Are you a lefty or a righty?

[NavyVet1204]

I’m naturally left handed at most things in life and fishing is no exception. Bait casting, spinning, and spin cast are just better with a left hand setup ammurite??? Lol

I’m just joking guys I can fish with either hand dominantly, but I do exclusively prefer left handed setups with bait casting because it feels more fluid to me while fishing versus right handed. Wife and I both are naturally left handed and both of us fish lefty.

The only downside to left handed fishing with bait casters is that most places don’t seem to carry left handed models of reels as much as the right handed models.

[Smells like fish]

I am right handed. I can only use my right to cast and set the hook. I can reel either left or right. All my baitcasters are right hand models but I am about to order my first left hand model. I feel like for flipping and pitching or working jerkbaits I would benefit from a left hand reel. 

[Tywithay]

Born righty, but after injuries and rehab I can use both hands equally well (not sure if that's good or bad). I still cast right handed, but I'm much more comfortable working a rod with my left hand. So I reel my baitcasters and spinning reels on the right.

[Glaucus]

I'm naturally right handed and I fish what is technically considered left handed according to the industry. It makes no sense to me. My dominant hand works the baits and handles the fish and my weak hand reels. That sounds right handed to me, but whatever lol.

[N Florida Mike]

^^^ This preferably.

Except that I have a couple right hand reeling baitcasters ,so with those I work and fight the fish with the left hand, but reel and cast with the right.

 

[BrianMDTX]

I asked this question in another thread and came to my own conclusions lol. I am RH, and cast every rod with my right hand. Grew up fishing with spinning reels with the handle on the left side. Cast right, hold rod right, reel left. Feels natural. Had a baitcaster with reel on the right. Cast right, switch and hold rod left, reel right. Wanted to buy a new low-profile baitcaster and decided to get a LH. Makes sense, right? I reel a spinning reel like a demon LH, so why no a baitcaster?

 

It felt awkward. My best guess is geometry and ergonomics. A spinning reel is below the rod, so the handle is below the axis of the rod. On a baitcaster, the handle is above the axis of the rod. Other factors may be involved as well, but I know cranking the handle on a baitcaster with my left hand felt strange. I switched to the same model baitcaster, but RH, and it simply felt normal. 
 

Switching the rod from my right to my left hand after the cast is almost instantaneous. But I’d say whatever works for the angler is what they should use. There is no “right or wrong”.

 

Except holding a spinning reel above the rod. That just IS wrong! ?

[NavyVet1204]

I’m liking the responses here. If push comes to shove I can make do with a right handed bc setup. If I couldn’t find a particular combo in stock anywhere in a left handed setup for example, I wouldn’t hesitate to grab a right handed setup.

[Mobasser]

I'm right handed. Ever since I started fishing I've cast with my right hand, then switch and hold the rod with my left hand. Spin reels, I cast with my right hand, and reel with my left hand. I've been doing it this way for so long, it would be really hard to change now.

[Tennessee Boy]

So @NavyVet1204 you cast with your left hand and then switch hands so you can reel with your left?

 

I'm right handed and I do the following

 

Spinning reel - cast right reel with the left.

Slow retrieve baits on a baitcaster - cast right, reel with the left so I can make the bait sing with my dominate hand.

Fast retrieve baits on a baitcaster - cast right, switch hands, reel with the right.

[NavyVet1204]

13 minutes ago, Tennessee Boy said:

So @NavyVet1204 you cast with your left hand and then switch hands so you can reel with your left?

 

I'm right handed and I do the following

 

Spinning reel - cast right reel with the left.

Slow retrieve baits on a baitcaster - cast right, reel with the left so I can make the bait sing with my dominate hand.

Fast retrieve baits on a baitcaster - cast right, switch hands, reel with the right.

Negative. I cast with my right and then retrieve with the left so I can use my right hand to dictate action. I’m same as you with a spinning setup also. Casting with right hand and then swapping so that I can retrieve right handed feels awkward for some reason.

[dodgeguy]

4 hours ago, BrianMDTX said:

I asked this question in another thread and came to my own conclusions lol. I am RH, and cast every rod with my right hand. Grew up fishing with spinning reels with the handle on the left side. Cast right, hold rod right, reel left. Feels natural. Had a baitcaster with reel on the right. Cast right, switch and hold rod left, reel right. Wanted to buy a new low-profile baitcaster and decided to get a LH. Makes sense, right? I reel a spinning reel like a demon LH, so why no a baitcaster?

 

It felt awkward. My best guess is geometry and ergonomics. A spinning reel is below the rod, so the handle is below the axis of the rod. On a baitcaster, the handle is above the axis of the rod. Other factors may be involved as well, but I know cranking the handle on a baitcaster with my left hand felt strange. I switched to the same model baitcaster, but RH, and it simply felt normal. 
 

Switching the rod from my right to my left hand after the cast is almost instantaneous. But I’d say whatever works for the angler is what they should use. There is no “right or wrong”.

 

Except holding a spinning reel above the rod. That just IS wrong! ?

exactly

[JediAmoeba]

I am right handed and all my cranks are on the right side - even on my spinning setups.  My left hand just can't do it - I tried and it won't work.

[Gbezefromnapeze]

On 5/26/2020 at 6:32 PM, BrianMDTX said:

Except holding a spinning reel above the rod. That just IS wrong! ?

I've heard this before. Is this really a thing? 

[Glaucus]

1 hour ago, Gbezefromnapeze said:

I've heard this before. Is this really a thing? 

On the SAME DAY less than a week ago I pointed out to my girlfriend a young guy reeling with a spinning reel upside down and a middle aged man fishing a buzzbait under water like a spinnerbait. She asked if I was going to say anything. No because only the kids are receptive these days. Everyone else acts like you're wrong.

[BrianMDTX]

1 hour ago, Gbezefromnapeze said:

I've heard this before. Is this really a thing? 

Sad to say, yes. Looks as awkward as walking with shoes on the wrong feet!

[ATA]

On 5/26/2020 at 1:49 PM, Tywithay said:

Born righty, but after injuries and rehab I can use both hands equally well

But for me I cast with right hand and retrieve with left, So I am lefty when it comes to fishing.

[Tywithay]

48 minutes ago, Glaucus said:

On the SAME DAY less than a week ago I pointed out to my girlfriend a young guy reeling with a spinning reel upside down and a middle aged man fishing a buzzbait under water like a spinnerbait. She asked if I was going to say anything. No because only the kids are receptive these days. Everyone else acts like you're wrong.

If they're enjoying themselves it's not really anybody's place to tell them they're doing it wrong. Unsolicited advice is rarely well received. 

[ATA]

On 5/26/2020 at 5:55 PM, NavyVet1204 said:

I cast with my right and then retrieve with the left so I can use my right hand to dictate action

Same as me

[Bluebasser86]

Reel left handed with spinning, right handed with baitcasting, and I CANNOT interchange the two. I don't know why, I've tried, but I just can't make a left handed baitcaster, or right handed spinning reel work right.