Fishing rod holding apparatus and method

A combination fishing rod and gripping apparatus to assist a fisherman in gripping a handle of the fishing rod, with said fisherman having a forearm which has a longitudinal forearm axis of orientation, a rear elbow location and a rod gripping hand connected thereto at a wrist location, and with the hand having at the wrist location a side to side hand axis of rotation and a back and forth hand axis of rotation, and with the hand comprising a main hand portion with a front palm surface and a back surface and comprising a finger portion that has a base connecting finger location and an outer finger portion, said combination comprising:

• a) a fishing rod comprising a rear handle section and a forward rod section, and having a longitudinal rod axis;
• b) a gripping apparatus having a rear to front apparatus alignment axis with said apparatus alignment axis generally aligned with the longitudinal axis of orientation when mounted in an operating position to said forearm;
• c) said apparatus comprising a forearm mounting section which comprises a forearm engaging portion arranged to be connected in engagement to the forearm in said operating position and a forearm interconnecting portion which, with the forearm engaging portion in the operating position, is located proximate to the wrist location;
• d) said apparatus further comprising a hand engagement section which comprises a hand interconnecting portion and a forward hand engaging portion, and which is arranged to be engaged by the hand in an operation position;
• e) said hand interconnecting portion and said forearm interconnecting portion being arranged to be connected to one another in a manner that in the operating position the hand engagement section is able to rotate about a side to side apparatus axis of rotation which is coincident with, or proximate to, and substantially parallel to, the side to side hand axis of rotation, and the hand engagement section is restrained from rotational movement about a second axis having a substantial alignment component perpendicular to said side to side apparatus axis of rotation, in a manner that in the operating position with the hand of the person in engagement with the hand engagement section, the hand and the hand engagement section are limited in movement about said back and forth hand axis of rotation;
• f) said forward hand engaging portion of said hand engagement section comprising a hand engaging member having a concavely shaped inner surface having at least front and rear surface portions defining a laterally aligned, laterally facing recess that has oppositely positioned end openings and a laterally facing recess opening so that the rod can be moved laterally through the recess opening into the recess with the rod extending through end openings, and the rod can be moved laterally from the recess;
• g) said hand engagement section being arranged so that with the hand being engaged with the hand engaging portion in the operating position, the fingers of the hand are in engagement with the forward hand engaging portion, and the thumb of the hand is able to be positioned in a retaining position across the recess opening, and then with the thumb being moved to a release position away from the recess opening the rod can be moved through the release opening and out of the recess;
• and
• h) said combination being arranged so that with the forearm mounting section being connected in engagement with the forearm, with the hand in engagement with the hand engagement section in its operating position, and with the rod being in the operating position in the hand engagement section, the person's hand is able to exert a force on the rod while rotating the hand engagement section about the side to side axis, while reacting forces that would cause rotation about the back and forth axis into the gripping apparatus so as to reduce the effect of these forces on the person's hand and forearm.