71 replies to this topic

[Doug_Jefferson]

Hi there,

I have a question. When I started fishing, about 30 years ago, I was taught to hold the rod with my strong arm and to wind with my weaker one. So why is that when I came to the US that all I see is people fishing the other way round? Any ideas???

Thanks

[Catt]

Early reels were often operated by inverting the reel in order to retrieve line by back-winding, and the reel crank handle was positioned on the right side of the reel for this reason. As a result, the right-hand crank position for bait casting reels has become customary over the years.

[senile1]

I'm right-handed but my left arm is slightly stronger than my right arm due to a past injury.  So I'm casting with my weaker right arm and I'm reeling with it as well, but I'm setting the hook with my strong arm.  Go figure.

[Red]

yeah i tried baitcasting with RH reels, couldnt get it, so now i only buy baitcast reels with LH retrieve...they are out there, some make em some dont, from my experience anyway...i know abu makes alot of them, thats one reason why i started using them, it was the only reel in my price range in gander mountain that had LH...now i only use abu reels, baitcast and spinning

Cliff

[Catt]

Shimano makes LH in every model they sell  

[James Heddon]

I'm left-handed, and I swear the person who invented the thing was left-handed too! I find it kind of comical to watch the pros on TV cast, then switch hands! I think this is one instance where the right handed world is struggling to do something that comes natural to a lefty! ;D

[grimlin]

I can't crank a spinning reel with my left hand in all my years of fishing...i haven't even tried a baitcaster.I'm one of those idiots switching around. I figured if i had a hard time with spinning reel no sense in trying with a baitcaster.

[armesjr]

All my baitcasters are RH retrieve, and all my spinning rods are LH retrieve.  I have tried switching my spinning rods to RH retrieve and it just feels weird.  Does anyone else retrieve one stlye right handed and the other style left handed.  

[Taliesin]

All my baitcasters are RH retrieve, and all my spinning rods are LH retrieve. I have tried switching my spinning rods to RH retrieve and it just feels weird. Does anyone else retrieve one stlye right handed and the other style left handed.

I do it too.

There is one thing I do sometimes on long casts with a baitcaster that will confuse people.
I cast with my right, but during the cast I will change hands and thumb the reel with the left.
Then I am ready to retrieve as soon as the lure hits the water (just like a spinning reel with the handle on the left).

I've thought about trying left-handed baitcasters, but I got to thinking about it. The reason I would change is so that my right hand could stay in one place all the time (like I do with spinning gear). However, during the cast my right hand is behind the reel and during the retrieve I hold it right at the reel so i would be changing hand positions anyway.

I used to spend a lot of time sword fighting (Society for Creative Anachronism) and got used to using my off-hand a lot anyway. My right arm may be stronger, but not by much.

[David P]

All my baitcasters are RH retrieve, and all my spinning rods are LH retrieve.  I have tried switching my spinning rods to RH retrieve and it just feels weird.  Does anyone else retrieve one stlye right handed and the other style left handed.  

Yah, I use LH on Spinning, and my first BC I got I got a LH retrieve but for some reason it felt weird.. So I use RH for BC now.

[Raul]

Back then in the age of the dinosaurs you could choose between RH baitcaster and .... RH baitcaster, that was it, why they were RH only is something I don 't know but I do know that if you wanted to fish with a bc you had to learn to switch hands to reel in with the right, it may not make sense to you but it don 't matter, you had to do what you had to do and manufacturers didn 't care if it made sense to you, you wanted a bc you could choose a righty or a righty.

It don 't make sense to me that in many countries around the world the steering wheel of vehicles is on the right side, if the vehicle is auto no problem, but if it 's manual transmission that would be a chore shifting gears with your less dextrous hand, shifting gears requires much more dexterity and coordination than I can ask out of my left hand which is only good for holding things ( like a fishing rod ) or scratching my rear end.

[SPEEDBEAD.]

Shimano makes LH in every model they sell

Yet they still cant' make one with a brake you can adjust w/o taking off the sideplate, hmmm....  

I prefer to use a left handed reel for things like spinnerbaits and buzzbaits, due to the fact that I begin reeling the second they hit the water.  Everything else, I have learned to use a right hand retrieve for the simple fact of them being easier to find.

Wayne