Right Handed, But Considering A Left Handed Baitcaster.....anyone Heard Of This?

[TheBigLebowski]

I'm very right handed, but am considering buying my first baitcaster in a LH model. I grew up fishing spinning set ups with the rod in my right and cranking with my left. In fact as a kid I would fish a spincast by flipping it upside down (reel down) and cranking backwards (clockwise). Now I have a couple of spincast set up with the crank on the left side. I cast right handed......Palm the reel in my right hand and crank with my left.

Anyone else heard of this before? Or am I just so screwed up I should forget it and learn to switch hands?

[aavery2]

In the words of the Canadian Rock Band Sloan, "If it feels good, do it"

[ghost]

I have more power in my right arm for casting,  working a lure and setting the hook. I never understood why someone reels with left hand on spinning and right hand on casting. You're not screwed up, it's what feels natural to you. Both spinning and casting reels I reel left hand.

[bbodkin]

It felt natural for me to go with a left handed reel. Because I've used spinning all through fishing. So I will tell you don't get a left handed. You will adapt to right handed baitcast reels so quickly and if you get a left handed you'll regret it. It felt confortable for me to get left handed too but I tried my friends and his felt right in my hand. But others are different. Just try out both a left and right handed. During casting, reeling, and just holding it

[doyle8218]

I am right handed and use only left handed baitcasters.

[sparky241]

i tried right handed first but like you i started out reeling left handed on spin caster and spinning reel. It just felt awkward to me so i bought a left handed reel and ive been happy ever since. i still dont understand why people will change hands after casting

[AK-Jax86]

Funny my first baitcast was a right handed Revo STX that my girlfriend got me for my birthday. I used it once got a massive birds nest and said screw this I am sticking to spinning. Then over a year later me and my buddy decided to take up baitcasting. We both got ourselves an Abu Garcia Silver Max (left handed since we figured that would be more comfortable since that's how we use our spinning). I used it a few times got fed up with birds nest again then quit again lol. Picked it up month or so later and got the hang of it. Was going to trade in my Revo STX to get store credit and buy a left handed reel but the store was closed and I was going fishing in the morning. I had the reel in my car and got a birdsnest in my Silver Max that I needed to cut out. So for some reason I decided to put my right handed STX on my rod instead and threw that and then I was hooked lol. It felt way more natural than using the left. So I ended up trading my left handed reel in and used that money towards buy a Revo SX. Now I have 3 baitcast reels Abu Garcia Revo SX, Revo STX, and a Quantum Smoke Inshore.

I don't know why I didn't pick up baitcasting a lot sooner than I did! I'm trying to convert my other fishing buddy but he is stubborn like I was lol

[dam0007]

Righty who uses Lefty reels here. Grew up that way as well. Theres no right way to do it, but i will say we get shafted. Some compaines only make certain reels or no reels at all in lefty.

[Mike L]

Like most of you I used left handed spinning reels and right handed spin casting reels growing up.

I'm right handed.

But For the life of me I just cant get comfortable reeling a baitcaster left handed.

I tried too many times and finally gave up. Don't know why, cant explain it.

Now I can pitch left handed quite effectively, which is an advantage.

Strange Huh...

Mike

[John G]

Left handed and I use right handle reels. Last Saturday morning,I was Bluegill fishing with a borrowed spinning combo and the guy had the handle on the left side. I reeled with my left hand the whole time. It felt very awkward. 

[TNBassin']

I'm right handed but reel left handed. Like the op I grew up using spinning reels so it felt unnatural with casting reels to go right. Lefties rule.

[ww2farmer]

Another right handed guy who reels lefty

[crazyjoeclemens]

I'm right handed, but all my reels are lefties. Nothin wrong with that at all!

[Jrob78]

Do whatever feels the most natural to you.   I'm right handed and use right handed reels.  I cast with the right hand, switch the rod to the left hand and reel with the right hand.  This is the way I learned and the way that is most natural for me.  There isn't a wrong or right way.

[Hyrule Bass]

right handed and my two baitcasters are left handed. just never felt right holding the rod in my left hand, its much more comfortable in my right hand and cranking with my left.

[TNBassin']

Makes sense to have dominant hand control the fish, and non dominant hand to reel it in no?

[Raul]

I´m right handed, all my reels have the handle on the right side, the most I can ask my left hand to do is to hold things so something as complicated as turning around the handle ain´t gonna happen. I cast right and reel in with my right.

[stk]

add me to that list of right handed but use left handed bait casters.  I've tried to switch, but just doesn't feel right.  And to the original poster, do what feels right to you.  I've seen more companies make LH reels now and you've got a really nice selection to choose from.  Good luck.

[Michael F]

Im a righty and use left handed reels as well. It just feels more natural, makes pitchin and flippin a breeze as well.

[jigabooyah]

I am ambidextrous, Baitcasters I cast left or right(left 90%) hand and real with the right. Spinning I cast right and real left.

Fly rod I cast with both left and right. I write with my right hand but draw with the left.  Do what ever is comfortable.

[basshunter54130]

Hi, I'm right handed and when I bought a baitcaster it was a right-hand reel. But now all 7 of my reels are left-handed.like the other poster, it works better for flipping and pitching. A few times right when the bait hit the water I missed a strike because I was casting with my right and had to move the reel to left hand for the retrieve. Hope this was of some help.

[John G]

Makes sense to have dominant hand control the fish, and non dominant hand to reel it in no?

Yes

[MCS]

I am right handed, reel a spinning reel with my left and a casting reel with my right as it should be. With a spinning setup the rod and drag play a major part in landing a fish. Hence the rod is controlled with the dominant hand. With a casting rod, not so much as it is effectively a winch. My strong hand, right hand, to reel the fish in easier. It switching hands becomes second nature, even pitching. I have only been doing this for a little over a year can switch hands faster than most of you nancy boys with your lefty reel and left hand hanging by your side with you cast the rod right handed. Keep telling yourself you cannot do it or it is easier one way and it becomes so. This no coincidence lefty reels are offered less by manufacturers, where as the majority of the world is right handed.

[georgeyew]

I normally use a left handed reel. I tried a right handed reel a couple of days ago, and I realized that I cannot control a fish with the rod in my left hand. So back to the normal left handed reel for me.

[ColdSVT]

Another right handed guy who reels lefty

Same here lol

in my defense my dad is left handed and he taught me how to fish lol...i astually do many things left handed because thats how i was taught lol