Left hand Vs. Right hand

A guy I work with and I were talking about reels this afternoon. He said he has to retrieve with his left hand only. So his spin cast and his bait cast reels have to be on the left hand side of the reel. I cast SC reels with my right hand, and reel with my left. My BC rods, I cast with my right hand, switch hands, and reel with my right! If I was to reel a BC with my left hand, it would feel like playing hockey, or throwing with the wrong hand! Do we condition ourselves to be this way, or is it some goofy motor skill thing going on in the cranium somewhere?

Anyone have any thoughts on this? Feel free to start a poll!

Tuck

Well Tuck, I am left handed and of right mind! ” That’s all I have to say about that”.

Jim W

Well Tuck, I am left handed and not of my right mind

When I tried to reel my baitcasters lefthanded, I found that I was holding the reel handle still and moving the reel around. Tried it for one day and gave up.

I know some people make a big deal out of switching hands, but when I cast, the reel changes hands before that bait even hits the water.

Even when I pitch jigs, the reel is in my left hand before the jig hits the water.

Never could dribble a basketball left handed either

Beav

I was born with a few quirks but it sounds like Tuck and I aren’t that far apart. With spinning gear, I rod with the right/reel with the left and with BCs I rod with the left, reel with the right. I won’t talk about my casting with BCs……………you’d just have to see it…………and shake your head while mumbling “ohhhh………for the love of Pete!” :O) I’m rather unorthodox.

Anyway, Tuck……………what I’ve noticed about this “change up” is that it’s all about the hand position. My left hand is lower than my right in both applications. It’s the only thing the two have in common. It doesn’t seem to matter which hand controls the rod………….growing up I always had to fish with whatever Pa handed to me………….not always the same thing and I had to adjust if I expected to refrain from any possibilities of driving him nuts! Funny thing about that………no matter the set up, I always wound up with that same old Jitterbug! Memories…………… :O)

Hey Beav! You’re one up on me……………I couldn’t dribble with my right or left…………….but down the chin came quite naturally…………….if only there was a good use for it, I wouldn’t have to try and outgrow it! LOL!

I’ve learned to love left-handed bait casters. I kinda forced myself to use them after my left arm would get tired from reeling in the huge Lake Erie walleye one after the other. I’m serious, my right arm is far stronger than my left and can endure the strain of pulling in multiple 10lb fish on lead core line. It’s a lot easier to turn the reel than hold the pole.

Plus, I don’t have to switch hands when casting or more importantly when I’m bottom bouncing and fish bites – you can’t reel until you switch hands if you’re holding the pole in your right hand.

The problem is finding decent left handed reels with a flippin’ switch.

I cast with my right hand and reel with the left for both spin cast and bait casting reels. The first time I tried a left-handed bait caster it just felt more comfortable, and much easier. Now all I use is lefties. Although it is some times a problem to find a good reel in the left-handed model.

Hey tuck i cast with the right on my spinng cast rods and real with the left hand and with my bait casters i cast with the right and real with the left, it does feel wierd when you first start to switch over but once you pick it up it feels normal. works for me anyways.

I’m right handed. hold my sc rod in both hands when casting …right over left…. and hold the rod in my right hand when i’m in the retrieve mode……with my bc rod i cast the same as my sc rod but switch the rod to my left hand and retrieve with my right……weird….it took a long time to go over this and put this in print….and whats up with those people with their sc rods with the reel facing the sky ?????

ec

All my spinning reels have the handle on the left side and so do all my baitcasters except the line counter reel [couldn’t find a left hand one]. I am right handed.

Thanks Tuck,

You had to bring up one of my fishing pet peeves about the right handed world. I am left handed, and as everyone knows us lefties are better people for it.

We have to adapt to the right handed world. I use both right and left handed reels, but if you look at boats there designed for righties, take the tiller set-up, have to hold your rod in your right hand (poor touch). Same with the console boats, hold your rod in your right hand.

I love the days I can sit in the bow and fish with my left hand and drive with my foot.

As for cranking the reel, I think the lefties have a definate advantage due to our adaptability. The side the handles on doesn’t make any differents, just another excuse to fish more, “Honey I need the practice”.

No whining its the truth.

I’ll get off my box now.

I’m with ec and Baever on this one. I don’t think that I could switch because the different rod/reel combos offer different control, and I’m much less clumsy with my right – here’s what I mean:

With spinning gear, I’m usually imparting action on the lure by moving the rod – jigging, swimming jigs, twitching worms, etc.

With casting gear, I’m usually cranking or tossing spoons, in which case I’m putting most of the action on the lure by changing up the speed of the retrieve. If I’m pitching jigs with a ‘caster, they’re usually heavy bass jigs right off the side of the boat in shallow water. In that case, I want the right hand on the reel handle to start horsing them out of the cover as soon as I set the hook.

This could be a first!…and only?……..I agree with Tuck,Beav, Stillakid and Gianni, as well as all the rest of you “normal people”LOL!….. I hope some of my analytical fishing friends also try trapshooting, it only makes the dominant eye/hand debate more frustrating. Best of Luck……….B

I’m going to try my first left handed bait caster this year. Sounds like in in for a whole new set of problems to overcome. Have not had it in yet as the water is still hard around here should get open in a few days. It has been about ten years since I have used this reel hope I like the new set up.

Good topic. I am right handed and years ago when I bought my first baitcaster I bought a Left handed one. It just “felt” right. I had always used spinning reels before this and now I am glad I bought a left handed baitcaster. For me it feels totally natural. I reel all my reels with my left hand and cast with my right. It is really nice if you are the one running the boat all the time, especially when flat lining cranks. I have to agree with the the people that are truely left handed, there just isn’t the equipment selection available to right handers. Oh yes, you can have it custome made–get out your wallet!ScottS

These are all great replies! I think the one I can relate to the most is Beav. When I cast my BC, the rod switches hands before the lure hits the water, or as the lure hits the water. Actually, I use my right thumb to brake the spool, and the switch happens immediately thereafter. BUT…If I am jigging with a BC, I jig with my right hand, and set the hook, and switch hands all in one motion. I realize this was kind of a stupid post, but it was just one of those things you think about when you were wishing you were on the water!

Thanks!

Tuck

Hey Tuck, you are not alone. I cast spinning right and reel left, BC I cast with my right and reel with my right. I tried to reel a bc with my left and it felt weird and I couldn’t stand it.

I am an oddball, I admit it. I retrieve with my right hand all the time regardless of whether it is a baitcaster or a spinning reel. Don’t know why but that’s how I work.

jbob – I use spinning and bc’s the same as you. However, last fall fishing with a guide, he put a left hand bc in my hands pulling 3 ways. Even though I had a hard time adusting to fighting a fish with a left handed bc, by the end of the day, I had to admit that I felt and hooked more fish while holding the rod in my right hand.

The guide could see I was struggling with it, but without saying much let me discover for myself the improved hookset percentage.

Moral of the story – even though I don’t own a lh bc I’m going to force myself to at least keep a baitcasting rod in my right hand to sense a bite.

When I troll with a BC, it is always in my right hand. Part of my hookset is the hand switch.

Great discussion!!! Now I know that i’m not the only right

handed person who loves to use left handed baitcasters.

Does anyone on this board have an “in” with someone at Daiwa? I wish they would make a left handed line counter!

By the number of responses, I’m not the only person who

would be in heaven!!

I have searched high and low for the left handed line counters you have described. I know I would deffinately by them. It would make running the kicker motor and reeling in fish a lot easier! That’s for sure.

I’m a righty but always reel laft handed for everything.

I feel paulzy trying it the other way after all these years.

Gotta have the flippin switch also!