Just received what I consider my first high end reel. I bought this reel for $145 brand new and this thing is sweet. Now I need the ice to melt!

That's a GREAT deal, but the handle is on the wrong side!

:

That's a GREAT deal, but the handle is on the wrong side!

:

Easy there old school! Here's a question for ya. If they had both right and left handed reels back when baitcasters began would you have went with a right or a left retrieve?

You are ruined now!!  Might as well start saving because you are going to want to replace all your reels, soon.   ;D

That's a GREAT deal, but the handle is on the wrong side!

Easy there old school! Here's a question for ya. If they had both right and left handed reels back when baitcasters began would you have went with a right or a left retrieve?

By George Welcome

"Why is the reel handle on the right hand side."

Let's get technical, as there are in fact reasons, not just some lame holdover from days past that put the handles where they are.

What will move the fish during retrieval is placed to the strong hand!

A baitcast is designed to be used as a winch, so it is the reel that retrieves the fish. Hence if you are right handed the handle is in your right hand.

A spinning reel is designed to pick up unloaded or loose line, not retrieve the fish. Hence it is the rod that does the retrieval, so it is the rod that is in your strong hand. If you are right handed then the pole goes to the right hand.

Good Point RW.. and it is well taken, but personally I feel my left or right hand is strong enough to bring in a bass. I don't catch em' like you do!

Man $145 is a sweet deal. I have been thinking about getting one off TW for $185. That is an awesome reel. So light and smooth.

Just to curve the PM's about where I bought it. I found a mistype on ebay and bought it cheap.

A baitcast is designed to be used as a winch, so it is the reel that retrieves the fish. Hence if you are right handed the handle is in your right hand.

I will concede (since I wasn't there) that the original design intent may have been to winch fish...

The reality, however, is that the rod does almost all of the actual heavy moving of the fish. So in today's application, the only way to do that would be to completely lock out the drag... which outside of some swimbaiters who have extremely heavy tackle, does little more than break line and rods. And even those guys normally have to pump the rod get the fish moving towards them.

* I don't remember the original thread George responded to but I think that those particular comments may be out of context in this discussion. I would guess it was a historical commentary.

I have the original thread stored in "Favorites", here it is:

http://www.bassresource.com/bass_fishing_forums/YaBB.pl?num=1187794805

There is nothing "out of context" regarding George's post.

You are right, it wasn't out of context but I was thinking he might have agreed with it. His next post cleared that up, thanks!

As to the actual reasoning, I was always told it was this:

The question was in fact "why are people fishing the other way around", the answer is because the man who invented (can't remember his name) the reel was left handed; he would cast with his left hand and retrieve with his right. So in reality what we Americans call right handed reels are actually left handed reels.

Sorry I took us off topic.

Bottom line:

Great reel and the set up is what you want. I just like bustin' chops

when the left/right discussion comes up. I was blessed with two hands

and they both work just fine!

Enjoy your new CH51MG.

8-)

Used my first B/C about 55 years ago and I now use a left handed crank , great move. I also use a left handed Avet mxj on a 9'surf rod.

IMO Better control, better coordination, a definite plus in handling larger fish.

This old dog learned a new trick.