Learning How To Cast With The Opposite Arm

[scaleface]

Have any of you ever had to relearn how to cast with the opposite arm? If yes , how easy was it and how long did it take you to become proficient ?

[Boogey Man]

I kind of had to, I used to fish with a guy who was a horrible boat operator, LOL. Now it actually feels more natural to cast left handed (I reel with right). Don't have to switch hands, just cast and start reeling. It's also handy to make more casts at different angles. Say you're targeting a stump, if you cast right handed, you can't hit the opposite side until you're pretty well past it. I can hit quicker by switching to left hand.

Don't recall how long it took, but has been worth it.

[Bassn Blvd]

I didn't HAVE to relearn to cast with my opposite arm, but chose to learn so I could cast different angles in tight situations.

I think it has been said that a person needs to repeat the same function a thousand times to become proficient in that task. (I don't remember what the number is but 1000 came to mind).

Anyway, just practice. The biggest hurdle is in your head, mind over matter. Don't tell yourself "you can't" do something, because "can't" never could. It certainly won't feel comfortable at first.

[tnriverluver]

I lost half of my left elbow joint after a fall off of a ladder 20 years ago. (I am left handed) I have been pretty abidextrous my entire life except for throwing and writing. Never could get the ability to cast right handed. Today I am able to cast with my left arm again but mainly have to stick with soft plastics due to the fact my arm cant handle throwing crankbaits of spinners all day.

[WRB]

Do it all the time, right hand bait casting, left hand spinning, but not comfortable switching either one.

You might to check if you are right or left eye dominate, before changing a bait casting outfit from right to left.

I don!t need accuracy with the spinning outfit and do with the bait caster.

Tom

[scaleface]

I have a serious arm injury. Tuesday is surgery. I may have to switch arms.

[roadwarrior]

I didn't HAVE to relearn to cast with my opposite arm, but chose to learn so I could cast different angles in tight situations.

I think it has been said that a person needs to repeat the same function a thousand times to become proficient in that task. (I don't remember what the number is but 1000 came to mind).

Anyway, just practice. The biggest hurdle is in your head, mind over matter. Don't tell yourself "you can't" do something, because "can't" never could. It certainly won't feel comfortable at first.

Well, I'm pretty sure your weapon training has something to do with your left hand capabilities.

I think this is something I will work on this winter.

[boatinpete]

I can't beleive this question was asked!!I'm just started to cast with my left arm because rt elbow has been giving me trouble over the years after 3 operations.This post gives me a more positive outlook as I am a righty. Got til April to get better as NY winters are long, casting on my drive way in the snow may look dumb but who cares, I love fishing way too much to change.

[K_Mac]

I started working on it this year. There are places where pitching with my left hand gives better access to a tight spot. I fish with a guy who is really good at pitching, and as I watched him pitch to what looked like impossible spots, I noticed that at times he used his left hand. I am a long way from good, but I have reached a point where it doesn't feel too awkward and I can get to spots that I once could not. I am far better in the back yard than on a boat, but if I live long enough I may master it yet...Good luck!

[Bassn Blvd]

Well, I'm pretty sure your weapon training has something to do with your left hand capabilities.

I think this is something I will work on this winter.

LOL. I'm probably the most screwed up person when it comes to left hand right hand.

left handed

write

shoot basketball

carry my gun

eat

brush hair

brush teeth LMAO, try brushing your teeth with your other hand. talking about weird feeling.

spinning reel

Right handed

throw baseball

punch

bat

golf

baitcaster

Bowling is confusing. I stand there switching the ball from right to left hand because both feel comfortable.

I shoot left, but am very accurate with right. I think because I over compensate. I'm too slow out of the holster to carry right handed though.

[papajoe222]

I'm so right hand dominate that I can't even 'buff the wood' with my left hand, so when I injured my right shoulder I didn't even attempt casting left handed. I did learn to cast without involving my shoulder using a roll cast and became very proficient casting that way. Even now, overhand casting will aggravate that shoulder, so about the only time I cast that way is when muskie fishing and then, I will take a break every hour or so to let the shoulder calm down.

That said, I've been giving the idea of pitching and flipping with my left arm some serious consideration as either of those techniques result in pain and muscle knotting that lasts for a couple of days. Needless to say, I don't use either and I know I'm missing out on some quality fish by not doing so. What was it the little red engine said? "I think I can, I think I can" Maybe I sould make that my mantra when I'm learning the left handed stuff.

[WDinarte]

Great topic, will be a hard homework for me... LOL I have some to do on the winter time. Jut to be safe... get out of my way.

[Jake P]

I want to try this but I dont have enough time in the world. If I lost my left hand I wouldnt even know it. It is literally there just for show. Sometimes I try and make it a point to do things left handed but I always end up switching back to my right without realizing it.....

[Bluebasser86]

I've practiced casting left handed when I'm away from cover and gotten fairly decent at it. Practice is the only way to get good at it just like with your strong arm. It wasn't as hard as I expected though since there's a bit of a learning curve because you already know how to cast. I'm better at pitching left handed than I am actually casting but it doesn't hurt to know how to do both.

[WRB]

Ambidextrous people have balanced right and left brain hemisphere, a right handed person is left brain dominate and you can't change that. The reason I mentioned checking your eye dominance, right or left, is important to determine if you can learn to be efficient with the opposite hand.. You can get this by holding your arm out straight in front of you, raise an index finger upright and using both eyes align the finger on a distant object. Next close your right eye, if the object is still aligned you are left eye dominate. Now close your left eye, the object should move to the left and that where the object actually is! The opposite is true for right eye dominance.

With a lot of practice you can become fairly good at casting with the opposite dominate hand, but the target will always be to one side of where you see it and must learn to compensate.

Most anglers change to the left hand casting a bait caster so they don't need to change the rod back to the left after casting. This has a few advantages, but not enough to off set the disadvantages.

Tom

[Topwaterspook]

I guess I'm a "work in progress". Born right handed forced to learn fishing left handed. Two incidents seperated by only several months debilitated the use of my right hand and sholder. I had to learn quickly how to cast. It was frustrating at first but with no option what was I to do? The fact that I had already paid for a week of fishing at El Salto proved to be a great incentive. It's been 15 months and I still struggle. Keep at it ,scaleface it will eventually come around.

[L a r r y]

I've been tinkering around with this. What I've done is take a 1/2oz red eye shad, tie it on, and give it a go. I don't try and go for distance, I just keep doing it until it gets more comfortable. Practice practice practice. I've also started to play around with pitching left handed. This does seem to make more sense to ME, as I can pitch somewhere, and engage the reel without having to move the rod to my other hand.

[Ratherbfishing]

Most anglers change to the left hand casting a bait caster so they don't need to change the rod back to the left after casting. This has a few advantages, but not enough to off set the disadvantages.

Tom

This debate will rage on long after mankind has perished in the fire and space aliens are the only race still fishing with baitcasting reels so I acknowledge that it's purely a personal opinion and, I respect your opinion. However, apart from having to buy new reels, I have seen few, if any real (reel) disadvantages in switching. I switched about two years ago and I'm completely happy that I did. My dominant hand/arm is much better suited to controlling the rod (and, by extension, the line, the lure, and (hopefully) the fish) than it is for the relatively simple task of turning a reel handle. Peace.

[scaleface]

two days post surgery. so far so good. NO complications or nerve damage. I should remain a rightie.

[WRB]

This debate will rage on long after mankind has perished in the fire and space aliens are the only race still fishing with baitcasting reels so I acknowledge that it's purely a personal opinion and, I respect your opinion. However, apart from having to buy new reels, I have seen few, if any real (reel) disadvantages in switching. I switched about two years ago and I'm completely happy that I did. My dominant hand/arm is much better suited to controlling the rod (and, by extension, the line, the lure, and (hopefully) the fish) than it is for the relatively simple task of turning a reel handle. Peace.

I cast right handed, so that factor doen't change. I have been casting bait casting reels since the mid 50's when these reels were only made with handles on the right side to take advantage of the handle being positioned at 12 o'clock to aid in casting distance with the spool shaft riding on the bearing on the opposite end...the old knuckle busters! Reels have gone though a lot of design changes with multiple bearing, however still cast better with the handle upright.

The biggest downside for me is in the way I hold my rod, hand mostly in front of the reel, so I can run the line between my thumb and index finger. 60+ years of training my left hand and finger to send feed back to my old brain can't be undone in a few years and why change when it works for me! I can keep up with anyone that I have ever fished and catch my share of big bass.

If you are a jig angler or other soft plastics that require instant feed back that a bass has the lure in ti's mouth, you will never realize that fact faster relying on your sensitive fingers, instead of the rod. If you change to the left hand reel; try to learn to feel the line as it comes off the reel, this will improve your strike to hook set ratio, right or left handed..

Tom

[scaleface]

^^I hold the rod the same way 100 % of the time. Its the reason I cant fish with braid.I dont let go on the hookset and braid slices my index finger.

During the cast, the rod is laid in the left had before the lure hits the water.There is no faster way to do it . I will not change unless forced to.I have great sensitivity , can feel taps with mono 20 foot deep with a bow blowed on the line.