Awareness and popularity for wheelchair accessible fishing came into play when Sarde Howell, an avid fishermen suffered a stroke and invented the "one armed fishing bandit'. The fishing bandit was originally designed for people whom only had the functionality for one arm. The response was so great, a similar fishing device was designed for wheelchair users.

The difficulty in current fishing equipment lies in the twisting motion that occurs when you're reeling the rod in. This makes it extremely difficult for those in a wheelchair to control. The fishing bandit rod and belt is a fishing equipment which features a special aluminium construction in a way that ensures it will not twist when reeling. The rod can also be attached onto the arm of the chair and you can purchase special fits in case you have an unusually sized wheelchair.

If you can't find a rod similar to the one mentioned, you can try for a normal one. But make sure it's lightweight. This may be more expensive but it will do the trick. You can attach the rod to your arm with a wrist splint and an elasticised strap. Try and find a strap with Velcro on it so you can attach the strap to the rod before fixing it onto your arm.

The biggest difficulty in wheelchair accessible fishing isn't the fishing itself. It's finding a site that allows for this. Because of the circumstances involved, some sites would prefer someone well versed in medical procedures to be on site in case something were to happen. Not all sites over this so you will have to make sure that wheelchair accessible fishing is allowed on site before taking the trip over.

It must also be noted that there has been a recent shortage of wheelchair accessible fishing spots. Safe and easily accessible fishing spots are on the decline as the government has began blocking these areas off. Instead, more parking space and other spots for the general public are being built.

However, a quick trawl through the net shows that there are wheelchair accessible fishing locations in Texas such as Aransas Bay and Lake Jackson, as well as Siskiyou County. Just do a search on the internet for your area and you are bound to stumble on a few.

Before heading out to these sites, many of which can be quite isolated, make sure your wheelchair is in working condition. If necessary, send it out to be serviced or for a general check over. It may seem like hassle but if it can prevent break downs, it is worth it.

If your wheelchair has pneumatic tires, you might want to bring along a repair kit in case of a flat. Then you'll be able to fix it without having to go to a shop to buy equipment to do so.