A few of us at work were talking about crank positions on different reels. We all crank right handed on baitcasters, and left handed on spinning reels. How many people crank using the same hand on both reels?
i’m right handed, yet i crank with my left hand on all of my rods.
Since I am right handed and hold all my spinning rods with my right hand it seemed logical to do the same with baitcasters but to my suprise it didnt feel natural so I now go the traditional route you mentioned.
Rods are held in my right hand. I crank with my left. Never made sense to me to switch back and forth. I’m right handed.
I’m left handed, hold all rods in my left hand a reel with my right.
-J.
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I’m left handed, hold all rods in my left hand a reel with my right.
-J.
I know were in a minority, Jon, but it only makes sense to me to have the rod held in the dominant hand.
The #1 issue I ran into with customer fishing baitcasters back in my guiding days was when the rod was held in the non-dominant hand hook sets were slow, weak or clumsy. Often all of the above. It got to the point where I no longer offered bait casters with right hand crank since the vast majority of my clients were right handed. I got plenty of funny looks and some off hand remarks… and much better hook sets. 
I like to crank baitcasters with my right hand and spinning reels with my left. Part of the reason for this is that when I vertical jig I have a baitcaster in my left hand and a spinning reel in my right. Either reel getting a bite I set the hook, drop the other rod and reel in the fish. I also think since I am right handed a baitcaster is a little easier to use in my left hand where my right hand can handle the more difficult spinning reel.
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I’m left handed, hold all rods in my left hand a reel with my right.
-J.
I know were in a minority, Jon, but it only makes sense to me to have the rod held in the dominant hand.
The #1 issue I ran into with customer fishing baitcasters back in my guiding days was when the rod was held in the non-dominant hand hook sets were slow, weak or clumsy. Often all of the above. It got to the point where I no longer offered bait casters with right hand crank since the vast majority of my clients were right handed. I got plenty of funny looks and some off hand remarks… and much better hook sets.
I’m with these two guys…..I am left-handed and hold both types of reels in my left and crank with my right
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I know were in a minority, Jon, but it only makes sense to me to have the rod held in the dominant hand.
The #1 issue I ran into with customer fishing baitcasters back in my guiding days was when the rod was held in the non-dominant hand hook sets were slow, weak or clumsy. Often all of the above. It got to the point where I no longer offered bait casters with right hand crank since the vast majority of my clients were right handed. I got plenty of funny looks and some off hand remarks… and much better hook sets
Just the opposite….I’m right handed and have no problems controling the rod with my left hand….but to watch me try and reel left handed is like trying to throw a ball with the opposite hand… 
If you break down casting/retrieving from a technical standpoint you probably shouldn’t switch hands, but the motion is so fluent now I don’t feel I lose anything by not doing it the “right” way.
p.s. – KVD is a “switcher” 
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I’m left handed, hold all rods in my left hand a reel with my right.
-J.
I know were in a minority, Jon, but it only makes sense to me to have the rod held in the dominant hand.The #1 issue I ran into with customer fishing baitcasters back in my guiding days was when the rod was held in the non-dominant hand hook sets were slow, weak or clumsy. Often all of the above. It got to the point where I no longer offered bait casters with right hand crank since the vast majority of my clients were right handed. I got plenty of funny looks and some off hand remarks… and much better hook sets.
I’m with these two guys…..I am left-handed and hold both types of reels in my left and crank with my right
ME TOO!!!!
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I know were in a minority, Jon, but it only makes sense to me to have the rod held in the dominant hand.
The #1 issue I ran into with customer fishing baitcasters back in my guiding days was when the rod was held in the non-dominant hand hook sets were slow, weak or clumsy. Often all of the above. It got to the point where I no longer offered bait casters with right hand crank since the vast majority of my clients were right handed. I got plenty of funny looks and some off hand remarks… and much better hook sets
Just the opposite….I’m right handed and have no problems controling the rod with my left hand….but to watch me try and reel left handed is like trying to throw a ball with the opposite hand…
If you break down casting/retrieving from a technical standpoint you probably shouldn’t switch hands, but the motion is so fluent now I don’t feel I lose anything by not doing it the “right” way.
p.s. – KVD is a “switcher”
Hey, whatever works. You should see me type 60 words a minute with my pointing finger and thumb on each hand. Looks like heck, shouldn’t work a lick… but I can crank out the text.
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Rods are held in my right hand. I crank with my left. Never made sense to me to switch back and forth. I’m right handed.
James-same with trolling rods? Thats the only configuration I use that type of reel on. Spinning for everything else.
Cast both right handed. Then switch to left hand and reel with right hand. If not reeling such as jigging, will use either hand but probably more right. The rod is in my left hand as soon as the bait hits the water unless I am stripping line to allow for sinking.
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Rods are held in my right hand. I crank with my left. Never made sense to me to switch back and forth. I’m right handed.
James-same with trolling rods? Thats the only configuration I use that type of reel on. Spinning for everything else.
I haven’t found a linecounter I like with a left hand crank so those rods force a switch of hands. Although in that application hook sets aren’t an issue and nobody’s wasting any time between casts switching hands on a linecounter / trolling rod combo. When I trolling 3 ways and bait those cranks are on the left side.
I am right handed. Cast with my left. Reel with my right.
right handed, left reeled on everything.
Right handed, cast with left, reel with right. All my trolling rods have the reels on the right, and most baitcasters that I use does as well.
However, I do have a lefty baitcaster just for bottom bouncing or live bait rigging. This allows me to run one in each hand and never have to switch hands, (it is like pulling teeth to reel with the left hand for me though). All my spinning reel handles are on the right side.
I always have to switch them over when I take somebody else fishing.
I hold my spinning rods with the reel on top and crank backwards? Does anyone else (outside of Iowans) do this?
Yes, Sauger and BurBob fish that way all the time.
When I worked for a sporting goods dealer ( Gander – Back when it was a good fishing store ) I use to have this discussion with customers all the time. I can not count how many people I got to switch to the correct way. Not one ever came back in and said they were not happy they made the switch. I once read that a person is more than 30% more sensitive in their dominate hand. For this reason alone I don’t know why a right handed person would want the rod in their left hand. I know people who said it would be impossible to change and once they tried it for a full day they never went back.
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i’m right handed, yet i crank with my left hand on all of my rods.
Same here
I think the poll is missing “Use Both”
I am right handed, I have no dominate eye, and I like to use both right and left handed reels. I found I have a faster hook set with my left arm compared to my right. However, when finess fishing, I like the sensitivity I feel with my right and over my left hand. I do have mostly left handed cranks on my spinning gear, and a 50/50 mix on my bait casters
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I hold my spinning rods with the reel on top and crank backwards? Does anyone else (outside of Iowans) do this?
My father-in-law does this too. First time I saw it, I wondered what the he11 he was doing. 
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