Who I Am

Click here for article from my local newspaper with some info on me as well.

My name is Scott and I am 38 years old. I live in Springfield, Missouri, home of Bass Pro Shops World Headquarters (retail store is 10 minutes away and I still order things online). I picked up a two-year degree in history and then another semester before having to drop out of college due to health reasons.  Since I was 14, I have had a peripheral neuropathy that has left me in great pain and with reduced motor functions. A few years ago it got too bad and I had to quit work and quit fishing several times a week. Luckily, the pain has eased some through the years since then and I am now able to work again.  I still love to fish any time I can, but I find I can’t go quite as often as I used to go. I have had good times and bad during the last twenty-four years and know quite well what it is like to fish as an "able-body" and as a "disabled-body." (I prefer the term "disabled", especially over "physically challenged", which just makes it sound as if I don’t try hard enough.) Going from feast to famine over the years, I have learned well what works for me and have had much cause to learn as much as I can about what works for others. My personal experiences are the root of many of the topics I will be discussing and my personal opinions the root for the rest.

Obviously, I cannot touch upon every subject, nor can I cover every scenario that will be faced, but I will try for a broad outline of several topics that I feel are important, such as safety, equipment, locations, tactics, and psychological factors. I invite anyone with experiences they would like to share to e-mail me.

Many who read these pages will wonder why I emphasize the inclusion of able-bodies in nearly every setting. "What happened to independence and all that?" may be resonating in quite a few heads. Independence to hurt yourself is not my idea of responsibility. Independence to be unsocial is not my idea of responsibility. Responsibility includes recognizing your limitations. Responsibility includes reading more than the opening paragraphs of a web site before you decide I’m anti-independence. Read on. If you hate me afterwards, e-mail me.