Left handed baitcasting reel

[ElijahH]

I'm right handed and I've switched completely to left handed reels. It just seemed awkward for me to cast right handed and then switch hands every single time. It just feels better to me. 

[RDB]

4 hours ago, Mastercaster said:

Being right handed, never really understood why one would chose a "right hand" BC reel as you have to switch hands to start reeling.

If you are really curious why, I’ll give it a shot as it applies to me.

 

Whichever side you choose, the hand movements are pretty much the same depending on how you hold your reel.  Personally, I have large hands & fingers and like to really palm my reels on retrieve with one or all fingers above the trigger, depending on the technique.  However, for me that is an uncomfortable casting position for feathering the spool.  I usually have my index finger around the trigger with my thumb on the spool when casting.

 

After any cast, hopefully everyone can agree that your hands come together to meet at the reel. In my case, if I cast right and reel right, post cast my left hand moves to my preferred palming position and my right moves to the handle (2 moves).  Most people consider this switching hands and therefore inefficient.

 

However, if I cast right and reel left, my left moves to the handle but I still need to reposition my right hand to my preferred palming position (2 moves).  Unless you have shorter fingers or you are fine with holding a lower palming position, you are likely subconsciously repositioning your palming hand as well.  Either way, your hands are going to meet in the middle.

 

If it feels better to switch or improves your accuracy or consistency, you should definitely switch.  As far as efficiency of movement, there is really negligible, if any difference.  I cast a LOT with my left hand as I am comfortable from both sides but there is zero difference in my start up retrieval speed.

 

The reason I choose what some consider backwards is that I personally feel more comfortable reeling with my more coordinated hand.  I certainly understand where some may want to use their more coordinated hand to control the power…I make no judgement one way or the other.  As far as efficiency of movement or starting the retrieve faster, IMO that alone isn’t a reason to switch.  I think the subject of switching hands sounds good on paper but in practice is greatly overblown.

[MJack]

I appreciate all the advice. I’m going to try it a few times. If it doesn’t feel comfortable after that, I’m returning it. We’ll see. God bless! 

[dodgeguy]

19 minutes ago, MJack said:

I appreciate all the advice. I’m going to try it a few times. If it doesn’t feel comfortable after that, I’m returning it. We’ll see. God bless! 

It takes a season to really get used to it.

[schplurg]

Greg Blanchard uses both routinely. He never says why, I would assume that some techniques are easier with one hand than the other. Jerkbait, topwater, etc.

 

For me it's tendinitis. I switch hands when I need to.

[clemsondds]

For me it comes down to efficiency.  I'm right handed so use it to cast and control spool, and left hand to reel...no switching necessary.  But hey...the more right handed reeling ppl there are..the more left handed reels there are available   

[JustJames]

I’m right hand and been using right hand reel for 30 plus years. Now I use both mainly right hand reel for moving bait, left hand reel for finesse bottom contact fluke and jerkbait. It was uncomfortable at first but really worth it for me now when working the rod for long period of time with right hand.

[PhishLI]

On 1/16/2022 at 2:13 PM, RDB said:

After any cast, hopefully everyone can agree that your hands come together to meet at the reel. In my case, if I cast right and reel right, post cast my left hand moves to my preferred palming position and my right moves to the handle (2 moves).  Most people consider this switching hands and therefore inefficient.

I'm in the do-what-makes-you-happy camp. What makes me happy is not switching hands regardless of which arm I'm casting with, and this isn't about a philosophical position on efficiency. In both situations I cast with one hand on the reel and one on the rod's butt. As soon as I grab the handle with the hand formerly on the butt I seamlessly slide up, or climb up my palming hand in to position. Feels perfectly natural to me. I'm a righty, but as it turns out I prefer working a jerkbait holding the rod and palming the reel in my left hand, so in the course of learning to cast with either arm and reeling with both left and right reels I found this out. Also, having the option to switch makes life way easier when I'm on a small boat with another person. Now boat position doesn't cause an issue whether it's clockwise, counter-clockwise, or otherwise, and I haven't slapped anyone's hat off or grazed an earlobe in a while.

[RDB]

Lol…I think you miss my point.  This was about the OP’s question, not a commentary on what others have chosen.  The only philosophical point I made was that the “efficiency” is the same.  I don’t doubt that you are super efficient moving one hand to reel and sliding your other hand to palm.  That doesn’t mean that others are not efficient moving one hand to palm and sliding the other to reel (same move, opposite hands).  It’s interesting that you have techniques that work better with the opposite hand but I didn’t see that observation in the OP’s post.  My reply was in reference to those who say that “switching” hands is somehow slower and inefficient AND therefore recommending that the OP, who has used right handed reels his entire life, keep a reel he would normally NOT keep because what he is using now is somehow wrong.  I don’t care what the OP or any others ultimately choose…as you said “use what makes you happy”.  Like you, I have also have never cast a hat off but for a different reason.  I have chosen to become just as efficient casting with both right and left hands while reeling from only one side.  Two ways to accomplish the same outcome.

[Bird]

My dominant hand is the hand closest to reel when casting.

When purchasing a baitcaster, I never pay attention to what side the crank is on as I'm about 50/50 and my hands are fiddling on the cast.

 

 

[PhishLI]

1 hour ago, RDB said:

Lol…I think you miss my point.

 Maybe. Maybe not.?

 

On a side note: I bet we wouldn't be having this conversation if left and right handed reels were available in equal measure from the beginning of time. I doubt many people would switch hands if this was so. Switching hands is an adaptation because of lack of availability of one type of reel, or that's just how they were taught by some old fart who didn't have a choice. It's akin to a right handed tennis player serving righty, but then switching the racket to his left hand to play the point. Perhaps in an oddball case this might occur, but it's certainly not the norm, and sort of whacky, IMO. With that, I'd encourage anyone who has the latitude to try something different to give it a whirl. After a short time they might just prefer it to bass-ackwards.

[Junk Fisherman]

I just picked up a left-handed reel so that I could work a jerkbait with my right hand, my dominant arm.  The downward jerk with my left hand feels awkward no matter how much I practice while it feels much more natural with my right hand.  I reel spinning reels with my left hand so I am hoping that reeling a baitcaster with my left hand will be a quick adjustment.  I like the idea of not switching hands after casting so I if I like this left-handed reel, I could see switching to lefties moving forward.  

[Deleted account]

25 minutes ago, PhishLI said:

 Maybe. Maybe not.?

 

On a side note: I bet we wouldn't be having this conversation if left and right handed reels were available in equal measure from the beginning of time. I doubt many people would switch hands if this was so. Switching hands is an adaptation because of lack of availability of one type of reel, or that's just how they were taught by some old fart who didn't have a choice. It's akin to a right handed tennis player serving righty, but then switching the racket to his left hand to play the point. Perhaps in an oddball case this might occur, but it's certainly not the norm, and sort of whacky, IMO. With that, I'd encourage anyone who has the latitude to try something different to give it a whirl. After a short time they might just prefer it to bass-akwards.

Wrong on the fishing, and wrong on the tennis. 

[RDB]

25 minutes ago, PhishLI said:

 Maybe. Maybe not.?

 

On a side note: I bet we wouldn't be having this conversation if left and right handed reels were available in equal measure from the beginning of time. I doubt many people would switch hands if this was so. Switching hands is an adaptation because of lack of availability of one type of reel, or that's just how they were taught by some old fart who didn't have a choice. It's akin to a right handed tennis player serving righty, but then switching the racket to his left hand to play the point. Perhaps in an oddball case this might occur, but it's certainly not the norm, and sort of whacky, IMO. With that, I'd encourage anyone who has the latitude to try something different to give it a whirl. After a short time they might just prefer it to bass-akwards.

You may be right.  Right handedness dominates the population but there does seem to be a cultural bias, so maybe there is some influence there.  There is a genetic component as well and it has been shown that babies in the womb start showing a preference for one hand over the other when thumb sucking, so there may be a hard wired component.  Whatever the reason, I would be willing to bet left handed reel use would be higher if you could eliminate  all bias.

[PhishLI]

28 minutes ago, Deleted account said:

Wrong

Is that you, John Mclaughlin?

[Deleted account]

57 minutes ago, PhishLI said:

Is that you, John Mclaughlin?

LOL. That show wasn't supposed to be funny, but it was.

[new2BC4bass]

16 hours ago, PhishLI said:

Also, having the option to switch makes life way easier when I'm on a small boat with another person. Now boat position doesn't cause an issue whether it's clockwise, counter-clockwise, or otherwise, and I haven't slapped anyone's hat off or grazed an earlobe in a while.

I fish from the back of a 14' canoe when I visit Florida.  Being able to use either hand benefits me in this situation.  So glad I learned to reel and cast from both sides.  Probably why my back cast(?)...cast with right arm and rod tip off left side, or vice versa...isn't the best.  I switch casting arm instead.

[Stratocat_Joe]

Growing up, I always fished with spinning gear and, being right-handed, I preferred to cast with that hand and reel with my left.  My Dad bought me my first baitcaster, which was RH, and I slowly learned how to use it but it never felt natural casting with my RH, then switching hands to reel it in.  Every baitcaster I have bought personally is LH as they fit my preference. However, I do have some RH reels that were passed down to me after my Dad passed away and I still have the RH reel he bought for me. I use them mainly for moving baits that don't require a lot of rod action (crankbaits, chatterbaits, spinnerbaits etc.).  The only issue I have is the storage rack I have in my garage and the rod holders on my boat. The opposing handles interfere with storage frequently.  When I have them on the deck, I usually keep RH on one side and LH on the other so they don't get tangled up.  The reels I got from Dad are fairly expensive but mean more to me sentimentally and I have had the occasion where I pick up one rod that is tangled with another and almost toss it over the side of the boat.

 

[PhishLI]

23 hours ago, RDB said:

Right handedness dominates the population but there does seem to be a cultural bias, so maybe there is some influence there.

Good post.

 

I've helped eight people, so far, transition from spinning to BCs, plus my brother. All are right handed including my brother, but he's unusual. He writes righty, pitched righty, casts righty, but kicks a ball with his left foot. He's always casted a spinning reel with his right, but then switches hands and reels righty. Such a weirdo.

 

The other eight guys who I've helped make the leap to BCs all had their choice of retrieve. All chose to cast right and reel left. One kid, Justin, had to wait until his birthday to get a reel, but the fam got him a RH. I told him to give it a chance. He did, but couldn't stand it after three trips. No problem because DSG takes back anything. He's happy now with his LH BC. All the guys I fish with except two are righties using LH reels and don't switch hands. My strange brother is one of the two, and the other guy learned on his father's hand me down RH reels. He's 25 years down that road, so he's conditioned to it.

 

I'm not going to claim that this small sample size represents the entire population. However, if anyone else asks for my help I won't be surprised if this lopsided trend continues, especially if they came from winding spinning reels left handed. That said I'm not deaf to the reasoning of people who make the opposite choice for themselves. In reality the downsides, if they exist at all, are negligible. Also, many righties are total spazzes with their left hand, so I understand why they'd have trouble with a LH reel. One exiled BR member would often describe this syndrome far more elegantly as lacking fine motor skills in the non-dominant hand.

 

Disclaimer:

Once again, I don't care if someone picks their left earhole with their right hand, or scratches their right butt cheek with their left hand. Have at it. Be happy.

 

 

[Deephaven]

On 1/17/2022 at 4:51 PM, RDB said:

 The only philosophical point I made was that the “efficiency” is the same.  I don’t doubt that you are super efficient moving one hand to reel and sliding your other hand to palm....

 

 

 ...I have chosen to become just as efficient casting with both right and left hands while reeling from only one side.  Two ways to accomplish the same outcome.

Efficiency is not the same.  I palm while I cast and my hand never moves.  I completely agree that being efficient at both is the best although I am losing my left handed casting as I don't do it often enough 

On 1/17/2022 at 5:53 PM, Junk Fisherman said:

I just picked up a left-handed reel so that I could work a jerkbait with my right hand, my dominant arm.  The downward jerk with my left hand feels awkward no matter how much I practice while it feels much more natural with my right hand.  I reel spinning reels with my left hand so I am hoping that reeling a baitcaster with my left hand will be a quick adjustment.  I like the idea of not switching hands after casting so I if I like this left-handed reel, I could see switching to lefties moving forward.  

Jerkbaits are one of the main driving factors that caused me to grab a left handed reel.  It is so natural that way and so awkward the opposite.

[cyclops2]

I cast right ......reel with left hand. Right is far stronger & MORE ACCURATE casting. 

[Koz]

For most of my life I had fished with left hand retrieve spinning gear and when I added baitcasters to my arsenal they were right hand retrieve. With that change it felt weird for a few hours as it took a little practice to get my cadence down.

 

My son started using my baitcaster gear, but when he bought his own baitcaster reel he opted for a left hand retrieve. I cautioned him that it might feel weird, but he insisted. That reel is now gathering dust in a closet.

 

I tried it out a few times and for whatever reason I just could not get comfortable with it. And for me, that's what it comes down to - comfort. Maybe if I had given it more time it would have been fine, but I really enjoy the right hand retrieve baitcasters that I have so I see no reason to change.

 

Give it a try. Maybe you like it. Maybe if I was catching tuna or tarpon I'd prefer the rod to be in my right hand, but for bass holding the rod in my left hand is just fine.

[RDB]

2 hours ago, Deephaven said:

Efficiency is not the same.  I palm while I cast and my hand never moves. 

On 1/16/2022 at 1:13 PM, RDB said:

Whichever side you choose, the hand movements are pretty much the same depending on how you hold your reel.  Personally, I have large hands & fingers

In my first post, you can see the caveat to my statement.