We’re super excited to announce our first ever Prostaff member for Able Outdoors – Justin “The Bassman” Gordy
Justin is a C-5/6 quad from Conroe, Texas, who was injured in 2010 in a diving accident after a day of fishing on the lake. He spent three months at TIRR in Houston for rehab before being released to work on putting his life back together.
“All my focus was getting out on the water,” Justin said. “I had a bass boat at the time, a 21’ foot Skeeter that I now had to sell because I couldn’t fit in it. We bought a pontoon boat that my dad and I stripped down and rebuilt so I could get on and off and be able to drive it. That was the main thing for me. I needed to be able to captain it!”
“It probably took a couple months to get on the water,” he continued. “Man it was crazy. Crazy good. It was on Lake Sam Rayburn on my dad’s pontoon. They used a ramp to get me on it and had me all strapped down with a life jacket on. Felt great to be out there though. Felt like I could breathe again. After that I knew what could be done. I just love to fish man.”
“To me it just solidified my ability to return to the outdoors. It opened up the world to me again. It takes a village you know. You have to have family and friends to make this work, or an energetic caregiver.”
Justin is 39 and a certified welding inspector and avid outdoorsman. Besides fishing, he hunts big game, mostly whitetail deer and hogs in Texas, and has also become an accomplished wingshooter post-injury.
“My body was one of the biggest challenges to getting out. It still is. You have to deal with the heat, the cold and a lot of bumps and bruises along the way, and don’t get me started on UTIs. They’ve been the bane of my existence. I’ve had to learn how to cath literally anywhere.”
One of the biggest things in Justin’s life today is helping other able sportsmen get back into the outdoors. He’s a mentor at TIRR and has built and perfected a myriad of adaptions for hunting and fishing. “Now I’m able to show people what they’ll need to use,” he says. “It’s a lot of stuff similar to what I use, but we can make something for any type of disability. It seems like we’re always coming up with new ideas. I’m a welder so we can pretty much build anything.”
As a pro staffer Justin will receive some Mossy Oak swag and be invited on a filmed hunt with Able Outdoors in 2023. Welcome aboard buddy!
