So Do I Have The Handle On The Wrong Side?

[Ski213]

I'm just curious if I'm the only person who cranks with my right hand on both spinning and bait casting gear.

It just seems like the folks I've been around, who I'm assuming are mostly right handed, have RH baitcasters and spinning reels cranking from the opposite side. Not me. I'm left handed. I bat right, I throw right, I shoot right (but I shoot better even though uncomfortable left), I eat left and write left and I'm left eye dominant. I can cast from either side but I cannot reel comfortably on the left side. I've tried LH baitcasters and it just felt unnatural. Tried switching on spinning reels and it felt awkward as well. Am I alone here?

[Ski213]

Sorry. I just realized I put this in the wrong forum. Should have been in rods and reels. my mistake.

[AdamsEye]

For me it's the other way around, I can reel fine with either, but right thumb is a lot better then my left so I can't cast casting gear lefty to well compared to right. That is something I would like to get a better hang of, switch hitters are always more valuable right?

[gardnerjigman]

It's whatever is comfortable to you. I've seen people do it both ways.

[Ski213]

For me it's the other way around, I can reel fine with either, but right thumb is a lot better then my left so I can't cast casting gear lefty to well compared to right. That is something I would like to get a better hang of, switch hitters are always more valuable right?

It's super handy. You can be on the front or back of the boat going any direction and be comfortable casting.

It's whatever is comfortable to you. I've seen people do it both ways.

Yeah I guess it's what you're used to. That's what you're going to be comfortable with.

[BocaGrande]

I write with my right hand, pull the trigger with my right hand, bowl, eat, text, etc with my right hand. When it come to reeling.. left. I feel more comfortable with controlling the rod in my right hand. Idk how people control the rod with their left hand and reel righty, when they're right dominant. Makes no sense.

[rippin-lips]

Different strokes for different folks. There's no correct answer here. Do what you like.

[Big Bait Fishing]

which ever hand you've grown accustomed to working the rod with , you reel with the other . has nothing to do with being left or right handed ....

[Big Bait Fishing]

which ever hand you've grown accustomed to working the rod with , you reel with the other . has nothing to do with being left or right handed ....

i'm right handed and i use left hand retrieve reels and reel with my left also on my spinning reel ..

[jbrew73]

I'm just curious if I'm the only person who cranks with my right hand on both spinning and bait casting gear.

It just seems like the folks I've been around, who I'm assuming are mostly right handed, have RH baitcasters and spinning reels cranking from the opposite side. Not me. I'm left handed. I bat right, I throw right, I shoot right (but I shoot better even though uncomfortable left), I eat left and write left and I'm left eye dominant. I can cast from either side but I cannot reel comfortably on the left side. I've tried LH baitcasters and it just felt unnatural. Tried switching on spinning reels and it felt awkward as well. Am I alone here?

ditto........

[massrob]

This year I just started baitcasters and I bought mostly righthanded. At first it felt really weird because I'm used to lefthanded with spinning reels. Then I bought a lefthanded baitcaster. Now I'm confused because my frogging rod is righthanded and that's what I've been throwing the most and now when I try using my topwater setup which is lefthanded. It feels awkward so now I don't know what I should do. I guess I can just keep using both I'm just not sure what my next reel purchase should be.

[smalljaw67]

I'm not as bad as you but I am similar. I'm left handed, I bat right and throw left, eat left and left eye dominant. I cast with my left hand and reel with my right so I use right handed bait casting reels, but spinning reels are different, I still cast with my left but then I switch hands and reel with my left, it just feels natural that way and even though I reel with my right with a casting reel, it feels messed up with spinning so I just leave it like that.

[tholmes]

I'm just curious if I'm the only person who cranks with my right hand on both spinning and bait casting gear.

It just seems like the folks I've been around, who I'm assuming are mostly right handed, have RH baitcasters and spinning reels cranking from the opposite side. Not me. I'm left handed. I bat right, I throw right, I shoot right (but I shoot better even though uncomfortable left), I eat left and write left and I'm left eye dominant. I can cast from either side but I cannot reel comfortably on the left side. I've tried LH baitcasters and it just felt unnatural. Tried switching on spinning reels and it felt awkward as well. Am I alone here?

 

You're not alone. I'm also left-handed but I do a few things righty ( bat, play guitar, etc.).  I reel with my right hand on both casting and spinning gear. I never understood why baitcasting (and spincasting reels were called "right-handed" when, to me, they were clearly designed to be cast with the left hand. 

 

Tom

[Thornback]

We usually do what comes naturally and resist any change. I cast right hand and reel right hand. Thus every cast I change hands but I don't even know I'm changing hands. If someone asked me if I changed hands I would probably say no unless I thought through my motions. I have a fishing buddy who casts right but reels left so he always uses reels with left handed handles. He doesn't like to change hands. He's happy his way and I'm happy my way, he catches bass his way and I catch bass my way

[buzzed bait]

yeah to each his own.  i do both left handed....  but you should do what is comfortable for you and what you're used to.

[new2BC4bass]

I'm not as bad as you but I am similar. I'm left handed, I bat right and throw left, eat left and left eye dominant. I cast with my left hand and reel with my right so I use right handed bait casting reels, but spinning reels are different, I still cast with my left but then I switch hands and reel with my left, it just feels natural that way and even though I reel with my right with a casting reel, it feels messed up with spinning so I just leave it like that.

 

Right handed.  Right eye dominant.  Shoot right handed.  Broke right arm when 12 and had it in a cast from the wrist to half-way between elbow and shoulder for 6 weeks.  Learned to eat left handed and to throw a ball left handed.  Bat either hand.

 

Grew up with left hand spinning reels.  Picked up a used RH Alphas ito figuring I'd better get one while I could.  Reeling RH wasn't too bad at first, but now I don't notice a difference as my casting reels are about half RH, half LH.  Casting left hand was harder to learn.  Accuracy still not that great, but casting distance is about the same with either arm.  Have better thumb control with the left.  I'll cast on that side if reel/line/conditions are causing overruns or backlashes on the right side.

[tomustang]

Lefty here, reel lefty with both reels, cast rightly.

It's all about dominants. You're doing two different motions and need the preferred hand to do it, to some it's the same hand.

[EmersonFish]

I do everything right handed, except use baitcasters (apparently). Spinning reels, I use on the "right-handed" side which put the crank on the same side (left) as my baitcaster, just like you (except the opposite side). Everybody has their way of doing things. Whatever feels right, do that, so you can focus on other things while you are fishing.

It's funny how the topic of left vs. right hand retrieve reels comes up from time to time on forums/facebook pages/etc and there is actually some level of debate about which makes more sense. Usually it is someone like me who is right handed, but uses left hand retrieve baitcasters, and wants the world to know that he is right and most other people are wrong. Occasionally, someone will suggest that right handed fishermen use left-hand retrieve reels for flippin' and a bunch of people lose their minds as if that's such a terrible idea. Everyone should just do what feels most natural. There is enough to think about while bass fishing.

[WRB]

Right hand baitcasting reels have the handle on the right side and easier to cast right handed, that's why they are called right handed. The old knuckle buster style casting reels were all right handed because the reels cast better with the right side handle upright in the 12 o'clock position, spool spins easier do to the gyro effect. Today's reels are far better engineered with lots of bearings, free spools and cast easy whatever location the handle may be at.

Most anglers learn to cast holding the rod with the hand they are most coordinated with. I use left handed spinning reels and right handed casting reel, cast both using my right hand and switch the casting rod to my left hand at the end of the cast, keep the spinning rod in my right hand...works for me.

Tom

[paleus]

I learned to fish with a Zebco 33 with a right hand retrieve, then had baitcasters with right hand retrieve. I have my spinning reels set up to be right hand retrieve. I've tried to crank with my left hand with spinning gear and just can't get the hang of it, it just feels unnatural. I wish I could learn, because I cast with my right hand and between closing the bail with my left hand and then switching the rod to my left hand to retrieve, that takes a good amount of time. Not as big a deal with bait casters because I keep both hands on the reel during the cast and switch hands before the lure hits the water. I just need to force myself to do it.

[hatrix]

I am left handed and reel with my right both spinning and casting. I don't switch hands or any of that when casting with either. I want my dominant hand "my left" working the rod. It seems like that should be the case for everyone. Any one can turn either hand in a circle plenty fine. But when it comes to precisely working a bait I would think you would want your best hand doing it.

[coak]

I'm just curious if I'm the only person who cranks with my right hand on both spinning and bait casting gear.

It just seems like the folks I've been around, who I'm assuming are mostly right handed, have RH baitcasters and spinning reels cranking from the opposite side. Not me. I'm left handed. I bat right, I throw right, I shoot right (but I shoot better even though uncomfortable left), I eat left and write left and I'm left eye dominant. I can cast from either side but I cannot reel comfortably on the left side. I've tried LH baitcasters and it just felt unnatural. Tried switching on spinning reels and it felt awkward as well. Am I alone here?

This describes me to a T. I tried reeling a spinning reel left handed and felt as if I'd just landed on the moon and had to learn to walk again. Both types of my gear are right hand oriented.

[Raul]

I'm just curious if I'm the only person who cranks with my right hand on both spinning and bait casting gear.

 

 

Nope, you are not the only one, I cast right and crank right. So which way is the "right" way ? the right way is the way you fell the most comfortable.

[Way2slow]

I'm left handed, use a left handed spinning reel and a right handed bait caster.

 

Every body I teach to use a bait caster, I teach them to cast with one hand and reel with the other, none of this swapping hands stuff.  Which means if they are right handed, the learn to fish with a left handed bait caster.   My son was recently complaining to me about that, that's how he had to learn and he said he finds special deals on right hand bait casters all the time, but never sees any special deals on left handed ones.

 

It took me years to get my dad to learn to use a bait caster by casting with one hand and reeling with the other, and when he finally did, it took me a while to finally get a new reel.   Every time I bought a new one, I would have to get a left hand and swap it for one of his right hands until I finally got all his swapped out.

[Dye99]

i'm right handed and i use left hand retrieve reels and reel with my left also on my spinning reel ..

Yup, I do the same.