Hole Hopping – Sore Back

When I ice fish I tend to spend about 90% of my time fishing outside of a house and doing a ton of Hole Hopping. The older I get ( Getting old sucks ) the more I tend to pay the price after a long day or 2 of the constant up and down from hole hopping. I normally just Kneel down nest to the hole with the wind at my back to keep the rod tip as close to the hole and out of the wind as possible. I sometime ( though not often move and sit on the old 5 gallon bucket ( 1/2 full of water and fish of course ) Thus the reason why I don’t move it and use it to sit on often. Just curious of what others here use or do different when they hole hop a lot. I’ve got to come up with something different. I don’t think my old back will continue to take it much longer.

I use longer rods so I can stand up and still keep my rod tip right at the water. I found this really helps with my back and knees.

I’m still young, so I kneel a lot. If I’m standing, I make it work. Arms relaxed at sides and my 32″ rod pointing towards the hole. I found that 32″ is a good balance between hole hopping and sitting in a house. Much shorter than 32″ and you turn into the hunchback of Notre-Dame while hole hopping…

The Marcum Lithium Shuttle has significantly helped my back while hole hopping. I do need to start collecting longer rods however.

I purchased an electric massage /heating pad that sits in my recliner. It works wonders. Now if I had unlimited funds, I might have went with the “deluxe” model that sashays around the house in skimpy lingerie as well as gives massages.

Built myself a custom 45” panfish hole hopping rod. I’m 6’3” and have no problem standing straight up with the rod tip in the hole blocking most of the wind. The 45” rod is a pain dealing with but to the good out weighs the bad.

munchy wrote:

The Marcum Lithium Shuttle has significantly helped my back while hole hopping. I do need to start collecting longer rods however.

I’m curious – How has the Marcum Lithium Shuttle helped your back while hole hopping?

Core exercises. A strong core will help a lot of back issues. Google some streaching exercises for the back. Get a foam roller for rolling out those sore muscles. The back is a big area. Lots of different stretches for different areas. I stretch my legs for lower back tightness. Roll out upper arms for shoulder pain.

fishthumper wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Munchy wrote:</div>
The Marcum Lithium Shuttle has significantly helped my back while hole hopping. I do need to start collecting longer rods however.

I’m curious – How has the Marcum Lithium Shuttle helped your back while hole hopping?

It’s considerably lighter. With the old batteries I could feel the strain in my upper back and shoulder whenever I had to carry the unit, especially when the ice gets thicker and the transducer cable gets longer and you have to lift the unit higher to keep the transducer from dragging on the ground. Now it’s so light I can hold it above my head with one arm if needed.

munchy wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>fishthumper wrote:</div>

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Munchy wrote:</div>
The Marcum Lithium Shuttle has significantly helped my back while hole hopping. I do need to start collecting longer rods however.

I’m curious – How has the Marcum Lithium Shuttle helped your back while hole hopping?

It’s considerably lighter. With the old batteries I could feel the strain in my upper back and shoulder whenever I had to carry the unit, especially when the ice gets thicker and the transducer cable gets longer and you have to lift the unit higher to keep the transducer from dragging on the ground. Now it’s so light I can hold it above my head with one arm if needed.

I see. For some reason I thought that shuttle weighed more than a standard battery

fishthumper wrote:

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Munchy wrote:</div>

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>fishthumper wrote:</div>

<div class=”d4p-bbt-quote-title”>Munchy wrote:</div>
The Marcum Lithium Shuttle has significantly helped my back while hole hopping. I do need to start collecting longer rods however.

I’m curious – How has the Marcum Lithium Shuttle helped your back while hole hopping?

It’s considerably lighter. With the old batteries I could feel the strain in my upper back and shoulder whenever I had to carry the unit, especially when the ice gets thicker and the transducer cable gets longer and you have to lift the unit higher to keep the transducer from dragging on the ground. Now it’s so light I can hold it above my head with one arm if needed.

I see. For some reason I thought that shuttle weighed more than a standard battery

Haha! Nope, I believe about half the weight. The first time I picked mine up I literally thought it was missing the battery because it was so incredibly light. I’ve caught myself picking it up like it was the weight of a standard unit and almost throwing it in the air.

fishthumper wrote:

( Getting old sucks )

You should never say things like that…if you consider the alternative? Where would you be if you weren’t getting old?

Question for you though, what do you think causes the most grief for your back? Walking/carrying items around, hunching or bending over for extended periods, or drilling lots of holes? For me the punishment comes from drilling holes. After a few, my back is complaining. That’s why I don’t really hole hop much anymore. But then again I’m older now, and still alive…thankfully.

We probably cut 60 holes yesturday, but I got most of my fish from one hole. If only you knew in advance the one hot hole! Oh well. Hang in there.

Not sure how tall you are but I went to a taller bucket recently and it’s helped my back. 5 gallon was too short for me.

Inversion table or a foam back roller are amazing.