather than a given — it's the rod that keeps me on the water.

Tackle That Has Made the Difference

• Yamaga Blanks Linn 226cm #3 — ultralight, medium-slow action, the best single-hander I've found for pain-free small stream fishing
• Wulff TT Short — short belly taper that loads effortlessly at close range with minimal false casting
• ECHO Trout Spey 335cm #2 — trout Spey on rivers where a single-hander is too demanding
• Echo Boost Beach 366cm #6 + OPST Commando Smooth 200gr — two-handed overhead casting for coastal sea trout
• Echo Boost Beach 371cm #8 + OPST Commando Smooth 275gr — two-handed overhead casting for coastal pike fishing
• OPST Commando Head — short Skagit head that loads with minimal effort and a short stroke

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you still fly fish with rheumatoid arthritis?
Yes — with the right tackle and a willingness to adapt your technique and choose your water carefully. Two-handed rods, short Skagit heads, short belly taper lines, and ultralight single-handers have all made a significant difference. RA changes how you fish; it doesn't have to end it.

What is the best fly rod for anglers with rheumatoid arthritis or joint pain?
A lightweight rod with a medium-slow or progressive action is the best starting point. The soft action absorbs shock through the blank rather than transmitting it to the wrist and hand. For small stream fishing, the Yamaga Blanks Linn 226cm #3 is outstanding. For larger rivers, a trout Spey rod distributes the casting load across both arms and removes most wrist strain.

What fly line is easiest to cast with joint pain?
A short belly taper line — such as the Wulff TT Short — loads the rod effortlessly at close range with minimal false casting. Fewer false casts means less strain on the wrist and shoulder. For two-handed coastal fishing, the OPST Commando Smooth is an integrated shooting head that loads with a short, smooth stroke and requires minimal effort. For salmon and river work, a short Skagit head like the OPST Commando Head achieves the same result.

What is trout Spey and why does it help anglers with arthritis?
Trout Spey is a two-handed casting technique using a light switch rod and a compact line. The casting stroke is smooth and continuous, loading through both arms and the body rather than snapping through a single wrist. For anglers with wrist or shoulder pain, it's often a more comfortable alternative to conventional single-handed casting — and it opens up river fishing that would otherwise be too demanding.

What is a Skagit head and why is it easier to cast?
A Skagit head is a short, heavy shooting head designed to load a rod with minimal line in the air and a short casting stroke. It requires far less effort than a full-length Spey line and is ideal for anglers who need to minimise the physical demands of casting. The OPST Commando Head is one of the most accessible options available.

Can I still fish the coast with rheumatoid arthritis?
Yes — switching to a two-handed overhead rod was what kept coastal fishing accessible for me. The Echo Boost Beach range, paired with the OPST Commando Smooth, delivers long casts with minimal wrist and shoulder strain. Sea trout on the Baltic and North Sea beaches, and pike on open estuaries, are all still within reach.

Is wading safe with rheumatoid arthritis?
It depends on the day and the water. On good days, careful wading on accessible, even-bottomed rivers is manageable. On difficult days, fishing from the bank with a wading staff for support is the sensible choice. Knowing your limits on any given day is the most important skill an angler with RA can develop.

Available at Balticflyfisher — premium fly fishing gear for European waters.