I'm just a Ol man

It means they're no longer greenhorns.

I would like to also add that a ol hand. Has more knowledge than what you think but will only share with people they know might appreciate the new found knowledge. Sometimes someone slips through the crack and fools the ol hand then the student becomes that sneaky little bastard lol

I’m a 65 year old Vet, learned and done a lot of things in life. I’m pretty good at ranching, I can use just about any kind of tool , run CNC Machines, weld, hunt fish rope and ride, raised kids by myself for awhile and made a million mistakes and learned from most of them. My hands have arthritis , so I’m Old Hand I’d say. I had a kid working for me for 4 months that just left USMC Boot Camp. In those 4 months I tried to teach him many things from ranch work to critical thinking to how to control his emotions when he gets into azz puckering situations. The best advice I gave him was to pay attention to EVERY word his superiors say. Too many kids have no listening skill or critical thinking abilities.

I spent all my younger years fishing with the Ol Hands. A term that I apply to the Old Masters. They are no one special and you would find them setting in front of the Country Stores with many other fisherman trading stories of the good old days and whittling something out of wood. They were special to me because they fished for food to put on there family dinner table. They new how to find and catch fish under all conditions and in places that no one else would go. None of them that I knew of ever fished a tournament; but if they wanted to do so, they would have been famous.

Now that I am old and look back on those days; I will credit them with all the skills needed to have a good day on the water in todays world. Sorry to say that this mindset is something that has been lost over time. I try to teach their old school ways to the young guys that come to me for advice. God Bless the Ol Hands and Old Masters of the past. Fish with one if you ever get a chance. As Reelslow says; "The best advice I gave him was to pay attention to EVERY word his superiors say. Too many kids have no listening skill or critical thinking abilities".

An ol hand for sure ^^^^^^ the one & only DHarp ^^^^^^ thanks for sharing your knowledge

Ive had a place at Fork now for 13 years, and have met a lot of people. Wife and I eat breakfast everyday we spend at the lake, and have been to all the marinas and local spots. At everyone of these places there's a table that if you get there early enough you'll see the 'ol hands' having their morning coffee and get together. usually 5-7 elder statesmen of the area discussing the days topics.
They are there for about 45 minutes to an hour and then they're gone til tomottow.
My wife calls this the 'liars table' , because you can overhear some pretty good fish stories...these are true 'ol hands'..

Old Hand = More experienced than you, Uglier than you, Older than you, Seen more done more than you will probably ever see or do, Can drive just about anything, Will beat your butt if you get in the boat with him!