Do you switch hands when you cast a baitcaster?

["Lunker Hunter"]

I have both right hand and left hand baitcasters, and do switch when using a right handed one. I bought the left hand retreive in order to make my transition from spinning reels which I have set up as left hand retrieves. I feel that I have better touch or feel with my right hand on the rod and or line when fishing. I also think someone new should do what feels right for them as well.

[BassThumb]

I switch hands and use righty reels with many of my rigs, but use lefty reels on my jig/T-rig/flip/pitch setups. Wouldn't have it any other way. I hate switching handing while pitching in particular. I prefer keeping my dominant right hand on the rod with all spinning rigs or finesse/bottom contact presentations, probably because I grew up river fishing smallies with spinning tackle and lefty reels. Any avid pitcher who's right handed should give a lefty reel a shot. I bet you'll never go back.

[tnriverluver]

I am left handed so luckily not necessary for me to switch

[200racing]

i palm any baitcaster so i would stil be moving my hands after the cast if i had a lefthand retrieve.

[MemphisFF]

I do not switch hands as I am left handed and cast with left hand.  I also put the cranking handle on spinning reels on the right hand side also. 

This is also what I do, I learned throwing on the old ambassadors also. I'm lefty throwing righty reeling just feels natural, I'm kinda confused should I be using a left handled reel?

[Highhawk1948]

I purchased a left handed baitcaster for flipping. Handles got in the way so I went back to switching. The left handed reel makes a great pitching reel for me though. I have set the hook with my thumb holding down the line before engaging the handles!

[Busy]

I cast right-handed and reel right-handed on both spinning and casting set-ups. Sometimes I switch hands before the bait hits the water but it's not something I think about. I too will set the hook before or while engaging the handle with jigs and weighted soft plastics by thumbing the spool because I usually don't engage the handle until I hit the bottom.

[Scooter1]

Cast open face rods with my right hand and reel with my left hand. Cast a free-spool with my left hand and reel with my right hand. No need to switch hands. Taught myself many years ago and is comfortable for me.

[logan9209]

I'm not knocking those who don't switch. I do want you to think about something though. Let's say I make a long cast. The chances of a bass jumping out of the water to get my lure is very slim. Meaning, I have time to switch. With a short cast, I'm so using to switching that I actually can switch right as the lure hits the water.

Now, if I was striper fishing chances are good that I would attempt to learn to either cast with my left hand or get used to reeling with my left hand. I've seen a couple of people fishing around here with spinning reels. They will make their casts and the turn the rod over so that they are using it like a spin cast or a bait cast reel. As weird as that is I don't fuss at them or bug them about it.

10 times outta 10 I lose fish due to either getting excited and setting the hook way too early or I had the hook buried a little too deep on a tex posed soft plastic. Oh, once in a blue moon I will lose one cause it had the part of the worm or whatever that doesn't have the hook. But with that scenario I refer you to the first reason I lose fish.

Like I said before, I've seen too many pros do it. Pros who have won major tourneys and also gotten angler of the year. Point being is that fishing only has a few small hard set rules. The rest is left up to the angler. Don't be afraid to experiment, but also don't be afraid to fish what feels most natural to you. Heck, the swim jig came about because someone realized that fish could be caught on a jig that's being swam back to them. I'm sure a lot of people said "That's not how you use a jig!" or "You can't catch fish that way!". But it did and it does.

It takes me less than 5 seconds to switch. If I am missing bass in that short of time, then I'm thinking they don't really want that lure. I'm more likely to miss a bass by making a cast, tightening the line a bit, and setting the rod down to roll me a cigarette. Which I have been known to do (I can't ever think to do it before hand). I am actually more likely to watch my line as it hits the water when I switch. The reason being is I'm waiting for that 10 pounder or bigger to try to take the rod from my hand. Which at that point I would probably keep the rod in my right hand long enough to set the hook and then quickly change hands.

Having said all that, I would love to get my left arm accustomed to making side casts and under handed side casts. Because with a bait cast reel I am limited (in some scenarios) to casting in a 120 degree area and I am missing those fish in the 40 degree area. Especially when I am bank fishing and my buddy wants to fish on the left side of me. At that point I'm limited to just a 40 degree area if there are trees near me. At least with pitching and flipping I have up to 40 feet. Still, I would miss out on some bass. With the spinning and spin cast I can make those casts because I can lift my rod over my left shoulder and cast. I've done that countless times.

Oh, on a side note......We finally got rain last night. 2-3 hours of it! Woot!

[bknap]

I switch when I flip or pitch, I cant get it down pitching with my left hand but I really need to try and learn not to switch. but i can cast with my left hand kinda wierd !

Brandon

[new2BC4bass]

Logan, several times I have had fish hit a lure just as it touches down. It is like they were waiting there saying "Come to Poppa." I don't switch until after the lure lands in case I have to feather the spool or need to stop it quickly. I use either hand to reel with. About half my reels are right handed. At first it was uncomfortable reeling right handed since I grew up cranking spinning reels with the left hand. Now I'll grab one of my rods without giving a thought to which hand reel is on it.

Casting from the off shoulder is much harder (for me anyway) than it is on the casting arm side. However, I am getting better at it. When I fish in Florida with my brother-in-law, I have to make a lot of casts over the off shoulder, unlike when in my own boat at home. All it takes is practice. I can zing it out there quite a ways on the off side, but extra care must be taken to avoid major league backlashes.

When I first started with baitcasting reels, I would ocassionally sit in front of the TV practicing thumb control. I tried the left hand. I seem to have a much more delicate touch with the left hand. I usually just mash down with the right thumb, but can actually feather the spool with the left hand. Problem is I haven't made many casts with the left hand. Acurracy is really bad with the left hand, but at least I don't backlash anymore on the left than the right side.

[Busy]

Having said all that, I would love to get my left arm accustomed to making side casts and under handed side casts. Because with a bait cast reel I am limited (in some scenarios) to casting in a 120 degree area and I am missing those fish in the 40 degree area. Especially when I am bank fishing and my buddy wants to fish on the left side of me. At that point I'm limited to just a 40 degree area if there are trees near me. At least with pitching and flipping I have up to 40 feet. Still, I would miss out on some bass. With the spinning and spin cast I can make those casts because I can lift my rod over my left shoulder and cast. I've done that countless times.

I do this more often when fishing from the shore but also if I sight fish from a boat and you gotta cast quickly to hit that fish. I cast like I'm hitting a backhand shot on the tennis court, still with rod tip down.

That said I've been hit a lot just as soon as the bait hits the top of the water. I've never pitched but I'm going to work on that and I'd imagine that I'd prefer to hold the rod with my left hand and throw the bait with my right and reel with my right and keep using all RH retrieve reels.

[unionman]

Never understood switching... Im right handed. So I use a Left Handed BC. Its common sense. You dont wear a baseball glove on your right hand to catch with and then take it off to throw with do you??

I was at a local tackle shop a while back and I was talking to the clerk about left handed BC'S, and he tells me he hates them. I said "Why is that"? He says "Cause Im Left-Handed". We both had a good laugh because we both know how bass ackwards they are. A right-handed model simply means the crank is on the right. Therefore it is for Leftys. You ought to be casting, imparting action on the lure and setting the hook with your dominant hand.

Of course some of you guys were taught to do the switch saw people on T.V. do it when you were learning. Thats all fine, but would you recommend the "switch" to a person just learning to use a BC? I highly doubt it. In my humble opinion, its inefficient and something that people just think is "normal" because so many do it...

[NBR]

I am more accurate with my right hand so bait casters, spinning rigs and fly gear is a right hand operation unless for some reason a left handed cast is neessary. I palm the bait caster reel during the retrieve and while bringing in a fish so I would need to move my hand position on the reel regardless. At times I will make the next cast while palming the reel but only when I'm not trying to thread the needle with a real accurate cast. I often switch hands while the cast is going out so the time delay is not a factor. I think you have better of the lure and the fish when you don't hold the rod by the pistol grip.

In the final analysis it doesn't make much difference, do what works for you. There must be hundreds if not thousands of comments on this topic in the archives and this will be my last post on the topic.

[new2BC4bass]

I am more accurate with my right hand so bait casters, spinning rigs and fly gear is a right hand operation unless for some reason a left handed cast is neessary. I palm the bait caster reel during the retrieve and while bringing in a fish so I would need to move my hand position on the reel regardless. At times I will make the next cast while palming the reel but only when I'm not trying to thread the needle with a real accurate cast. I often switch hands while the cast is going out so the time delay is not a factor. I think you have better of the lure and the fish when you don't hold the rod by the pistol grip.

In the final analysis it doesn't make much difference, do what works for you. There must be hundreds if not thousands of comments on this topic in the archives and this will be my last post on the topic.

I don't disagree with any of this. My only concern is that switching hands while the lure is still in the air means I have no control over the spool during that time. Many times I have had the line "fluffing" during the middle of a cast. Personally I prefer to have my thumb on the spool until the lure hits. Probably because I am not that great a caster.

[J Francho]

You won't have "fluffing" line if the reel is set up properly. Spool tension for the weight of the lure, and brakes for casting conditions. You can cast just about any of my reels without having to touch the spool until the bait hit the water.

[Jig Meister]

I have always cranked with my left hand. I am right handed. I generally will use both hands to cast long casts, but never take my right hand off the reel/rod.

I me, switching hands seems like one too many steps in a process.

[logan9209]

This is a fun and interesting topic and it's great to see so many different points of view on this . Just remember, there's no Fishing Police gonna stop by and ticket you for not doing it the normal way. Some like to fish for multiple species. I like to fish just for bass (even those pesky rock bass). Some don't switch. I do. Some like to use their favorite lures in the most traditional ways. I don't. Some don't find Angelina Jolie hot.......really? Tomato tomauto.

There is quite a bit of merit to not switching hands. However, even though I'm right handed, I believe I would rather learn to cast with my left hand and still reel with my right. I just feel that after the cast everything is done better with my left hand. Does it help to tell you that I can bat both left and right handed. Most often I would actually bat left handed. But, since I don't want to take the fun out of this topic I digress.

[new2BC4bass]

You won't have "fluffing" line if the reel is set up properly. Spool tension for the weight of the lure, and brakes for casting conditions. You can cast just about any of my reels without having to touch the spool until the bait hit the water.

I had my spool tension too tight the first year I used baitcasting gear in order to keep backlashes down. During the winter an Internet friend cleaned a few of my reels and upgraded the drags and bearings in a couple. He said I had the spool tension way too tight, and could damage reels such as my Daiwas. Said he couldn't cast a 1/4 oz lure with my Fuego as set up. He adjusted with just enough tension to remove side-to-side play, and the 1/4 oz lure cast normal.

His advice to me was to set up spool tension like he did and to completely fill the spool if I wanted to achieve as much casting distance as the reel was capable of, and to take full advantage of the drag. I did, and it required me to almost have to learn to cast again. However, I now can cast as far under hand as I was before side arm.

This type of set up is not for everyone. My fishing buddy throws his Shimanos like you do...without touching the spool most of the time. He doesn't like using one of my rods without first adjusting spool tension.

No doubt I could lower the number of backlashes I have if I tightened up the tension a bit more. I am trying to learn being a good caster without doing that. My ex-Internet friend also said to learn pitching if I wanted to get good with a baitcasting reel. I haven't practiced pitching since that first year after getting the reels back from him because it isn't a technique I have used on the water yet.

[logan9209]

new2BC4bass, I am stuck fishing from the bank right now. I didn't think pitching would a useful skill. But, I've recently learned that pitching has opened a whole new area for me. It allows me to get lures under tree limbs without getting hung up as much and it will be really good next spawn season because the bass like to bed within 5-10 feet from the bank. Also, pitching to open water hitting on the outside (furthest from the bank) edge of weed lines can be beneficial.

I can do an under cast with a spin cast reel, but for some reason I have yet to be able to do it with a bait casting reel.

[new2BC4bass]

Logan, I fished from shore exclusively the first year I got back into fishing. Well, with the exception of when visiting Florida. I bought a 12'6" Porta-Bote the next year. It is all I could afford. Plus I have no place to put a bass boat except in the yard. Quite sure the wife wouldn't appreciate that. I've been meaning to get my pitchin' rod out and do a little practice because one lake I fish has plenty of lily pads. I'm sure it would be beneficial to my success if I could quietly drop a bait in openings.

However, thanks to the economy I was forced to take a part-time job....again. Had hoped at my age to avoid that. I've gotten out less since buying the boat than I did that first year. Actually I didn't used the boat the 2-3 times I got out locally this year. Kind of sucks.

[logan9209]

This economy has gotten rough. I'm not going to bother with the blame game, though. That's a can of worms I don't want to open. I will say that it's sad that the gov is willing to pay trillions for a ship with rail guns (seen it on yahoo) when most americans are suffering. Also what's sad is that there are people who will only apply for jobs in order to keep their unemployment when there are others who really need the jobs. And those ones who apply just to keep the unemployment somehow end up getting the job. There was a guy who lived across from me just like that. He had 4 job opportunities in a month and screwed up all 4 within 24 hours. Anyways.....

I wish my landlord would let us get out on little jon boats. BPS has a 10' for $600. I'd even settle with fishing from tubes.

[J Francho]

My fishing buddy throws his Shimanos like you do...without touching the spool most of the time.

Get a Daiwa...backlashes are gone, and you can still run a free spool.

[Bassn Blvd]

I don't switch hands. My left stays on the left and my right stays on the right.

[redboat]

I don't have any arms or legs; I hafta hold the rod in my mouth and thumb the reel with my nose. I learnt to work the crank with my eyebrows. I switch from left eyebrow when I cast to right when I reel in.

You should see me drivin' my boat at 85 MPH down the lake, everybody gets outta my way...