Casting to your left, my first post

[Plopperwhopper]

Hi guys. Just made an account here. Been reading for probably 2 years now. I’ve been fishing most of my life and I never really noticed until recently how I cast baits to my left when bank fishing. I’m a right hand retrieve and I can overhand cast any way just fine. I can roll cast, underhand cast, pitch, skip to my right or in front of me on the bank all day long. I always cast the reel (baitcaster or spinning)with my left hand and my right hand on the butt. I am not ambidextrous at all and when I cast to the left with cover along the bank,I can make semi accurate casts still but only by doing a weird backhand/underhand cast where my arms almost cross as I load up the rod. I can’t switch hands to cast. Is anyone else like this? Can most of you switch hands at will? Any pointers for me? The more I notice it the more I want to learn to switch hands. Thanks. This might be a weird question but where else can I ask? Haha

[MN Fisher]

Only time I use two hands to cast is if I'm trying to bomb one out there. Otherwise it's just one hand on the rod during casts.

 

Try practicing one-handed casts...makes backhand casts much easier.

[schplurg]

I don't know that many people can switch hands. I've been in similar threads and most don't seem to. I do switch though lol but it's because of tendinitis. I never cast one-handed either. I fish from shore mostly so that's probably why.

 

I'd give advice but my last cast I made down the bank to the left (yesterday) ended up landing way way up in a tree on shore! Crankbait.

 

I watched my video of the cast and as soon as I released it I said, "Nope I'm not getting that one back." Tried to slow it down with my hand (spinning reel) and missed the line.

[DogBone_384]

Firstly, welcome to the forum.  I know a few people that cast with both hands.  It's a great talent, congrats!

[livin2fish]

I'm right handed.  When getting back into fishing after about 40 years my right elbow began to show tendinitis symptoms.  I forced myself to learn to cast with my left hand.  Figured I'd need be able to switch off as needed.  Now I feel comfortable casting with either hand, but still use two hands on the rod to take the strain off the elbows and wrists.  Pitching is one handed, and I prefer pitching with the left.  With spinning I change the reel handle back and forth from left side to right side based on my whim at the time or if my right arm is getting tired from casting.  

[PhishLI]

1 hour ago, Plopperwhopper said:

Any pointers for me

Start out by holding the rod with two hands on your natural side, one on the butt and one on the reel. Look in a mirror and observe how you're positioned. Reverse that position and start from there. It may seem frustrating at first, but you'll have breakthroughs if you stick with it.

[WRB]

If accuracy is poor it may be do to eye dominance, do you know if you are left or right eye dominate?

Tom

[Bird]

I don't think I've ever casted with my left hand, I'm right handed. 

Always 2 handed cast with a baitcaster and 1 hand with spinning but can retrieve either. 

 

I'm either no good or don't like back handing casting gear.

[blckshirt98]

I'm right handed and always cast with my right hand, and like throwing a baseball it's easier to cast to the front, left, and slightly to the right as my shoulder rotation allows.  I also always like to cast with two hands, with my left hand on the butt of the rod to help control accuracy.  With a spinning rod I can dial in a cast where I can get within a foot or so of my target.

[Teal]

Welcome!  

 

I'm weird, I'm left handed but i do a lot of.things right handed.   I shoot and carry firearms right handed.   I play softball left handed, I bat left handed but i can bat right handed as well   I fish right handed almost completely although I can pitch either hamded .  If my.target is in front of to my get I'll go right handed, if it's to my right, I'll either switch hands, or use the back handed pitch    its taken.a lot of years pf.picking back lashes out and pulling down limbs to retrieve lures.   Practice practice

[Hammer 4]

I'm right handed, cast with my right, reel with my left hand. I had cataracts in both eyes, I had a lens replacement in my left eye, right eye is very blurry. If I make a bomb type cast, it will go to the left, If I don't focus. I can make sidearm and roll cast's just fine. So being that I'm really left eye dominate I have to concentrate more if I want to hot my target, and not wind up casting to the left of it.

[Plopperwhopper]

 

On 4/29/2020 at 6:08 PM, PhishLI said:

Start out by holding the rod with two hands on your natural side, one on the butt and one on the reel. Look in a mirror and observe how you're positioned. Reverse that position and start from there. It may seem frustrating at first, but you'll have breakthroughs if you stick with it.

I will definitely try that, thanks! 

On 4/29/2020 at 6:11 PM, WRB said:

If accuracy is poor it may be do to eye dominance, do you know if you are left or right eye dominate?

Tom

I am left handed and right eye dominant. I know with shooting a gun, I’ve had to make major adjustments to be any good. I am pretty accurate casting to the left but not quite as much when casting my natural way. 

On 4/29/2020 at 6:14 PM, Bird said:

I don't think I've ever casted with my left hand, I'm right handed. 

Always 2 handed cast with a baitcaster and 1 hand with spinning but can retrieve either. 

 

I'm either no good or don't like back handing casting gear.

I can’t cast with one hand at all, even with spinning gear. I think I just trained myself to do things one way over the years and now I don’t know how to change lol 

On 4/29/2020 at 6:21 PM, Teal said:

Welcome!  

 

I'm weird, I'm left handed but i do a lot of.things right handed.   I shoot and carry firearms right handed.   I play softball left handed, I bat left handed but i can bat right handed as well   I fish right handed almost completely although I can pitch either hamded .  If my.target is in front of to my get I'll go right handed, if it's to my right, I'll either switch hands, or use the back handed pitch    its taken.a lot of years pf.picking back lashes out and pulling down limbs to retrieve lures.   Practice practice

I’m the exact same as you in every way except I can’t bat right handed. Thanks for the reply 

[Teal]

I'm right eye dominant too.  I had a lot of work to do on the range at the police academy 18 years ago.  But now it's second nature

[TnRiver46]

I cast with both hands for baitcasting, been trying to practice left only on my last several trips. Spinning reels I can only reel with my left but I bet with practice I could change that. No need to though, you can switch the reel on spinners 

[WRB]

I am left eye dominate and right handed but reasonably ambidextrous as fracas casting is concerned. When you hold your hands straight out forming a triangle hole with your thumbs and index fingers then looking through the hole with both eyes the distance object is centered. You see everything using both eyes in this manner. The problem is beingvoppositeceye dominate the object isn't where you see it, it's over to the side of the dominate eye, several feet when casting. 

Trying to adjust to not seeing objects where they are not located creates a major accuracy problem, you tend to add windage to allow for error. You will never be accurate unless you change to using the same hand as the dominate eye.

Tom

[A-Jay]

3 hours ago, Plopperwhopper said:

Hi guys. Just made an account here. Been reading for probably 2 years now. I’ve been fishing most of my life and I never really noticed until recently how I cast baits to my left when bank fishing. I’m a right hand retrieve and I can overhand cast any way just fine. I can roll cast, underhand cast, pitch, skip to my right or in front of me on the bank all day long. I always cast the reel (baitcaster or spinning)with my left hand and my right hand on the butt. I am not ambidextrous at all and when I cast to the left with cover along the bank,I can make semi accurate casts still but only by doing a weird backhand/underhand cast where my arms almost cross as I load up the rod. I can’t switch hands to cast. Is anyone else like this? Can most of you switch hands at will? Any pointers for me? The more I notice it the more I want to learn to switch hands. Thanks. This might be a weird question but where else can I ask? Haha

Hello and Welcome to Bass Resource ~ 

I cast with two hands - always have. 

When using casting gear, I'll often cast from either 'side'.

Helps to share the work load; especially advantageous when bomb casting a heavy spinner bait for 6 hours or so.

Like anything, takes practice I guess.

A-Jay

[Teal]

@WRB its helped over the years if I'm using my.left hand for off hand/ free hand shooting, batting left handed, and casting left handed to squint or close my left eye, so I'm getting the whole picture from my right eye.. it works for me.  But like most people who's hands and eyes arent on the same page, I'm reasonably ambidextrous.   

[Ksam1234]

I also cast with two hands when using a casting rod , maybe even spinning sometimes to.. I rarely use one hand 

[WRB]

Your normal casting motion with a baitcasting reel should be one handed, the wrist in a nuetral position with reel handles upright or a slight angle, not parallel. Your wrist doesn't move properly with the thump upright, it works easier with the thumb towards your body. Using this casting motion the rod handle clears your for arm naturally making one handed cast a lot easier. Tow handed casts are usually done for extra leverage using longer rods.

Practice back handed casts towards the side you hold the rod. Standard side arm cast towards the opposite side. Roll or loop cast to the same side you hold the rod. Over head cast the direction you facing being aware the lure arc is higher but achieving longer casting distance. Your elbow shouldn't be lifted like a baseball bat swing.

Tom 

[Fishes in trees]

Can you just move your feet so that you're casting forward?

[NHBull]

A few years ago I found myself doing the lake clockwise. As the wind was always changing there were times that I wanted to approach things counter clockwise.  After realizing the lack of accuracy, I spent much more time on the backhand cast.  It doesn’t take long to improve

good luck

[Plopperwhopper]

1 hour ago, Fishes in trees said:

Can you just move your feet so that you're casting forward?

Usually I will do that, especially when I’m on a boat. I only run into a problem when I have trees or some obstruction to my left side on the bank when I’m forced to backhand.

[DomQ]

Whenever I'm in a boat I'm always stuck at the back and being right handed I had to pretty much adapt to being able to cast with my left hand if we were cruising with the bank to my left. Everything takes practice, all you have to do.

[BassNJake]

I use 2 hands to cast and prefer to use a backhand cast.

I have a 16 foot boat and 7 foot rods.

I would often smack the console when casting right handed (these make for the best bird nests too)

This forced me to use a backhanded cast

 

Like anything practice is the key to getting better

Doesn't have to be limited to on the water practice

Casting in the yard helps a lot

[Fishingmickey]

12 hours ago, Teal said:

Welcome!  

 

I'm weird, I'm left handed but i do a lot of.things right handed.   I shoot and carry firearms right handed.   I play softball left handed, I bat left handed but i can bat right handed as well   I fish right handed almost completely although I can pitch either hamded .  If my.target is in front of to my get I'll go right handed, if it's to my right, I'll either switch hands, or use the back handed pitch    its taken.a lot of years pf.picking back lashes out and pulling down limbs to retrieve lures.   Practice practice

I'm a lefty righty too. Baitcaster never changes hands and spinning I do change hands with the rod when I cast.

FM