Switching hands

[zelmo]

As a long time user of spinning rods & reels, I have always been curious why those who use baitcasters cast with their dominent hand and and then switch hands to retrieve.  Can someone explain?

[Guest the_muddy_man]

I think there was only right hand retrieve when they first made them. now Im just going to BC from spinning and I bought LH reels so i will not have to switch There some posting in the Rods,reels and line board on this same subject

[Top]

I am SO lucky... I am left handed... spinning reels you can switch the handle on no problem... and well I did so I have ALWAYS cranked with my right hand... then when I went to BC it was just a natural transition and no switching hands..                     SWEET!!!!!

AL

[Raul]

Why do we switch hands ?

Don 't know how old you are or for how long you 've been fishing with baitcasters but there used to be a time when baitcasting reels were only manufactured in righty models ( with the handle on the right side ), even though there were some manufacturers that ocassionally built lefty bcs lefty bcs were an oddity, besides, nobody carried them, so if you wanted a baitcaster you had to choose between right and righty. It wasn 't until 1985 when Shimano and Garcia began manufacturing lefty bcs in sufficient numbers, still few places carried them, obviously, after a lifetime and several generations of anglers that fished with righties they weren 't exactly selling like pancakes.

I 've fished with righties all the time I 've been fishing with baitcasters ( 20+ years ) switching hands, there 's absoultely no difference once you have created the pattern of movement, by the time the bait lands I already have the setup in my left hand ready to crank.

[zelmo]

I got my first spin cast rod & reel in 1964.  Stepped up to a spinning rig in 1968.  I actually bought a Shimano LH baitcaster from BPS in 1987, but never used it much.  I want to get some new equipment and wanted to know if there was some technical reason to go with RH retrieve.

[Plastik]

Its odd you braught this question up.  I have always wondered the same thing.  I use both Spin and BC, but mostly BC.  All of my bc's are righty, but all of my spinners are lefty.  It just feels unnatural for me to use spinning gear righty, and bc's lefty.  

Anyone else do this?

Plastik.

[Alpster]

It's all a matter of what you are used to. I am hopelessly right handed, but since I have done it all my life, cranking a spinner with the left hand is just as natural as cranking the BC with the right hand. Switching hands with a BC is so second nature and instantaneous, that it just doesn't really matter. JMHO

Ronnie

[NEBassMan]

i am a righty.  

I switch all my spinning reels to right hand reel.  And all my baitcasters are right handers.  As said, casting, then switching hands is just second nature, i don't even realize i do it anymore.  I have broke both my arms several times, so i have become use to doing things with my left arm just as much as my right.  To me personally, i feel i can fight a fish better with my left arm holding the rod, and reeling with my right hand.

Jason

[tipptruck1]

Iam right handed and switch hands in the middle of the air. All of my spinning reels get changed to right hand retrive. It also feels like I can jerk the rod better with left arm.

[Hot n Tot]

I guess I'm a  traditionalist, I'm right handed and hold the casting rods in my left hand and reel with my right. As was said, when I learned baitcasting that's about all that was offered and I never gave it a second thought. I also reel with my left hand when spinning, I guess it just feels natural because I've always done it that way. Spinning and casting to me are different, and I use both methods and don't see any reason to change.

[FishTank]

I am right handed and have fished with spinning gear for 20+ years.  I was so used to casting with my right hand and cranking with my left, that a right handed baitcaster was almost impossible to use.  I tried to learn but had no success until I tried a lefty.  Now I have a two left handed baitcaster and I love them and have no problems casting or setting the hook.  I look at it this way, why should I have to deal with switching hands if I don't have to.

[Bionicman]

I may be wierd but I am right handed and have always reeled with my right hand and casted with my left.  My BC are right handed and I always switch my spinning to the right side because it is just really awkward for me to reel with my left hand but i think it comes down to what you are comfortable with and how you first learned to reel, my dad taught me how to fish and he always reeled with his right hand so i do the same that is how i learned and everything else is jst awkward.

[bassnleo]

I reel with my left hand, cast with right.

All the BC's I but are left hand models, all spinning reels have handle positioned on left.

I never have to switch the rod over.

[fish-fighting-illini]

This has been brought up on and off in several other threads. It really seems like it comes down to " to each his own" case closed end of story. Then again it is kind of fun to see just how diverse and sometimes very opinionated the answers can be on this subject.

ps for the record right handed and reel both bc and spin with right hand

[bassclown]

Its odd you braught this question up. I have always wondered the same thing. I use both Spin and BC, but mostly BC. All of my bc's are righty, but all of my spinners are lefty. It just feels unnatural for me to use spinning gear righty, and bc's lefty.

Anyone else do this?

Plastik.

i do the same thing.

[Catt]

If my memory is correct the dude that invented bait casting reels was left handed so he cast with his left reeled with his right.