As a lefty if I get a right hand reel is there any reason I need to switch hands after casts? 2024
Wizzlebiz reply :
As the title states im a lefty. I am looking at baitcasting reels and wonder if I will still need to switch hands considering I cast with my left hand. Thanks for any insight.
dodgeguy reply :
Uh not if you buy a right handed reel and cast lefty.
islandbass reply :
Only one way to find out. Try both and unless you are ambidextrous, one should feel more comfortable than the other.
If you cast with your left hand, it is likely you will want to retrieve with the right hand and therefore you’ll want a right handed reel.
That is an an educated guess. However, what I mentioned in the first paragraph is paramount.
12poundbass reply :
I’m a lefty too. Everyone is born right handed, only the best overcome it! My left handed grandpa told me that.
All my reels are right handed and Ed and I cast with my left. Makes the most sense to me and feels completely natural.
Wizzlebiz reply :
On 8/17/2019 at 12:35 AM, dodgeguy said:Uh not if you buy a right handed reel and cast lefty.
I know it seems elementary to you. But I just started fishing this year. I have never used a baitcaster.
Most of the videos I have seen the guys Express the importance of switching hands fast. So before I buy a reel I figured I would get some insight.
On 8/17/2019 at 12:49 AM, islandbass said:Only one way to find out. Try both and unless you are ambidextrous, one should feel more comfortable than the other.
If you cast with your left hand, it is likely you will want to retrieve with the right hand and therefore you’ll want a right handed reel.
That is an an educated guess. However, what I mentioned in the first paragraph is paramount.
I cast with my left with my spinning reel as well. My right hand just doesnt work like that lol
Tennessee Boy reply :
Cast with you left and keep the rod in your left so you can use your dominant hand to feel the bite and work the bait. The exception might be when you are fishing a fast retrieve. I’m right handed and used left hand reels on my slow retrieve rods so I can use my dominant hand to fish. I use right hand reels on my cranking rods and switch hands after I cast because I can crank better with my dominant hand and all I have to do with my left hand is hold the rod.
MIbassyaker reply :
Right vs. left handed is about which hand will do the reeling. Switching hands is only necessary if you want to cast and reel with the same hand. That's the traditional way to use a baitcaster, and most people do it that way. So most advice you hear will be based on an assumption that you're doing it the traditional way too.
But it's not a "rule". You can cast and reel with different hands. This avoids the switch, although one is not "better" than the other, aside from preference.
I'm right handed and use left handed reels. Cast right, reel left, no switching.
On 8/17/2019 at 12:53 AM, 12poundbass said:I’m a lefty too. Everyone is born right handed, only the best overcome it! My left handed grandpa told me that.
All my reels are right handed and Ed and I cast with my left. Makes the most sense to me and feels completely natural.
Denny Brauer is a lefty and does this too. Chris Zaldain and David Walker are righties and do it the same way I do.
moguy1973 reply :
I'm right handed and I buy left retrieve reels so I can cast with my right and instantly reel with my left. It feels unnatural to me to switch hands and reel with my right hand anymore.
Fishingmickey reply :
On 8/17/2019 at 12:04 AM, Wizzlebiz said:As the title states im a lefty. I am looking at baitcasting reels and wonder if I will still need to switch hands considering I cast with my left hand. Thanks for any insight.
Hi Wizzlebiz,
I am also a lefty that uses a righty reel and... I do not change hands when casting. I really like not having to change hands. It allows me to start my retrieve the instant the lure hit the water. Think casting into a foot or slightly less of water with three inches of algae growing up from the bottom and being able to retrieve my spinner bait without getting fouled by a wad of algae.
Fishingmickey
Wizzlebiz reply :
On 8/17/2019 at 1:00 AM, Tennessee Boy said:Cast with you left and keep the rod in your left so you can use your dominant hand to feel the bite and work the bait. The exception might be when you are fishing a fast retrieve. I’m right handed and used left hand reels on my slow retrieve rods so I can use my dominant hand to fish. I use right hand reels on my cranking rods and switch hands after I cast because I can crank better with my dominant hand and all I have to do with my left hand is hold the rod.
What is really interesting about this is my very 1st spinning rod hand a handle I could swap from left to right.
I do not feel right reeling in with my left hand. There are very few things in life this is the case for with me but there are a couple.
Reeling with my right hand feel natural to me.
MN Fisher reply :
I'm a righty who casts with his left and retrieves with his right. No switching involved.
Fishingmickey reply :
On 8/17/2019 at 1:23 AM, Wizzlebiz said:What is really interesting about this is my very 1st spinning rod hand a handle I could swap from left to right.
I do not feel right reeling in with my left hand. There are very few things in life this is the case for with me but there are a couple.
Reeling with my right hand feel natural to me.
Oh oh I thought you were referring to bait casting. Spinning reels I switch hands.
FM
Wizzlebiz reply :
On 8/17/2019 at 1:28 AM, Fishingmickey said:Oh oh I thought you were referring to bait casting. Spinning reels I switch hands.
FM
I am asking about baitcasters. I was just giving an example of how I already know reeling with my left hand doesnt feel correct to me.
Sorry for the confusion. 
Pickle_Power reply :
I'm another righty that casts with the right hand and reels with the left hand, both spinning and bait cast.
islandbass reply :
On 8/17/2019 at 1:23 AM, Wizzlebiz said:What is really interesting about this is my very 1st spinning rod hand a handle I could swap from left to right.
I do not feel right reeling in with my left hand. There are very few things in life this is the case for with me but there are a couple.
Reeling with my right hand feel natural to me.
As I predicted. This IMHO is the “natural” inclination but it is not set in stone.
As to the cast with the right and reel with the right being traditional? Maybe, maybe not. It just leads me to believe that the person who invented the baitcaster was left-hand dominant, lol, and righties had to reprogram and adapt until it dawned on reel makers to make left-handed versions, lol^2.
Tennessee Boy reply :
Can anyone name a pro angler that cast left, switches hands, and reels left?
islandbass reply :
On 8/17/2019 at 2:30 AM, Tennessee Boy said:Can anyone name a pro angler that cast left, switches hands, and reels left?
I can’t but with all the anglers there is probably at least one.
jbrew73 reply :
I’m a lefty, I cast left and reel right. Most right handers do it all wrong.
Tennessee Boy reply :
On 8/17/2019 at 2:36 AM, islandbass said:I can’t but with all the anglers there is probably at least one.
I think you will have a hard time finding one. I suspect that all the lefties will be fishing right hand reels. Ott Defoe is the only lefty I can think of. He uses right hand reels.
MIbassyaker reply :
On 8/17/2019 at 2:30 AM, Tennessee Boy said:Can anyone name a pro angler that cast left, switches hands, and reels left?
What you're describing would most likely be a left-hander using a left-handed reel, as most people cast with their dominant hand (at least for most casts).
On 8/17/2019 at 2:44 AM, Tennessee Boy said:I think you will have a hard time finding one. I suspect that all the lefties will be fishing left hand reels. Ott Defoe is the only lefty I can think of. He uses left hand reels.
So Ott would indeed be an example of what you're thinking of, unless he casts with his non-dominant hand, which I don't think he does.
Edit: Actually, the clips in this video from the Classic show him using right-handed reels, but casting with either his right or left hand situationally:
WRB reply :
On 8/17/2019 at 12:04 AM, Wizzlebiz said:As the title states im a lefty. I am looking at baitcasting reels and wonder if I will still need to switch hands considering I cast with my left hand. Thanks for any insight.
Don't overthink this. You hold and cast your rods using your left hand so a reel with handle on the right side allows you to operate the reel using your right hand, holding the rod with your left hand.
Tom
tholmes reply :
On 8/17/2019 at 1:21 AM, Fishingmickey said:Hi Wizzlebiz,
I am also a lefty that uses a righty reel and... I do not change hands when casting.
Same here. It's worked for me for more than 60 years.
Tom
MountainMan83 reply :
You guys are giving me hope... just picked up my first left handed baitcaster today. I normally cast with my right, switch hands, and reel with my right. Just playing around with it at work for the last few hours, I think I'll get used to it pretty quickly. The reel will be mainly for pitching and some frog use, so it makes sense.
WRB reply :
Does anyone know why bait casting reels were made with the handle on the right side?
If goes back to a time period when the reel handle didn't disengage from the reel spool.
Bait casting rods were also short handle pistol grips that allowed the caster to hold the rod in the dominate right hand with the reel handles upright, thumb on the spool hand positioned with the thumb towards your right ear allowing the wrist to do all the majority of the casting motion. The reel handle would spin easier with the spool on it's end opposite the handle.
If a left handed angler cast a right handed reel the handles ended up on the bottom of the reel and could hit your fingers when spinning.
Since around 1960 bait casting reels have spools disengaged from the handles allowing the spool to spin freely. Most bait casting rods today have longer trigger grip handles allowing the angler to cast using both hands with less wrist action.
You should learn to cast using your wrist like the old knuckle buster reels with less arm movement.
Tom
5/0 reply :
Some interesting takes on this subject! Tom (WRB) always comes up with some bit of info that is both informative and explains how the tools of fishing have evolved!
I am a righty and my bait casters are right retrieve, so I cast right and switch hands. With spinning I cast right and retrieve with my left, no switch.
It makes sense that I should use a lefty bait caster. Years ago I bought a lefty and tried it out. It was really uncomfortable, so I sold it. The problem was not in the retrieve, but in the hand I worked the bait with, my right and dominate hand!
Why would I be able to hold and work a spinning outfit with my right hand but have trouble with bait outfit?
NHBull reply :
The struggle is reel.....get it!
I was was in the same situation and used to switch hands, but it was always awkward. I found that I could set a hook far better with my right, so that wasn’t going to change and left handed reels are plentiful.
Dont look for the hole in the donut. If you want to reel left, it works far better for me.
Mikeltee reply :
Most of us cast right handed and reel baitcaster with our right hand. Until recently BCs only came right handed. We have done it so long that we dont even realize we switch hands. It would be unnatural to not switch hands.
MassYak85 reply :
Fish what's comfortable. I'm a righty. I by right handed reels (baitcasting and spinning). I cast with two hands, one on the reel and the other on the butt of the reel. I can switch hands if needed depending on the angle of the cast I need to make.
Djohn reply :
I'm a lefty and i want the rod in my left hand for feel and setting the hook.
Hammer 4 reply :
Righty here, I never understood why anyone would cast with their dominate hand, then switch to their non dominate hand to work the rod. I use the hand that the most control to work my rod i.e..bottom , spinnerbait ect. Heck I could reel with my toes if I had to..So yeah,I've used left handed reels from the get go.
umckibben reply :
Get a reel that's right hand retrieve, it'll be more natural not switching hands, I'm right handed, I hold the rod with my right hand, cast with my right hand, set the hook with my right hand, only thing my non dominate left hand does is turn the handle.
Brad Reid reply :
Just an odd note here that Alabama QB sensation, Tua Tagovailoa, is actually right-handed, born that way and right-handed in everything he does . . . other than throwing a football. His father is a leftie and liked the action of lefite QBs, converted Tua when he was very young. Go figure. Rare; it usually goes the other direction: untold numbers of lefties have been forced or encouraged to use their right hands.
But, most of us southpaws are at least slightly ambidextrous since so much in life is set up for righties, things like zippers, buttons, butter knives.
In angling, if there is any advantage much at all, it'd likely be in favor of lefties since we can cast with our dominant left sides and reel right-handed using both spinning and casting gear.
Say! When I am using casting gear and casting left handed with a right sided reel handle, my left hand DOES move. Once my lure hits, my thumb is no longer required to regulate out-going line, I rather seamlessly move my grip forward on top of the reel and off the handle as most anglers hold casting reels.
Brad
keagbassr reply :
The best way to figure out what you 'should' be doing is to hold your rod like a baseball bat; the top hand should be your rod/casting hand and the bottom hand your reeling hand. I once read that leftys who cast left and reel right were in the lucky minority in that they could do what comes natural with the more readily available right handed reels.
jbrew73 reply :
I keep my hand high on the reel, 2 or 3 fingers in front of the trigger depending on the technique. Casting lefty with a right hand reel works well. When I do cast with my right hand or use left hand reels and casting left I have to lower my grip to one finger in front of the trigger and even then I sometimes hit the handle and engage the pinion.. not good! I feel it also gives me better control and steadies the reel in my hand for more consistent thumb pressure.
I would encourage everyone to try casting and holding the rod with your dominant hand. It seems to be more pro’s than con’s .
FrankN209 reply :
I'm left handed, cast with my right, reel with my left. Why would you want to switch to a right handed reel?
Derek1 reply :
I’m a lefty, cast left reel right. Casting and spinning. Feels perfectly natural.
BaitFinesse reply :
You don't need to switch hands. You will need to change up grip from casting the rod to palming the reel. That's basically the same thing as switching hands.
Wizzlebiz reply :
On 8/18/2019 at 12:20 AM, FrankN209 said:I'm left handed, cast with my right, reel with my left. Why would you want to switch to a right handed reel?
Maybe I am not saying it right. I mean the reeling handle on the right side. I cast with my left. So I was just wondering if there was any benefit to casting with my right hand.
FrankN209 reply :
On 8/18/2019 at 2:09 AM, Wizzlebiz said:Maybe I am not saying it right. I mean the reeling handle on the right side. I cast with my left. So I was just wondering if there was any benefit to casting with my right hand.
I understand now. Probably the benefits would be not having to change hands.
MIbassyaker reply :
On 8/18/2019 at 2:09 AM, Wizzlebiz said:Maybe I am not saying it right. I mean the reeling handle on the right side. I cast with my left. So I was just wondering if there was any benefit to casting with my right hand.
There is no inherent benefit to either hand over the other, other than what is most comfortable.
However, many people feel there is a benefit to learning how to cast with both hands.
stratoliner92 reply :
I'm left handed and when using my baitcasters I always cast with my left and keep the reel in that hand during the retrieve. Crazy thing is when growing up I learned to cast a spinning rod and fly rod with my right hand and leave it there while retrieving which I still do when using them????????
DanielG reply :
I'm left handed and cast with my left and reel with my right. You have to try it out to see if it feels right. If you're already doing this with your spinning outfit it will be also work for a bait caster. And if you don't have to switch hands to crank they that's a good thing. Not a lot of us can it seems like.
WRB reply :
On 8/18/2019 at 2:09 AM, Wizzlebiz said:Maybe I am not saying it right. I mean the reeling handle on the right side. I cast with my left. So I was just wondering if there was any benefit to casting with my right hand.
None
dodgeguy reply :
No.
The Bassman reply :
On 8/17/2019 at 5:49 AM, Mikeltee said:Most of us cast right handed and reel baitcaster with our right hand. Until recently BCs only came right handed. We have done it so long that we dont even realize we switch hands. It would be unnatural to not switch hands.
Surprised there's not more guys mentioning this. It's all I've ever known as well.
BaitFinesse reply :
On 8/17/2019 at 3:03 PM, Hammer 4 said:Righty here, I never understood why anyone would cast with their dominate hand, then switch to their non dominate hand to work the rod. I use the hand that the most control to work my rod i.e..bottom , spinnerbait ect. Heck I could reel with my toes if I had to..So yeah,I've used left handed reels from the get go.
Because it is easier to use you non dominate arm to hold the rod and work the bait using gross motor control skills present in your non dominant arm than to try and force your non dominant hand to perform a strenuous task with insufficient fine motor control skills.
Both casting the rod and turning the handle on a baitcast reel are tasks that require fine motor control skills. Many right handed people simply do not have sufficient fine motor skills in their left arm to grasp the handle knobs with their thumb and index finger and make continuous small circles with the left hand by rotating at the wrist.
Using your right arm to both cast and turn the handle allows right handed anglers to use their dominant arm to perform the two most strenuous tasks that come with the use of a baitcast reel. The compromise is that you have to use your non dominant hand to hold onto the rod and work the bait but these are less strenuous tasks that are easily accomplished with gross motor skills. Hooksetting in particular is often done with both arms and torso if not the whole body.
For reference
"Motor skills are movements and actions of the bone structures.[1] Typically, they are categorised into two groups: gross motor skills and fine motor skills. Gross motor skills are involved in movement and coordination of the arms, legs, and other large body parts. They involve actions such as running, crawling and swimming. Fine motor skills are involved in smaller movements that occur in the wrists, hands, fingers, feet and toes. They involve smaller actions such as picking up objects between the thumb and finger, writing carefully, and even blinking. These two motor skills work together to provide coordination"
Hammer 4 reply :
On 8/19/2019 at 7:51 AM, BaitFinesse said:Because it is easier to use you non dominate arm to hold the rod and work the bait using gross motor control skills present in your non dominant arm than to try and force your non dominant hand to perform a strenuous task with insufficient fine motor control skills.
Both casting the rod and turning the handle on a baitcast reel are tasks that require fine motor control skills. Many right handed people simply do not have sufficient fine motor skills in their left arm to grasp the handle knobs with their thumb and index finger and make continuous small circles with the left hand by rotating at the wrist.
Using your right arm to both cast and turn the handle allows right handed anglers to use their dominant arm to perform the two most strenuous tasks that come with the use of a baitcast reel. The compromise is that you have to use your non dominant hand to hold onto the rod and work the bait but these are less strenuous tasks that are easily accomplished with gross motor skills. Hooksetting in particular is often done with both arms and torso if not the whole body.
For reference
"Motor skills are movements and actions of the bone structures.[1] Typically, they are categorised into two groups: gross motor skills and fine motor skills. Gross motor skills are involved in movement and coordination of the arms, legs, and other large body parts. They involve actions such as running, crawling and swimming. Fine motor skills are involved in smaller movements that occur in the wrists, hands, fingers, feet and toes. They involve smaller actions such as picking up objects between the thumb and finger, writing carefully, and even blinking. These two motor skills work together to provide coordination"
Well, I must be odd then, because I find just the opposite in my case..
Wizzlebiz reply :
On 8/19/2019 at 8:12 AM, Hammer 4 said:Well, I must be odd then, because I find just the opposite in my case..
Same here
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