Learning Lefty

[PBBrandon]

I stopped by Cabela’s today and saw the Carbonlite 2.0 reels on sale for 89 bucks, and had to pick one up with the 90 dollars worth of gift cards I got from Christmas. I got the last one and it was a lefty…I figured this is a perfect opportunity to learn how to fish with a left handed reel and I’m wondering how the transition from right to left was from y’all. How long did it take to get it down? And is the switch worth it? 

[TnRiver46]

It takes different people different amounts of time, only one way to find out. There are lots of old threads regarding the subject, with lots of good responses. I bought a lefty on accident when I was 13 years old with like $75 worth of quarters. I couldnt exactly take it back so I just learned to use it. I still enjoy both RH and LH baitcasters to this day 

[PhishLI]

Do you cast with your right arm already?

[QED]

Casting reels have the odd property that so-called RH reels seem to work best when casting with the left hand (and reeling with the right) whereas LH reels are often favored by right handed folks.

[islandbass]

It didn’t take long at all. Matter of fact, I learned it was actually my preferred option, lol.
 

If you already cast with your right hand, you’re probably going to pop your hand on your head and say I could have had a V8, lol. 
 

As for me, less time than I thought.
 

Here are my tips.
 

1) if you already cast with your right hand, don’t change that for now. Still cast with that hand. You will then experience the beauty of not having to switch hands during the cast.

 

2) When you’re ready to cast with your left hand, and that’s a good thing, then I highly recommend you do so with the right hand on the butt. Your right hand is “spotting” and guiding your left hand. Matter of fact, I cast with both hands whenever possible or is advantageous. IMHO, it significantly reduces arm/wrist and forearm fatigue. 

[PBBrandon]

1 hour ago, PhishLI said:

Do you cast with your right arm already?

Right hand on the reel, left on the butt. Have to switch hands after every cast lol

[Bluebasser86]

I tried for about a month, and then it hit me that if I happened to lose a giant while I was trying to learn to reel with a different hand when I had no issues doing it like I already was, I'd be mad about it for the rest of my life.

[Hammer 4]

1 hour ago, PBBrandon said:

Right hand on the reel, left on the butt. Have to switch hands after every cast lol

With the lefty, you won't have to switch hands any longer. ?

[fishhugger]

Don't seem hard at all to switch, although I am an inexperienced Fisher guy.  Iam a rightie, my first bait casters I decided it made sense to get a leftie reels.  Perfectly happy with that decision.

 

Now I'm learning too cast leftie.  Not hard.  I thought actually the thumb might be hard to get, but that's fine. Release point can  be  off, but that will come with a little experience, I'm sure.  

[jbsoonerfan]

I don't want to learn. I feel like I have never missed a fish by "switching hands" when casting, but I just can't see taking a chance on missing one while fumbling with my left hand. If I were 22, maybe, at my age, no way.

[Deleted account]

9 hours ago, QED said:

Casting reels have the odd property that so-called RH reels seem to work best when casting with the left hand (and reeling with the right) whereas LH reels are often favored by right handed folks.

No on both counts. See me in Jan for the annual specifics...

[PhishLI]

9 hours ago, PBBrandon said:

Right hand on the reel, left on the butt.

If you're used to casting and setting hooks with a spinning rod using your right arm and cranking with your left hand it shouldn't be much of stretch to adapt to this using a casting rig, if you want to. Whether you do or don't it's in your head.

[FishTank]

When I first started using baitcasters, I bought a right handed reel and just couldn't get the hang of it.  Somebody handed me a left handed one and problems solved even though I'm right handed.  I have been using left handed reels ever since. I can use both now but prefer lefties. 

[MontclairDave]

On 12/28/2021 at 9:16 AM, FishTank said:

When I first started using baitcasters, I bought a right handed reel and just couldn't get the hang of it.  Somebody handed me a left handed one and problems solved even though I'm right handed.  I have been using left handed reels ever since. I can use both now but prefer lefties. 

Same here. Started with baitcasting last year and I am a righty and used to casting a spinning rod with right hand and cranking with my left. Just seemed logical to keep that consistent by getting a left-handed baistcasting reel and it’s worked out fine. That whole cast-and-switch hands thing makes no sense to me, but to each his own.

 

I tried my buddy’s right-handed BC setup just for SAGs and I nearly threw it back at him. Felt like I had never casted a rod before. 
 

But then again, more than a few well-known Youtubers (Debo, et al) use both left- and right-handed reels, no problem. So who knows? 

[FrankN209]

I'm left handed, so all of my reels are lh. I can do rh no problem, just prefer lh, it comes more natural to me. But I'm also ambidextrous. I write and eat with my right and play sports with my left lol.

[MickD]

I use both, no problems, just seems natural either way.  I would suggest just sticking with it and it will come.

[new2BC4bass]

On 12/27/2021 at 9:50 PM, PBBrandon said:

I stopped by Cabela’s today and saw the Carbonlite 2.0 reels on sale for 89 bucks, and had to pick one up with the 90 dollars worth of gift cards I got from Christmas. I got the last one and it was a lefty…I figured this is a perfect opportunity to learn how to fish with a left handed reel and I’m wondering how the transition from right to left was from y’all. How long did it take to get it down? And is the switch worth it? 

Shouldn't take long at all unless you are one of those oddballs that just can't switch reel hands.  Sorry to the guys that fall in this category.  

 

Is it worth it?  Definitely.  For several reasons.

 

Like you I use both hands on the rod to cast.  I'm not as accurate casting LH as RH, but I'll eventually get there with enough practice.  I find it easier to be more accurate with a roll cast than an overhead cast with the left arm.

[JustJames]

@Bluebasser86really have a point about losing some big fish while learning here and if it were one of the trophy bass, I would kick myself in the arse hard.

This come down to why and how long you have used right handed reel. 
My experience after using right handed conventional reel with level wide and none level wide guide for 30 plus years. The transition wasn’t very smooth at all unlike those right hand but started left hand at very beginning.

I now can have two setup right and left same lures and switch hand once one get too tired. It is really a must for me know after a left frozen shoulder and a hard year of bad swinging golf clubs, I’m glad I can switch hand.

But I still prefer right if big fish on the line almost lost two setups while setting hook with my right hand.

[Bird]

You'll get it down 1st trip out.

I use both without issue and both feel natural. 

It's to the point that I pay no mind to which hand it is when purchasing a baitcaster. 

[Mike L]

I tried it one time and it felt like the most unnatural thing I’ve ever done. 

Switching hands has started to become one of the most talked about how-to’s and why-not’s on here for a long time. 

If it’s comfortable for you to do something and you have confidence in doing it, why change to something you have to start all over again doin?

 

But that’s me

 

 

Mike

[Delaware Valley Tackle]

What’s to learn? 

[RDB]

IMO, you would be better off learning how to cast and pitch from both sides.  I fish from a boat and have no desire to have both right and left handed reels because I would have to switch hands no matter what.  There are often situations where the cover is easier to access from one side v. the other.  As an example, depending on the direction you are moving, skipping pontoons would require you to go past the pontoon if you only use one side to cast.  Same with boat docks and many other situations.  There are probably way more fish missed because anglers don’t put their bait in the prime locations than are missed due to switching hands.  Just my 2 cents.