Reeling hand?

[Mobasser]

Baitcast- reel right. Spin rod- reel left

11 hours ago, lo n slo said:

me too

Same here

[CrankFate]

I use a casting rod, held in my left hand and reel with the right. On spinning gear, I hold the rod with my right and reel with the left. I rarely use spinning gear, except for casting my kids rods and helping them. 

[FryDog62]

I just wish you could switch the handle between left or right on a baitcasting reel like you can on spinning...

 

Alternating hands during 2 surgeries on each wrist over a 4 year period would have been a lot easier/cheaper.  But it was good training for the brain to learn to use different hands - my dad said said it is good training someday for my first stroke

[Sam]

HeyCoach, good question that I have had a serious discussion with a fishing buddy for years regarding the spool handle location and moving the rod from hand to hand.

 

BAITCASTER

I cast my baitcasters right handed so I can control the spool and line and just before or just after the bait hits the water I can make sure the spool stops. I move the rod to my left hand to control the rod duri9ng and after the cast as I use my right hand to control the reel and spool as I am casting and then work the lure with my right hand controlling the line and the spool and my left hand controlling the rod's action.

 

By doing this I can have the line go over my right hand index finger when fishing plastics on the bottom to feel for strikes and what is on the bottom.

 

SPINNING REEL

When I cast my spinning reels I control the bail with my left hand as I cast with my right hand and then keep the rod in my right hand and open and close the bail with my left hand. After casting and closing the bail with my left hand, I then reel in the slack tightly back to the spool with my right hand having the line go through my thumb and finger back onto the spinning reel and holding the spinning reel and rod in my right hand and then I put my right index finder on the line coming off the spool and use my left hand to turn the spool and my right hand to control the line and rod's action.

 

I control the rod, reel, line and bait with my right hand and reel the spool with my left hand.

 

FRIEND SAYS

My friend says that my spinning casting is correct as I do not move the rod from my right hand to my left hand.

 

But, he says that I am wasting time by transferring my baitcaster from my right hand to my left hand and I could miss an immediate strike. And he adds that if I throw a buzzbait or a plastic and the bass hits it as soon as it hits the water, I will be transferring the rod from hand to hand and will miss the hook set.

 

What saves me is that I set up each individual lure on my baitcaster so the spool stops when the bait hits the water. I can make the hand to hand transfer while the bait is in the air and before it hits the water. No backlashes or other problems with this system. I actually engage the spool right before the bait hits the water with my right hand controlling the spool and the rod in my left hand.

 

CONCLUSION

It is your call. What ever feels comfortable to you is right. You have to have confidence in your casting, line/bait control and setting the hook so which ever way you do it is OK.

 

Now go out there and catch your personal best this spring.

 

[JLBBass]

Always hold rod in your strong hand, and reel with the weak. I’m a leftie, so I never had any problems like y’all righties!

I cast left, & reel right.

[Deleted account]

3 minutes ago, PolarKraft195Pro said:

Always hold rod in your strong hand, and reel with the weak. I’m a leftie, so I never had any problems like y’all righties!

I cast left, & reel right.

Turning a reel handle, not unlike writing is a more fine motor skill than holding on to a rod, particularly when imparting action with the reel, and best done with one's dominant hand. Of course ultimately it is a matter of preference. The reason I reel right for BCs and left with spinning is because I don't fish BCs with the same grip I cast it with, where as I do with spinning, and this gives me the option to switch sides if fatigue or injury become an issue. 

[Alex from GA]

Like a lot of responses I do this.  I learned to fish before spinning reels.  I also reel with my right hand fly fishing.

 

 

"Spinning left hand to reel and baitcasting right hand. Hold a spinning and cast a spinning rod right handed, cast a baitcasting rod right handed, switch to left hand to retreive lures. 

Tom"

[Heartland]

I do it because it feels good, I could care less what someone else finds more efficient, or better.  I fish because it makes me happy, and feeling good is a large part of that. 

[redmeansdistortion]

Cast right and reel right with both spinning and casting rods/reels.  I am right handed.  I drive left handed too because I prefer a row-your-own vs a slush-o-matic.

[Backroad Angler]

Spinning , reel in with my left

baitcaster  reel in with my right

[new2BC4bass]

18 hours ago, TnRiver46 said:

It never hurts to practice and become proficient reeling with each hand. 

Someone asked which hand YOU started with.  My left.  Spinning only.  Stayed with the left hand when I got into baitcast reels.  A nice (RH) Alphas ito came up for sale.  Bought it not knowing if an equally nice LH would become available.  Now almost half my baitcast reels are RH.  Cast both hands, but RH for best accuracy.

 

Some lures can tire out the rod hand after awhile.  It is nice to be able to switch hands.  Doesn't hurt that it doesn't matter which hand a reel is when a good deal comes up. 

 

[JHB]

Bass fishing right hand cast left hand retrieve. Cat fishing right hand cast and retrieve. Yea I an weird that way. 

[FishTank]

I grew up on spincast reels (zebec 33) with the handle on the right hand side and spinning reels (Ryobi, Mitchel, and Daiwa) on the left.  By the time I was a teenager I stopped using the spincast reels and just started using spinning reels.  When I reached my 20's I tried out a few baitcasters (BPS, Shimano, Daiwa, Quantum) with little success, all right handed reels. It seemed no matter what I did, my casting was terrible and I just seemed to fumble around like I had never fished before.  Someone handed me a left handed Curado (201 CU I thinK) and all my problems were solved even though I am right handed. I have been buying left-handed reels ever since. 

[Log Catcher]

12 hours ago, Calibassassin said:

I always wondered. Most of us, I assume, learned on spinning gear, casting right and reeling left. Why do people change to casting right and then changing hands to reel right on bait casters? Didn’t you just re-teach yourself at that point to work the rod with the the non dominant hand? I learned to fish on spinning gear casting right and spinning left. I just started using casting gear about a year ago and never thought about reeling right as it just didn’t make sense to me to even try. With what hand did you all START (when you learned how to fish) reeling with and if you changed, why? 

I first learned to fish with a cane pole. Oh that doesn't count. I started out with a South Bend spincast rod and reel. Then had some Zebco 606 spincast reels. Still have one of them. They all had handles on the right. I learned to cast with my right hand and switch the rod to my left and reel right handed. That is how I learned and I never changed. I never even owned a spinning rod and reel until about 15 years ago. My first baitcasters were the old Ambassador 5000 reels. I still have them in storage.

 

12 hours ago, Calibassassin said:

I always wondered. Most of us, I assume, learned on spinning gear, casting right and reeling left. Why do people change to casting right and then changing hands to reel right on bait casters? Didn’t you just re-teach yourself at that point to work the rod with the the non dominant hand? I learned to fish on spinning gear casting right and spinning left. I just started using casting gear about a year ago and never thought about reeling right as it just didn’t make sense to me to even try. With what hand did you all START (when you learned how to fish) reeling with and if you changed, why? 

I first learned to fish with a cane pole. Oh that doesn't count. I started out with a South Bend spincast rod and reel. Then had some Zebco 606 spincast reels. Still have one of them. They all had handles on the right. I learned to cast with my right hand and switch the rod to my left and reel right handed. That is how I learned and I never changed. I never even owned a spinning rod and reel until about 15 years ago. My first baitcasters were the old Ambassador 5000 reels. I still have them in storage.

 

12 hours ago, Calibassassin said:

I always wondered. Most of us, I assume, learned on spinning gear, casting right and reeling left. Why do people change to casting right and then changing hands to reel right on bait casters? Didn’t you just re-teach yourself at that point to work the rod with the the non dominant hand? I learned to fish on spinning gear casting right and spinning left. I just started using casting gear about a year ago and never thought about reeling right as it just didn’t make sense to me to even try. With what hand did you all START (when you learned how to fish) reeling with and if you changed, why? 

I first learned to fish with a cane pole. Oh that doesn't count. I started out with a South Bend spincast rod and reel. Then had some Zebco 606 spincast reels. Still have one of them. They all had handles on the right. I learned to cast with my right hand and switch the rod to my left and reel right handed. That is how I learned and I never changed. I never even owned a spinning rod and reel until about 15 years ago. My first baitcasters were the old Ambassador 5000 reels. I still have them in storage.

 

[A-Jay]

Righty - Lefty, Dominant Hand, Non-Dominant Hand, Incorrectly or Correctly . . .

Whatever - I'm looking for efficiency and in my case, this is what it looks like.

(It does seem to help being able to cast from both the left & the right side).

A-Jay

 

[MIbassyaker]

13 hours ago, Calibassassin said:

I always wondered. Most of us, I assume, learned on spinning gear, casting right and reeling left. Why do people change to casting right and then changing hands to reel right on bait casters? Didn’t you just re-teach yourself at that point to work the rod with the the non dominant hand? I learned to fish on spinning gear casting right and spinning left. I just started using casting gear about a year ago and never thought about reeling right as it just didn’t make sense to me to even try. With what hand did you all START (when you learned how to fish) reeling with and if you changed, why? 

 

I think the answer clearly is that this cannot be assumed -- it only applies to a few of us. Like me. When I learned to fish, we weren't "bass fishing" -- we just fished the river in town for catfish, pike, walleye, the occasional rock bass, drum or whatever other oddball species might get hauled up.  And baitcasters simply had no presence among any of the casual anglers I knew, or came across, or spent any time around, except for very specialized musky and pike gear.  The tackle shops didn't sell any other than those -- the only other baitcasters we ever saw were on TV, being wielded by people like Bill Dance who caught a kind of fish that didn't live in my stretch of the river (at least then). 

 

So when I learned to fish, I learned on a spinning rod -- cast right, reel left. Rod never changes hands. Left hand has to learn one thing. And when you're 8, the learning is pretty fast. It was only in the last 10 years, when I started getting specifically into bass fishing, that it ever even dawned on me that I might want to use a baitcaster.  And that was when I learned for the first time that "right handed" for baitcasters was completely opposite from what my right and left hands already knew how to do.

 

I don't live in the same place (or state) that I grew up, but still I find only a minority of anglers I ever see out on the water here use baitcasters, and that's true whether they're targeting bass or not.

 

[LionHeart]

Right handed dude.  I reel with right hand on casting gear and left hand on spinning.  I started this way because the industry said so.

 

I figured they would know better than me, so I went with it.  I got no complaints.

 

[JLBBass]

MAN I'M GLAD I'M A LEFTIE!

[Koz]

On 1/26/2019 at 7:43 PM, WRB said:

Spinning left hand to reel and baitcasting right hand. Hold a spinning and cast a spinning rod right handed, cast a baitcasting rod right handed, switch to left hand to retreive lures. 

Tom

 

Same here. I do admit there are times when it would be a benefit to be able to cast left handed, say bank fishing and needing to cast to my right under a tree or something similar. But I'd rather fish than practice casting.

 

With the baitcaster I cast and switch hands as well and I don't have to think about it. In fact, I don't realize I'm doing it - it's just automatic.

[Koz]

7 hours ago, Log Catcher said:

I first learned to fish with a cane pole. Oh that doesn't count. I started out with a South Bend spincast rod and reel. Then had some Zebco 606 spincast reels. Still have one of them. They all had handles on the right. I learned to cast with my right hand and switch the rod to my left and reel right handed. That is how I learned and I never changed. I never even owned a spinning rod and reel until about 15 years ago. My first baitcasters were the old Ambassador 5000 reels. I still have them in storage.

 

I first learned to fish with a cane pole. Oh that doesn't count. I started out with a South Bend spincast rod and reel. Then had some Zebco 606 spincast reels. Still have one of them. They all had handles on the right. I learned to cast with my right hand and switch the rod to my left and reel right handed. That is how I learned and I never changed. I never even owned a spinning rod and reel until about 15 years ago. My first baitcasters were the old Ambassador 5000 reels. I still have them in storage.

 

I first learned to fish with a cane pole. Oh that doesn't count. I started out with a South Bend spincast rod and reel. Then had some Zebco 606 spincast reels. Still have one of them. They all had handles on the right. I learned to cast with my right hand and switch the rod to my left and reel right handed. That is how I learned and I never changed. I never even owned a spinning rod and reel until about 15 years ago. My first baitcasters were the old Ambassador 5000 reels. I still have them in storage.

 

 

I'm having a major case of deja vu right now.

[punch]

23 hours ago, Calibassassin said:

I always wondered. Most of us, I assume, learned on spinning gear, casting right and reeling left. Why do people change to casting right and then changing hands to reel right on bait casters? Didn’t you just re-teach yourself at that point to work the rod with the the non dominant hand? I learned to fish on spinning gear casting right and spinning left. I just started using casting gear about a year ago and never thought about reeling right as it just didn’t make sense to me to even try. With what hand did you all START (when you learned how to fish) reeling with and if you changed, why? 

For me personally it goes back to the early-mid 90's. I grew up as a kid in the 80's tossing spinning rods and I held the rod with my right hand, reeled with my left. When I was an early teenager I wanted to try baitcasting (the pro's were doing it!) and I never saw lefty reels on the shelf at my local tackle shop, so I just assumed that was the way you were supposed to use a baitcaster. I had already purchased and been using some Abu & Quantum reels before I even SAW a left handed reel in person. It was too late by then. I was ruined for life. Righty baitcast, lefty spinning.

[new2BC4bass]

15 hours ago, MIbassyaker said:

 

I think the answer clearly is that this cannot be assumed -- it only applies to a few of us. Like me. When I learned to fish, we weren't "bass fishing" -- we just fished the river in town for catfish, pike, walleye, the occasional rock bass, drum or whatever other oddball species might get hauled up.  And baitcasters simply had no presence among any of the casual anglers I knew, or came across, or spent any time around, except for very specialized musky and pike gear.  The tackle shops didn't sell any other than those -- the only other baitcasters we ever saw were on TV, being wielded by people like Bill Dance who caught a kind of fish that didn't live in my stretch of the river (at least then). 

 

So when I learned to fish, I learned on a spinning rod -- cast right, reel left. Rod never changes hands. Left hand has to learn one thing. And when you're 8, the learning is pretty fast. It was only in the last 10 years, when I started getting specifically into bass fishing, that it ever even dawned on me that I might want to use a baitcaster.  And that was when I learned for the first time that "right handed" for baitcasters was completely opposite from what my right and left hands already knew how to do.

 

I don't live in the same place (or state) that I grew up, but still I find only a minority of anglers I ever see out on the water here use baitcasters, and that's true whether they're targeting bass or not.

 

This fits me to a T.  We caught the occasional bass (both Largemouth and Smallmouth), but weren't bass fishermen.  Bullheads, Sunnies, Bluegills, rock bass, perch, pickerel, catfish, etc. were our main catches.  Never saw a baitcast reel growing up.

 

Rod never changed hand.  You can be pretty accurate with a spinning rod when it is all you use.  Bought a 5001C over 40 years ago, but never learned how to cast it.  Funny how well it casts today. 

[Deleted account]

20 hours ago, redmeansdistortion said:

Cast right and reel right with both spinning and casting rods/reels. 

Teach me to juggle...

[fin]

On 1/26/2019 at 4:42 PM, HeyCoach said:

Is there a reason people reel left handed and hold the rod with your right hand?

 

On 1/27/2019 at 7:37 AM, nascar2428 said:

Switching hands after a cast just doesn't seem very efficient to me. 

This is the answer. You lose a second or two switching hands, and in some rare cases, it can make a difference. Mainly topwater.

 

I fish just like OP. I started with a baitcaster and then learned spinning reels and I've tried several times to reel left handed, but I can't do it.

[redmeansdistortion]

1 hour ago, reason said:

Teach me to juggle...

It's pretty easy...