Right Handed/Left Handed on a Spinning Combo

[OCdockskipper]

For the past 50 plus years, I have always cast with my right hand when using either casting or spinning gear (I'm right handed).  However, with the spinning gear, I keep the rod in my right hand and reel with my left hand while with casting gear, I switch the rod to my left hand and reel with my right.  Never thought much about it.

 

Well, about a week ago, I was out fishing with a guy who was pretty proficient.  At one point, I was throwing a Ned rig & he said to me "Oh, your a lefty?".  I didn't understand the question, so he showed me that he (also right handed) casts his spinning rod with his right hand, then switches it over to his left hand in order to reel with his right hand.  While I never really paid attention to others, I don't recall ever seeing someone do that with spinning gear before, cast & then switch it over like a baitcasting combo. 

 

I have seen people like Ott DeFoe & other pros teach themselves with casting gear to cast right handed and then reel left handed in order to not be changing hands, but always looked a that as a non-typical skill.  I recall having been taught to cast with the handle facing up, so it was therefore necessary to change the rod to the left hand to reel.

 

So which way is the "traditional way" for spinning gear?

[MN Fisher]

Just now, OCdockskipper said:

So which way is the "traditional way" for spinning gear?

Most old spinning reels were left-hand retrieve...my (long lost) Mitchell 320 and Pflueger 640 were both fixed left-hand...and it was hard to find right-hand retrieve spinners. So I cast with my right and retrieved left.

 

After getting my first BC...which was right-hand retrieve...was when I also got hold of my first switchable retrieve spinner - the Cardinal 562...and switched it to right-hand also.

 

Now all my reels are set up for right-hand retrieve and I cast with my left - which is my stronger arm.

[Hammer 4]

I'm a righty, have always casted with my right and reeled with my left for both spinning and casting. no switching hands..

[newriverfisherman1953]

I’m a lefty. 50 years ago I ordered Mitchell 301 and 309’s with right hand retrieve. I cast left handed and reel right handed. By the way, I still have two 301’s and two 309’s. Might have to break one of them out and do it old school this year. 

[Finessegenics]

As far as I know, casting with the right and reeling with the left hand is traditional for spinning gear, simply because most people are dominant with their right arm. I don't know why the same did not carry over to baitcasters. As I can already see by the replies to your post, it seems most people like to cast and hold their rod with their dominant arm. 

 

This isn't relevant to your post but I couldn't resist mentioning it ? I don't switch when using a baitcaster. I cast with my right and reel with my left with both spinning and b/c. For me, the only downside to not switching on a baitcaster is the slight movement I have to make to palm the reel after making my cast. Obviously, it's become automatic for me and I'm much more comfortable doing that than switching hands. 

 

[Jigfishn10]

I never used a spinning set up. I started with a fly rod then a right handed casting reel. 
I was really messed up when I was handed a left handed spinning set up. Didn’t know how to cast it!?

I figured out how to switch the handle and all was alright with the world.

 

As a right handed person though, in my mind I should be cranking left handed. Just not at this stage in my life. ?

 

[OCdockskipper]

The only rationalization I could come up with using your strong arm to hold spinning rods and off hand to hold casting rods (after the cast) was the differences in how the combos are used in freshwater.

 

Most fish fighting and lure manipulation with a spinning combo is done with the rod, the reel is just collecting & holding the line.  Therefore, it makes sense that your strong arm is doing the work.

 

With a casting combo, you are often using the reel to manipulate the bait (think moving baits, stop, start, speed up) or trying to winch a fish out of cover, so using your strong arm (hand) to reel seems appropriate.

 

Where this doesn't apply is when using casting gear for jerkbaits or when setting the hook with jigs or plastics.  One would think the stronger arm would be better suited for these tasks. 

[BrianMDTX]

I cast with my right and reel with my left with spinning rigs. I cast with my right and reel with my right...and left...with baitcasters. I have both left and right retrieves. 

[Bankc]

I'm right handed and use right handed reels for casting and left handed reels for spinning.  So I'm always casting and retrieving with my right hand, which means I switch hands with both setups.  The only time I don't switch hands is when I'm flipping or pitching, where I pitch left handed.  And usually when I do switch hands, I'm doing it while the lure is still in the air, which is why I don't switch for pitching and flipping.  

 

I can also cast and retrieve left handed, but I feel more comfortable the other way because that's how I started.  I'm not very coordinated, but most fishing activities don't require much speed or dexterity.  Typing is probably more demanding.  

[MIbassyaker]

3 hours ago, OCdockskipper said:

With a casting combo, you are often using the reel to manipulate the bait (think moving baits, stop, start, speed up) or trying to winch a fish out of cover, so using your strong arm (hand) to reel seems appropriate.

I'm a right-hander an I have heard this before and......I confess, I cannot intuitively comprehend the notion that reeling, of all things, should require my dominant hand whereas working the bait, setting the hook, and fighting fish should not.

 

But I learned how to fish on spinning -- cast right, crank left for everything.   I came to baitcasting only of late.  My left hand & arm knows how to turn a reel. What it doesn't know how to do is hold a rod, cast a rod, work a rod, thumb a spool, or set the hook, or apply proper leverage with a fish on. When I picked up baitcasters for the first time, I immediately discovered left-handed reels were what I wanted....Cast right with both, reel right with both.  No difference between the two.

 

Sounds like the guy you were fishing with simply treats spinning the way I treat baitcasting. He switches hands with one, so he switches with the other too.  I don't switch with the one I learned first, so I don't switch with the other either.

[fissure_man]

IMO a hand-switch is a bit more disruptive and clumsy using spinning gear than it is with casting gear.

 

With a casting reel, your free hand grips in a different location than your casting hand (palming, vs trigger grip to operate the thumb bar). With a spinning reel, you’d need to move your casting hand out of the way so that your free hand can grip in its place.

 

If you don’t switch hands with a casting reel, you need to move your grip hand into palming position anyway, which is arguably as disruptive as switching hands. That’s not the case on a spinning reel. Some do use the same grip for casting/retrieving with a casting reel; I tried and couldn’t get comfortable, found it to compromise both grips even using those old purpose-built, non-mirrored TDX and TDZ.

 

Ultimately, the benefits of one technique over another only matter on the internet. Certainly no one should sacrifice comfort or coordination to do things the way someone else thinks is right. “Strong arm vs. weak arm” only matters if we’re pushing the limits of our strength and endurance, is that ever the case with a bass?

[Deephaven]

I never change hands with the rod.  Makes zero sense to me.  Regardless of whether you are right or left handed you should learn to cast with the hand that isn't reeling.  While in the past you could argue that your dominant hand should reel in certain applications where speed is necessary, ultra high speed reels resolve that.  My dominant hand is way more capable at articulating the rod and has more sensitivity than my other.  Can't see how having it in the other could be considered a good idea.

[fissure_man]

2 minutes ago, Deephaven said:

 My dominant hand is way more capable at articulating the rod and has more sensitivity than my other.  Can't see how having it in the other could be considered a good idea.

 

Sounds like it wouldn't be a good idea... for you.

[Deleted account]

Way to warm, and the fishing is too good right (pun intended) now, so I will Zombie this thing next January. I'll just say that cast right, reel left IS "right handed" for spinning.

[OCdockskipper]

13 hours ago, fissure_man said:

“Strong arm vs. weak arm” only matters if we’re pushing the limits of our strength and endurance, is that ever the case with a bass?

 

I agree with your points, I should have used the word "dominant" instead of "strong" because the idea I was getting at was about co-ordination.  My left arm/hand is not weak, but is not near as coordinated as my right.  I know that is not the case with everyone, there are many people who are amazingly coordinated with both arms/hands, I'm just not one of them.

 

Think of that Zona episode where he throws the marker buoy with his left hand ?.  That's me as well.

[bulldog1935]

The topic comes up on every forum.  

Fly tackle and traditional bait tackle, the idea was change hands, both cast and retrieve with dominant hand.  If you go back 200 years to the origins of this tackle, people weren't in a hurry, and they also didn't cast a lot.  (a lot of it had to do with 30-oz, 12-15' wood rods)

 

With the newfangled spinning tackle, especially if you look at postwar Mitchell - a reel you couldn't manual-bail - also with prewar early spinning tackle with no form of anti-reverse - you can't let go of the handle without losing all your line.  So the idea was full-time cast right and reel left to be able to retrieve as soon as possible.  

 

As far as personal preference, here's what I wrote about it last time it was polled on a different forum

My daughter changes hands to both cast and wind with right hand on all tackle.
Have to keep her spinning reels set up for RHW.
(she's all grown now and wrestling for Lady Aggies)

I was writing with both hands in 1st grade, and the teacher rubber-banded the pencil to my right. There's no rhyme or reason to my preferences and muscle memory, throw left, bat right, etc. Like most south paws, don't really have a dominant hand.
So I grew up using all tackle the way it came off the shelf, casting and winding with either arm/hand.

What most people don't get with fly casting until they begin using haul, is that your line hand is more important than your rod hand, because that's where you feel the rod load through the line, and where you modulate timing and power. Night fishing, vertical back-cast, change-direction cast - all need haul, and it should become natural in all casts.
I did notice catching 30+" Kenai rainbows with guide's rod, I can't wind as fast with LH as RH.
In general, my left arm is power, and my right hand is finesse.

[Deplorable Fisherman]

I used to cast with right hand and then switch to holding the rod with my left hand on bait casters with right hand retrieve. I injured my left shoulder years back (rotator cuff) but wanted to keep fishing so I picked up a couple of left hand retrieve bait casters so all I had to do was turn that little handle with my left hand. I've since switched to all left hand retrieve even though the shoulder has been back in shape for years because even though it felt odd at first, after just a couple of hours of using them that way, it made total sense and ended up feeling way more natural. I want my right hand to hold the rod as it is my dominant hand. If you throw a ball with your right hand, sign your checks with your right hand...you should be holding your rod with the right hand. 

[JustJames]

Dominant hand? What would be the best benefit? Holding the rod or cranking the handle? 

There are always two sides of coin. when fighting fish, big fish. I’d rather use my dominant hand to crank the handle. When fishing specific techniques (a lot of shaking and precise movement) then my dominant hand would present it better.

it is only take 1 second to switch hand or you can switch hand while lure flying out, don’t use that as excuse to only stick to one hand retrieve. It is also take one miss spin the handle to lose that big fish. 
I use spinning both hand (you should utilizing the benefit of be able to switch the handle). I also use right and left baitcaster. I always cast right (distance and accuracy) but I can cast left (back hand) not as bad. 

6 hours ago, bulldog1935 said:

.
In general, my left arm is power, and my right hand is finesse.

 

[bulldog1935]

As I mentioned, the only time it made a difference for me was cranking a fly reel against a charging 30" Kenai rainbow - LHW came up short and cost me a fish.  Otherwise, I'm so left/right brain, I don't really care, though my muscle memory is trained for rods to fly- and bait-cast LH, and cast a spinning rod RH.