Paul Elias has had enough of the constant pain and discomfort in his right shoulder he’s been dealing with for the last two seasons on the Bassmaster Elite Series. On Tuesday, the 1982 Bassmaster Classic winner will undergo surgery in Mississippi for a torn rotator cuff and bone spurs that have hampered him since the end of the 2016 Elite Series season.
“I found out it was torn about 11 months ago,” Elias said over the weekend while at Sam Rayburn Reservoir for the Bob Sealy Big Bass Splash Fall Classic.
The injury has caused Elias to fish with a spinning rod for much of the past two seasons. He tried one shot of cortisone, but didn’t see much relief.
“Once I start fishing, (the pain is) pretty constant through the day,” he said. “Just certain positions that if you get it in that position it brings you to your knees.”
He said the pain is most noticeable when he trying to land a fish during Elite Series competition.
“When I extend to reach for a fish, that’s when it really bad,” he said. “I’ve had to turn around and get them with my other arm. It’s definitely been a handicap.”
Elias said his doctor told him it could be a year before he has full use of his shoulder, but Elias is hopeful to be functional within three months, which would allow him to be ready for the start of the inaugural Bass Pro Tour season.
“I’ve talked with Shaw (Grigsby) and Mark Davis that have had the same surgery and they said they were both fishing within three months, so I’ll have to watch what I do,” he said.
