"Lefty" Guitar player fishing story

[gnappi]

When I was a kid, dad sat me down needing to "have a talk" with me. I thought it was THE "birds and bees" talk, I was wrong.

 

He started out: "Listen here, these are facts, no insult meant, I hope none is taken... You're left handed, and not a big guy, so in a man's world of playing sports, you're screwed. Growing up you will have to learn to use the tools and toys of a larger right handed man, or you can stay home with mom."

 

Message received! ?

 

Shooting a firearm "righty" was natural, I guess it's because I'm right eye dominant, why golf just seemed correct using a right handed set of clubs eludes me, but maybe because lefties are compelled to be ambidextrous it seemed normal.

 

Then came guitar. A friend of my dad gave me a HUGE German made acoustic guitar and at the get go putting my LEFT hand on the neck (where the music is) seemed the correct way to learn and for 60 odd years it still seems right. After all (in the mind of an 8 year old) if a tragic accident took my "weak right hand" I could have a hook installed on what was left over and STILL play (albeit only with chords) the guitar and not have to learn the "music" all over again. So after all this time, I chuckle thinking about "righty" players actually playing "lefty" ?

 

What did not work for me was spinning reels. Casting with the right, and reeling with the left was just wrong and I lost a bunch of Mepps 0 spinners and Daredevil red/white spoons to bad casts. Then a miracle happened, Mitchell came out with the 301 for left handed fishermen, I got one and immediately stopped losing lures. WOW!!! I could cast.

 

Fast forward to today, 4/26/19... I'm in a pawn shop and see all of these "lefty" baitcast reels, most all were brand new, and all silly low priced. Given that I'm value conscious and never liked baitcasting one of them just felt correct, and the price was right, a "Wright & McGill" Skeet Reese Victory 621. Come to find that some other of the other left handed fishermen looked at baitcasters like me, cast left, reel right, strong (left) arm battle the fish, right handle the mundane task of reeling and no changing hands. Seems like lefties are truly the only ones in their "right" (hemisphere) mind after all.

 

Now to find a stiff rod (med/hvy or hvy) that's less than 7' long (sorry my preferences there's absolutely NO possibility of steering me into longer) with a shortish handle... I'm finding that this is no small task. Thank goodness rod makers never went into the "left" vs. "right" thing and make rods ambidextrous by nature. Oh well, if I can't get the casting / backlash thing down, I'll donate the rod to the Boy Scouts.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[d-camarena]

Dont over think it, just buy a spinning reel. You can choose what side to have the handle on

[JS Patterson]

I switched to a left hand baitcaster 4 months ago and it immediately became my favorite. I have picked up 3 new set ups since. I’m a right handed cancer survivor so my switch was made out of necessity because I can’t feel my hands when it is cold. I can’t explain it, but the dominant arm can still detect a subtle jig bite in the cold. I hope that you enjoy the change as much as I have. The only rod suggestion would be to not get in too deep with a very expensive rod. You should be able to find a reasonably priced shorter rod until you decide if you like it. Berkley lightning?

[Brad Reid]

Lefty, here, been one now for almost 67 years!  Ha!

 

I can't even imagine giving away our great advantages in sport, including fishing. I really can't. And, so correct, that we are to some extent typically more ambidextrous than righties. We have to be: zippers, buttons, butter knives come to mind.

 

For golf, the biggest mistake I ever made was starting with left handed clubs. Golf courses generally "turn" in a direction that general favors the ball flight of a right-handed player.  But, even more so, I recall the first time someone told me about "my mistake" that a golf club's power comes from the front arm, that a club is pulled through, not pushed through. The back hand and arm, while adding some, too, are more directional in nature. I should have learned using right handed gear!

 

Then, for the guitar. My understanding is the guitar we call "right handed" was actually first designed for a left handed player. Here, I was smart (well, no choice actually) and I have my dominant hand, most dexterous hand, on the neck . . . where it should be. This, with lefty Hendrix notwithstanding, and his odd guitar set-up. I wonder how he'd have played just using a regular guitar? Must be some story there.

 

Then, baseball. Wow! George Will once wrote and stated some statistic like the very large majority of Pro baseball hall of famers, there for hitting prowess, batting over .330  . . . were left handed. Like 70% of them. That's even more impressive knowing we comprise only roughly 7% of the population. This is more than just a statistical oddity. And, just in general, being a lefty has always been good for hitting. Ted Williams, Mel Ott, Lou Gehrig, Stan Musial, Roger Maris, Reggie Jackson, George Brett, Tony Gwynn, Darryl Strawberry, Barry Bonds, David Justice, Ken Griffey Jr., so many more. Then, those switch hitters who could go lefty, too, like Mickey Mantle!

 

Boxing? Advantage lefty if for no other reason than righties just don't see them as often, but lefties see righties all the time. Oh! for those who are great counter-punchers, what a super advantage a left handed boxer has countering a straight right hand, defending it first, then the counter-punch.

 

Fishing? For me, both casting and spinning reels are the same: I cast with my dominant arm, my left, fight the fish with my dominant arm, reel with my right hand. I can't imagine it any other way. 

 

Brad

 

 

[jbrew73]

Seems like us lefties are thinking with our right brain!  I too am left handed but play guitar right handed and fish casting left/reeling right.   Seems to be a perfect combination.

You right hand people are just weird.

[Brad Reid]

23 minutes ago, jbrew73 said:

Seems like us lefties are thinking with our right brain!  I too am left handed but play guitar right handed and fish casting left/reeling right.   Seems to be a perfect combination.

You right hand people are just weird.

Ha! Funny! And, a bit true. Being left handed is a bit like being 7 feet tall and complaining you can't buy clothes "off the rack" . . . while you are signing a $10 million a year NBA contract!

 

Brad

[crypt]

5 hours ago, jbrew73 said:

Seems like us lefties are thinking with our right brain!  I too am left handed but play guitar right handed and fish casting left/reeling right.   Seems to be a perfect combination.

You right hand people are just weird.

this is it for me......

[Big Mike in Fl]

I think all of us lefties have to adjust some things, lord don’t ever look at me trying to use a skill saw! 

 

As for guitar it was always natural to me to play strumming with my left hand and fretting with my right, so I do play a “lefty” guitar, which bay the way sucks because options are limited and always priced higher. I did learn to golf righty, even though I batted lefty in baseball, and finding a good lefty glove was always difficult. I retired from golf when I was 18, found myself paying way more attention to the fish in the water hazards and realized any time I was golfing I could be fishing and would be happier. 

    I shoot guns lefty (all be it right handed  bolt actions) but I feel more natural shooting a bow right handed, I’m eye dominant neutral, meaning I can use either. I used to be seriously left eye dominant until I had to use a scope at work that could only be used by the right eye, so now either work. 

    I’m an aircraft mechanic, and can turn wrenches with either hand. Getting to some spots inside the wing of an Airplane can often dictate which hand you use. 

 

Now to the final point, as far as I know, I fish right handed in the traditional sense, on a baitcaster I hold the rod with my left hand and reel with my right. On a spinning outfit I hold the rod with my right hand and reel with my left. I always cast with whichever Hand is holding the rod, I don’t switch hands in an casts, although I do reposition for palming a baitcaster.  as far as I’ve always been concerned both of those are “right handed” but feel comfortable to me, I think it’s all about what you learned on. 

[jbmaine]

Another lefty here but somewhat ambidextrous. I shoot lefty, golf righty, bat righty, catch lefty. As for fishing, I cast with my right hand, reel with my left, except for fly fishing, I reel with my left but can cast as well with either hand.