Stoopid question? LH vs RH baitcasters

[BrianMDTX]

So...every spinning reel I’ve used in my life (as a RH) has had the handle on the left side of the reel. Yet baitcasters for RH have the handle on the right side of the reel. Is there a true reason for that? Do 99.9% of all RH anglers use a baitcaster with the reel on the right side, vs the left on a spinning reel? 
 

I need to ponder this more over a Guinness. What’s your take? 

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

You’ll get all kinds of theories on this. Whatever the original intention, where we are at today it’s 100% personal preference. I’m right handed and prefer lefty casting reels but own and use both. 

[Hammer 4]

32 minutes ago, Delaware Valley Tackle said:

You’ll get all kinds of theories on this. Whatever the original intention, where we are at today it’s 100% personal preference. I’m right handed and prefer lefty casting reels but own and use both. 

^^^^^^^ This..Use whatever suits you best.

[BrianMDTX]

Well, I’ll agree with both of you- use what you want and is comfortable.  But something tells me there must have been a reason lol. 

[Hammer 4]

57 minutes ago, BrianMDTX said:

So...every spinning reel I’ve used in my life (as a RH) has had the handle on the left side of the reel. Yet baitcasters for RH have the handle on the right side of the reel. Is there a true reason for that? Do 99.9% of all RH anglers use a baitcaster with the reel on the right side, vs the left on a spinning reel? 
 

I need to ponder this more over a Guinness. What’s your take? 

I'm right handed. I cast with my right, but reel with my left hand. My take is why switch hands is why I use a left hand reel, both in spinning and basitcasting.

[garroyo130]

Right handed baitcasters and spinning reels get the handled moved as well 

[Mike L]

Cast right, reel right. 
Switching hands is a non factor as the switch is already done before the line hits the water. 
 

I don’t use spinning gear. 

 

Mike

[Log Catcher]

I use right handed reels in both baitcasting and spinning reels. I cast right handed and then switch the rod to my left hand and reel right handed. That is how I learned to fish and it has never bothered me switching hands with the rod.

[Teal]

Fish right handed reels.  I fish right handed but I'm a natural lefty.  I watch a video on fb of a little boy probably 5 years old flipping and pitching.  He was using a left handed reel, fishing right handed, he never changed hands.  It.got me thinking, maybe I'll try it.  If a kindergartner can do it, I can

  

[WRB]

Early spinning reels were French made and the handles were convertible left or right hand. Micheal spinning reels, also French made, came out with handle on the left side and became very popular in the late 50's setting the bar.

Bait casting reels known as conventional reels had handle the right side only before free spool casting reels became popular. The reason is the older reel cast better with the handles upright and the majority of people are right handed. Holding a pistol grip rod with a reel that had the handles spinning upright the wrist functions properly with the thumb on the spool.

Today rods have straight handles, rels are availble right or left handed so the history has little meaning to modern reels.

Tom

[RoLo]

I'm right-handed, so it naturally follows that all my casting reels are "Left-handed".

Is there any reason for this anomaly?  SEARCH ME!    

Perhaps the designer of the first casting reel was a south paw...I really don't care.

 

Roger

[king fisher]

Like Tom said.  First popular spinning reels had left hand only retrieve.  First popular level wind were right hand only.  I grew up with these options, and became set in my ways.  I prefer to cast with my right hand and reel with my left for spinning, and cast with my right and reel with my right for conventional.  Very awkward for me to reel a left handed bait caster.  I need to get over the awkwardness because left hand does make more sense. When I first started using a spinning reel, I actually turned the rod upside down and reeled backwards with my right hand.  I had to force myself to reel forward with my left in order to keep my friends from laughing.  I learned to fly fish at a time when most reels were capable of either left or right, so I will do either with no preference.  

[Bird]

Your motor skills will adapt to either. 

 

Half of my baitcasters are L- handed and the other half R - handed and never really notice or have a preference as both are casted R - handed, if that makes sense. 

[Cgolf]

All of my baitcasters are right handed except one that got sent to me in error that was left handed. They gave me even more off the sale price for the mistake so I kept it. After a couple of casts getting used to holding a casting rod in my right hand, it was business as usual. The hardest part was holding the rod, not reeling.

[dodgeguy]

2 hours ago, Mike L said:

Cast right, reel right. 
Switching hands is a non factor as the switch is already done before the line hits the water. 
 

I don’t use spinning gear. 

 

Mike

me either

[FishTank]

I'm right handed and use left handed reels.  I cast with my right and don't switch hands.  I know it sounds weird but it feels natural to me.  Like batting right handed and standing on the left side of the plate or swinging an ax right handed but holding it in my left before I swing> just weird stuff like that. 

[RoLo]

7 minutes ago, FishTank said:

I'm right handed and use left handed reels.  I cast with my right and don't switch hands.  I know it sounds weird but it feels natural to me.  Like batting right handed and standing on the left side of the plate or swinging an ax right handed but holding it in my left before I swing> just weird stuff like that. 

Why should casting with your dominant arm sound weird?

Why should pumping trophy fish with your dominant arm sound weird?

Why should winding slack line with your subordinate hand sound weird?

Why should NOT having to swap hands after every cast sound weird?

 

Roger

[DitchPanda]

I'm right handed and reel both types right handed. Don't care about switching hands after each cast..as said above its switched before the bait splashes down.

[PhishLI]

Cast with right, crank with left. I have one righty reel with me always for casting with my left arm due to boat position or casting down the shore to the right. No hand switching for me, 'cause I'm not weird. ?

[kayaking_kev]

There's a technical answer that usually gets posted in these LH vs RH threads, @roadwarrior was who I seen who posted it.

 

It's all about preference, some people want to try to say there is a right way and a wrong way, but what's right for one person isn't always right for another. That's pretty much the case is most aspects of fishing.

 

I'm RH and prefer to reel RH. I wanted to try LH reels out and bought 3 LH Daiwas, JDM Catalina, Tatula 100, Tatula CT Type-R and tried them out. I couldn't reel near as fast left handed, but it could be due to my brain surgery that left my left side weaker and others may be able to get used to it after awhile.

 

But the reeling was just one of the problems I was having. Everything else felt different as well, such as holding the rod, pulling out line and backlashes. Maybe I could of got used to some of it after awhile, but I felt it was more of an disadvantage for me overall, compared to a RH where all I had to worry about was switching hands after a cast, which is so automatic anymore that it's usually done before the lure even hits the water. If I were someone who constantly flipped & pitched, maybe it would be more worth it. I ended up getting rid of those 3 LH reels and going back to all RH.

 

 

[Revival]

This is my theory.  If I did a 1 arm tug of war with someone, I would want my dominant hand holding the rope.  So my dominant hand holds the rod when I play tug of war with a fish.

[BrianMDTX]

13 minutes ago, kayaking_kev said:

There's a technical answer that usually gets posted in these LH vs RH threads, @roadwarrior was who I seen who posted it.

 

It's all about preference, some people want to try to say there is a right way and a wrong way, but what's right for one person isn't always right for another. That's pretty much the case is most aspects of fishing.

 

I'm RH and prefer to reel RH. I wanted to try LH reels out and bought 3 LH Daiwas, JDM Catalina, Tatula 100, Tatula CT Type-R and tried them out. I couldn't reel near as fast left handed, but it could be due to my brain surgery that left my left side weaker and others may be able to get used to it after awhile.

 

But the reeling was just one of the problems I was having. Everything else felt different as well, such as holding the rod, pulling out line and backlashes. Maybe I could of got used to some of it after awhile, but I felt it was more of an disadvantage for me overall, compared to a RH where all I had to worry about was switching hands after a cast, which is so automatic anymore that it's usually done before the lure even hits the water. If I were someone who constantly flipped & pitched, maybe it would be more worth it. I ended up getting rid of those 3 LH reels and going back to all RH.

 

 

I have used spinning rods for 90% of my fishing, so I guess I never felt handicapped by holding the rod in my right hand and reeling with my left. Then again, using the one baitcaster I had, I also never felt “abnormal” casting with my right hand, then switching to my left for holding the rod and reeling with my right. Which always struck me as odd as anything else I do left-handed makes me look like I’m seriously challenged. I’m no switch hitter at the plate lol. 
 

I got a deal on a LH baitcaster, so I guess I will see if it makes a difference (to me) reeling with my left hand vs my right. Having reeled so many spinning reels left handed, I’m thinking it will not be an issue. 

[WRB]

You will never be an accurate caster if your dominate eye is opposite your dominate hand. If are right handed and left eye dominate the target you see isn't acculaly located where you think it is.

Tom

[kayaking_kev]

5 hours ago, BrianMDTX said:

I have used spinning rods for 90% of my fishing, so I guess I never felt handicapped by holding the rod in my right hand and reeling with my left. Then again, using the one baitcaster I had, I also never felt “abnormal” casting with my right hand, then switching to my left for holding the rod and reeling with my right. Which always struck me as odd as anything else I do left-handed makes me look like I’m seriously challenged. I’m no switch hitter at the plate lol. 
 

I got a deal on a LH baitcaster, so I guess I will see if it makes a difference (to me) reeling with my left hand vs my right. Having reeled so many spinning reels left handed, I’m thinking it will not be an issue. 

It might be easier for you since you are used to a spinning setup, but it is a little different. Others have made the point before that a casting reel is on top and a spinning reel is on bottom, and it makes a big difference in the fine motor skills needed for each one. I never used spinning gear a lot, but I don't feel uncomfortable reeling them left handed. I used to switch hit, but can't reel a LH BC half as fast as RH, and my left wrist just isn't used to it so it's gets fatigued quickly.

5 hours ago, BaitFinesse said:

That's a normal reaction to reeling left handed when right handed.  If you do it enough you eventually adapt.  The only advantage to reel left handed is that you can quickly engage the reel after a cast but this requires you to palm the reel while casting or to not palm the reel at all so you have the same grip on the rod and reel in both casting and reeling.  Both are just weird and unnatural feeling as reeling with your non dominant hand of not more so.  Not worth the effort IMO.  Too much weird.  

That was another thing. I liked palming the reel more with my right hand, but I still had to adjust it after the cast to palm it and that took as much time as me switching hands. I tried casting with the reel palmed and wasn't satisfied. 

[Fin S]

I'm a righty that uses left-handed baitcasters. I actually learned to baitcast with a RH reel that I borrowed, but when I bought my first reel, I went LH and liked it better. Reeling with either hand is equally easy for me, but working a lure and playing a fish I prefer to do with my dominant hand. Plus, why change hands all day if you don't have to? See if you can borrow one of each before you buy. If not, rent one of each from Tackle Warehouse. I think it's $20 per reel. That might also help you decide which reel brands you like.