On the boardwalk of Harbour Square Park, David Kearney whips out his pocket knife and cuts his fishing line to secure a new lure.

With his lucky black fishing cap on, he casts his line back into Lake Ontario looking for northern pike — not the easily hooked carp his friends are using corn to attract.

Five years ago, Kearney couldn’t set his own lures, or even carry his own tackle box. On the way home to Toronto from Parry Sound after a long day of painting in 2007, his life changed forever.

His friend fell asleep at the wheel while driving on Hwy. 400 and the vehicle rolled over. Kearney’s hand was crushed, leaving him with tendon and nerve damage. He lost his ability to paint and was out of a job.

Since then, Kearney has fished Toronto’s shores as a form of therapy.

He says his father introduced him to fishing when he was just three years old. Back then, he fished Grenadier Pond at High Park. Then he lost touch with the sport until he realized its therapeutic potential.

“It’s tranquil fishing at Toronto’s waterfront,” says Kearney, 42, who was at the park not long after city council last week ordered the removal of a ‘No Fishing’ sign. “It’s helped me set my life straight again.”

Kearney says he lost at least 60% of his grip strength from the car crash and once he started fishing more often, his grip slowly started to come back. The movements of setting his lures, casting his line and reeling it in have been more beneficial than any physiotherapy.

http://www.torontosun.com/2012/06/17/a-big...-the-waterfront