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Do you switch hands when you cast a baitcaster?

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I'll switch hands all day to palm the reel and crank with my right. I even switch handles on spinning gear to keep things consistent.  Everyone has their own experiences. I was little in the mid 90s when the OK side of the texoma dam was open for a whole summer. That was the toughest fishing I've ever done. There's no way I could have made it all day using my left hand to crank stripers in through the current. Hook the fish, hold the butt of the rod against your chest using your whole body as leverage, then cranking them in with the right hand.

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  • Delaware Valley Tackle
    Delaware Valley Tackle

    Regardless of which hand you prefer to crank with, try moving the fish with the rod and taking up line with the reel. Much more effective.  I can, and do swap hands on some setups but prefer holdi

  • Y'all need to rewatch some Pro tournaments!   Even KVD switches hands 

  • Bassn Blvd
    Bassn Blvd

    I don't switch hands. My left stays on the left and my right stays on the right.

Everything left hand retrieve . Since mid 80’s. I’m right handed and never saw the reasoning to throw right handed and then switch to reel right, just never made sense.
A wasted move to me.

 

1 hour ago, msgf91 said:

I'll switch hands all day to palm the reel and crank with my right. I even switch handles on spinning gear to keep things consistent.  Everyone has their own experiences. I was little in the mid 90s when the OK side of the texoma dam was open for a whole summer. That was the toughest fishing I've ever done. There's no way I could have made it all day using my left hand to crank stripers in through the current. Hook the fish, hold the butt of the rod against your chest using your whole body as leverage, then cranking them in with the right hand.

Regardless of which hand you prefer to crank with, try moving the fish with the rod and taking up line with the reel. Much more effective. 

I can, and do swap hands on some setups but prefer holding the rod in my dominant hand and cranking, in my case, with my left. 

29 minutes ago, Delaware Valley Tackle said:

Regardless of which hand you prefer to crank with, try moving the fish with the rod and taking up line with the reel. Much more effective. 

I can, and do swap hands on some setups but prefer holding the rod in my dominant hand and cranking, in my case, with my left. 

That's when we started doing the "pump and dump" (i_fish called it that in a video about the lews gx3). We never did that kind of fishing before so we learned as we went and blew all the gears out of all our regular bass gear except for our red 5500 ambassador. But even then if I don't catch anything I would still be burning the reel in with a 2 ounce weight and a whole frozen bluegill helicoptering. 

  • Super User

I'm RH retrieve on my baitcasters, and for most casts I will cast right, switch, and stop the spool with my left thumb.

 

But with pitching and skipping I will stop the spool with my right thumb and then switch.

  • Super User

Whatever you become accustomed too, time on the water makes everything smooth and automatic whether you switch or not.  It all becomes natural, and without thought!  Just spend the time, and get good at whatever!

  • Super User

Y'all need to rewatch some Pro tournaments!

 

Even KVD switches hands 

I have always casted with my right and swapped to my left to reel with my right. Now with my left hand partially disabled I couldn’t reel with my left if I had to. 

Yep. I actually hold my casting rods and spinning rods pretty much the same way and just get left handed casting reels. 

It must have to do with the reel position as I swap hand for spinning but do not for BC. So I crank a spinning reel with my right and my left with w BC, all casting is righty.

17 hours ago, padlin said:

It must have to do with the reel position as I swap hand for spinning but do not for BC. So I crank a spinning reel with my right and my left with w BC, all casting is righty.


Now that’s just bass’akwards! 😂

I have all right handed reels, but I cast with both arms. So when I cast with my left arm no switch, when I cast with my right arm I do the switch.

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