Honestly... Why Are Lefties The Red-Headed Stepchildren?

[Master Bait'r]

Lefty reels are less common and often not even available, yet it seems as so many are always clamoring for them. I know I couldn't frog or finesse with my left hand on the rod... So I wanted to know- what is the split for right/left handled users? 60/40? 80/20?

It always frustrates me when I'm looking at something cool like the new 13 reels and not one NOT ONE is lefty... Vast majority of all reels for sale new or used everywhere- righty. It's extremely annoying and I've been wondering just how pronounced the actual distribution really is. (I'd feel better if it's an extreme minority)

[OntarioFishingGuy]

To us lefties it all makes sense...

[smalljaw67]

I'm left handed and right handed reels are awesome but I switch up with spinning gear so it doesn't matter. When I use casting stuff I cast with my left and crank with my right so a right handed reel is perfect, but on spinning set ups I cast with my left hand and also reel with it so I switch hands. If it is the same with right handers switching hands with casting gear as it is with me and spinning gear then I don't know why it is an issue because I do it without realizing I even switch hands, it is sort of second nature. I understand that with casting you feather the spool until the bait hits while spinning the hands are switched before the bait hits the water and I can see where that makes a difference but is it so much so that right handed guys need lefty reels?

[Catch and Grease]

You can never go wrong when you go right! I prefer to crank with my right hand and work the bait with my left... always how ive done it and don't see any point in changing.

[fishballer06]

I've been told it's a 60/40 split, but the left handed reels definitely aren't on 40% of the market. Just another reason why I love Shimano. 

[OK Bass Hunter]

Lefties are the children of the devil or at least that's how they made me feel when they made me write with my right hand as a child. So my body is now left oriented and I'm right handed. So I understand where you're coming from. I just started learning to flip and pitch and think a left handed reel is in the future for me.

[Capt.Bob]

Right hand is dominant among all civilization, we learned that in grade school, the rest should be self explanatory. Everything to do with economics feeds off that fact,,,,,pretty simple actually.

[ColdSVT]

probably 80/20 at least....

Out of 30boats in my last tourny 2 of us fished lefty...thats about 7%

[IAY]

I've been told it's a 60/40 split, but the left handed reels definitely aren't on 40% of the market. Just another reason why I love Shimano. 

 

Shimano doesn't offer some left handed stuff on popular model like the Curado I.

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

There is no right or wrong but I'm curious what the percentage is of left handed people in the population, how many of the lefties that fish prefer right handed reels, and how many righties like me prefer left handed reels. If a company outsources manufacturing to an existing factory that has two production lines already I don't see why they wouldn't grab whatever piece of the lefty market they can. On the flip side, the cost of implementing their own second line is probably substantial enough to justify needing a minimum market share to even consider it. 

[ColdSVT]

Shimano doesn't offer some left handed stuff on popular model like the Curado I.

Cant blame em...the crankin model is a lower production run compared to the 6 and 7.

I have a calcutta 201B for crankin...bought it in 02 and that thing casts a 6xd a country mile.

[*Hootie]

You can never go wrong when you go right! I prefer to crank with my right hand and work the bait with my left... always how ive done it and don't see any point in changing.

And there it is. Look at the old face in my avatar. Think I'm gonna change now? Not likely...lol.

Hootie

[FishTank]

I am right handed and have tried to get use to using right handed reels but for whatever reason it just feels wrong.  I used spinning reels with the crank on the left side for so long that using a left handed baitcaster almost feels natural.  Also, it feels weird to switch hands after a cast with a right handed reel.  I know it's just me but well, that's how it is.

[ColdSVT]

I am right handed and have tried to get use to using right handed reel but for whatever reason it just feels wrong. I used spinning reels with the crank on the left side for so long that using a left handed baitcaster almost feels natural. Also, it feels weird to switch hands after a cast with a right handed reel. I know it's just me but well, that's how it is.

No its not just you lol...im the same way

[Schaefer]

I'm right handed and fish with lefty baitcasters. To me it makes more sense holding the rod with your strong arm/hand and reeling with your weak hand, it feels completely unnatural fishing with a righty baitcaster.

[Tywithay]

People on online forums make up a very small percentage of the fishing population. Most casual fisherman don't even know the benefits/disadvantages to using a left or right handed reel. They think a right handed reel is for a right handed person, and they far outnumber the lefties.

[Choporoz]

I am left handed, but turn handle on spinning and casting with my right hand and refuse to switch the rod each cast.  I'm fine with the options out there so far.  Maybe what we really need is for the casting reel engineers to figure out how to make them 'switchable' like spinning gear.

[Catch and Grease]

I'm right handed and fish with lefty baitcasters. To me it makes more sense holding the rod with your strong arm/hand and reeling with your weak hand, it feels completely unnatural fishing with a righty baitcaster.

 

I think the opposite way, I like to reel with my strong hand when using bait casters because generally bait casters use heavy line and are more "powerful" when bringing in fish...

[IAY]

I use both and I switch them based on what I need out of the set up (I am as far as you can get from being ambidextrous). I like my to crank and cast with the right handed ones, but I like left handed ones for when I have to work the rod.

[Master Bait'r]

Right hand is dominant among all civilization, we learned that in grade school, the rest should be self explanatory. Everything to do with economics feeds off that fact,,,,,pretty simple actually.

 

 

 

I'm right handed, but I prefer to work the rod with my right and reel with my stupid hand.  I might be able to fish cranks with my left on the rod but I could never finesse or walk frogs that way.  Just my .02 and that's why I was wondering what the actual population split was, since left handed reels seem so much harder to track down used, or even have offered in many cases.  

 

I understand the extra money in tooling and such when developing another reel- but it always blows my mind when I see just how behind lefties are in a lot of cases when they seem to be in demand.  

[Tim Kelly]

In Europe I would guess that about 80% of baitcasting reels sold for freshwater use are left side crank. Nearly everyone fishes spinning reels left side crank and so the right hand is used to doing the casting and working, it's also stronger. When I watch anglers swapping hands, especially when pitching, it just seems so inefficient. That most of the bass pros do it must mean that it doesn't matter much in reality, but guys like Denny Brauer seem to cast with the left hand, so they don't need to swap hands. Maybe they're left handed or maybe they just want to be more efficient so taught themselves to cast left handed back when there were so few left crank reels on the market.

 

You'd certainly be waiting a long time trying to sell a curado 200 in the UK, but a 201 would go in an instant!

[buzzed bait]

Right hand is dominant among all civilization, we learned that in grade school, the rest should be self explanatory. Everything to do with economics feeds off that fact,,,,,pretty simple actually.

 

but how does that explain why so many spinning reels are left oriented, but when you look at baitcasters they are right oriented?  i mean i hear you on the disparity of true lefties, but i'm right handed and prefer a left handed reel.  i'm just weird i suppose.

[Capt.Bob]

but how does that explain why so many spinning reels are left oriented, but when you look at baitcasters they are right oriented?  i mean i hear you on the disparity of true lefties, but i'm right handed and prefer a left handed reel.  i'm just weird i suppose.

Any spinning reel for light freshwater I am aware of are either, the user decides which side he wants to crank from. They come with the ability to change the handle to the other side. This is easy to do with the drive system on spinning gear, quite the opposite with casting reels.  

[J Francho]

I think my own collection is around a 70-30 split, right to left.

[roadwarrior]

Right hand is dominant among all civilization, we learned that in grade school, the rest should be self explanatory. Everything to do with economics feeds off that fact,,,,,pretty simple actually.

 

The world population is more than 90% right handed, 1% are ambidextrous leaving left handed people to account for less than 10%.