Baitcasters LH vs RH retreive 2024

BrianSnat reply :

When I started with baitcasting after a life time of using spinning gear I decided to go with LH retreive baitcasting reels. It just seemed so natural after years of spinning. I like working the rod with my dominant (right) hand and cranking with my left. Also not having to switch hands after casting was a bonus.

But it seems most anglers who use baitcasters crank with their right hands and work the rod with their left. They cast, then switch hands.

So I was wondering what everyone here does. How may go the opposite, like I do and how many crank baitcasters the normal way with thier dominant hand and hold the rod in the other? It seems to be the most popular method so there must be advantages. What are they?

islandbass reply :

For me rod in dominant hand while opposite hand cranks for spinning or casting.

However, I made the mistake of buying my first BC a RH. It felt so awkward.

I can fish either way now, but preference is left.

The reason you see so many anglers fish the opposite way was because way back when, pretty much casting reels had cranks on the right side. It's as ingrained to them as left is to you and me.

I think the inventor of the baitcast reel was most likely left hand dominant.

Yudo1 reply :

This topic comes up a lot. It's all purely preference. I prefer left retrieve and I'm right handed too.

islandbass reply :

He's just looking for a tally not an explanation but you're right that it comes up a lot ?

So far:

lefties - 3

righties - 0

but that's probably going to change quickly

Catt reply :

Cast with my right, switch hands, & crank with my right!

MichaelCopeland reply :

I do that too, even with my spinning gear. I've learned how to pitch ok with my spinning gear too doing it that way. Still goutta work on accuracy but I'm getting there.

islandbass reply :

Lefties 3

Righties 2

Raul reply :

Interesting ..... I do the same.....must be something in the air....

Bluebasser86 reply :

I reel left handed with spinning, right handed with baitcasting, and I CANNOT interchange the two. Trying to reel a spinning reel right handed or a baitcaster left handed feels completely foreign to me. I tried a lefty baitcaster once, even setting the hook felt all wrong. I went back and have no plans to change again. I switch hands mid cast and I'm ready to reel or set the hook as soon as my bait hits the water anyways.

islandbass reply :

Lefties 3

Righties 3

Ambies (Switch-hitters) 1

@Bluebasser86: I listed you as a switch-hitter since you can bat both ways. ?

CroakHunter reply :

Same as blue here, but I can also cast with my left hand in normal operating position, right hand in the end cap of the rod, and cast kinda backhanded off my right shoulder, it's a work in progress. But I seen Gerald swindle do it and figured I'd try it. Not sure what the benefits of it are, but it gives me something new to try

Bass_Fishing_Socal reply :

Same as other who start baitcaster in early year. I am right handed so reel right hand on baitcaster and reel left on spinning. I can use left hand baitcaster no problem but prefer not, actually I sold my left hand reel just recently.

DomQ reply :

Right handed all the way, I can fish both ways but if rather right. If I backlash with a LH I find it to awkward to hold tension on the line with my right hand and reel with my left, but with a right hand I can do whatever.

Mike L reply :

Ditto x3

HookRz reply :

Leftie.

jbrew73 reply :

I'm left handed. I cast with my left and reel with my right.

My daughter is right handed. she cast right and reels left.

PAbasser927 reply :

I am a righty a use a left handed retrieve on both spinning and casting.

Troy85 reply :

Same here.

Frisbie385 reply :

Cast with right and retrieve with right

tholmes reply :

Cast with my left, retrieve with my right.

Tom

new2BC4bass reply :

Cast with either hand...except when needing utmost accuracy...reel with either hand, work rod with either hand. Prefer left to cast, but will never go left only. Don't know where that puts me in the tally.

Chance_Taker4 reply :

I'm left hand dominant and use RH reels and my wife is Right hand dominate and uses RH reels.

r83srock reply :

Cast right, reel right, spinning and casting

Rollincoal420 reply :

I, myself am left handed, and always rod my lefty hand, crank with right.

NYWayfarer reply :

Same here. It becomes second nature after awhile. I do it without thinking, sort of like breathing.

jonkevin reply :

I am right handed and use LH casting and spinning reels

drmevo reply :

I cast right and use a LH baitcaster. However, I do something weird with spinning where I cast left whenever I need to be really accurate and thumb/cup the reel with my right hand to control distance. Then I switch hands and reel lefty.

MassYak85 reply :

I'm a righty. I hold the rod in whichever hand I need to to make the cast. If it's the left I do a two handed cast with my right hand on the butt of the rod, and I just bring it to the handle as soon as the lure is in the air. If I make a right handed cast it's one handed and I switch when the lure hits the water.

Darren. reply :

Another cast right/reel right guy here.

Spinning all lefty. Like @Bluebasser86, I've tried to

do spinning righty, but no way. Only messed with lefty

baitcasters in-store, and another no way for me.

RPreeb reply :

I'm right here too. I'm dominantly right handed, cast either right handed or two handed. I use a right handed baitcaster as that's how I learned 50+ years ago. After leaving the MN and WI Northwoods for the Rockies, I used spinning and fly rods for trout for many years. For spinning, it's natural for me to operate the bail with my left and crank with the left while casting 2 handed - right hand always holds the rod with the fingers straddling the reel mount.

I can't do that with a baitcaster - it just feels wrong. Have to cast righty, switch hands and crank righty (which doesn't require any thought at all - it's automatic). Even though I hadn't used a baitcaster since the early 60's when I bought my first Tatula this summer, the switch just feels natural.

Al w. reply :

I'm right handed but prefer left handed baitcasters. It's what I started with because of reeling left with spinning gear. Now it feels natural to me. As a bonus, sometimes left handed baitcasters are on sale when the right handed ones are all gone.

3crows reply :

I think the left hand reel BC for right handed people must come from those who learned and always used spinning gear where that is the norm. The vast majority of BC reels have the handle on the right side, so much so that some reels are not available in all ratios for left handle, this because most people are right handed dominant. Kind of like I occasionally see bait caster people who have never used a spinner outfit holding it upside down to get the handle to the right (as if they did not know it can be switched).

I am right handed and use a right hand BC reel, cast right or left, reel right handed. I only recently acquired a spinning outfit, having never used one or even held one until recently, it is also right handed, cast right or left, reel left handed. I cannot imagine why I would want a left handed bait caster? Why? I cast equally well with either hand. But I like the BC rod in my left hand and reel in with my right. If you can cast only with your left hand or only with your right hand, how would you cast to favor one side or use both hands to cast? I can cast, flip, pitch, with either hand equally well or both hands on and with either hand front. But when it comes to taking in the line with a BC, I reel with my right hand and with a spinner reel with my left and any other way feels very odd and wrong to me.

In any case, cast and reel as you prefer. With a BC reel, make mine right handed.

bigbill reply :

In my early days I was a car mechanic working at a dealership. Working under dashboards I became amberdexterious. No jokes now, lol. When I first started working on cars I was 6yo washing parts for the old man. That's starting at the bottom for sure.

Further North reply :

I'm right handed, cast right, reel left. No swapping hands for me, can't see any benefit.

Someone said it early in the topic: Go with your preference...that's what's best for you.

DINK WHISPERER reply :

I will NEVER understand the whole cast right then switch to reel right thing! All LH reels for me and I'm right handed.

BigAngus752 reply :

Right-handed guy. Left-handed baitcaster. Glad to hear I'm not alone!

3crows reply :

And I do not understand why it is thought that just because one is right handed and have/use a right hand reel that they must shift hands? What if they just cast left handed? If one can cast with either hand equally well and handle the rod equally well with either hand why does it matter which side they have the handle on? The handle has to be somewhere, why not on the right?

Boomstick reply :

I'm predominantly left handed and I cast with my left and crank with my right. I might be able to cast poorly with my right arm if I had to, but for whatever reason I just can't crank with my left but it's natural with my right, so when I learned on a RH baitcaster, it just felt natural to me.

LxVE Bassin reply :

I am left handed and I like cranking with my left hand. I cast with my right so the rod never switches hands. Fishing right handed is way too uncomfortable for me. I won't fish if the reel isn't left handed.

ww2farmer reply :

Cast with right hand, crank with left hand. Both spinning and casting gear.

A lot of people I fish with use RH casting reels, and when I use one it feels weird and awkward to me.

Hulkster reply :

When I learned to baitcast in the late 90s, lefties were just starting to come out and not widely available.

so I learned the old school way: Cast and switch so I reel with my right hand.

its all I know. to me, lefties don't look right

Mike L reply :

Cast right, Flip and pitch either way, but always reel right.

Mike

3crows reply :

I hurt my right wrist jumping off a cliff into the lake here at big TR. So now I cast left and reel with my right hand entirely. Good to be a switch hitter.

YoTone reply :

cast left reel right.

thinking about trying a lh baitcaster because my kayaks steering lever is on the left.

its a pain to hold a rod and steer with the left hand.

ive tried left hand reels, didnt feel natural but im sure with time i could adapt.

Columbia Craw reply :

When I started with a bait caster (level wind) there were no left hand models so all my casting reels are right handed. I tried a LH for part of one season on a pitching rod. Not gonna happen. At least I tried it.

Michaelangelo reply :

spinning - cast right or left handed, reel left handed

baitcast - cast right or left handed, reel right handed

Being able to cast with both hands equally makes a HUGE difference. Try both retrieves when working lures and landing fish. When I use a left handed baitcast I feel extremely awkward.

pondbassin101 reply :

I am completely inept at reeling with my right hand. I started out fishing with a LH spinning reel and moved on to LH baitcasters. I've tried fishing with my friend's RH baitcaster, and let's just say my lure action was less than sub-par and extremely akward.

rosshilk reply :

I don’t try left handed bait caster, because I’m worried I’d like it! I would have to replace my whole lineup. I have noticed you can get really nice reels on sale left handed, because people don’t buy them as frequently.

XpressJeff reply :

I did this for many years, until...

...I took a long break from fishing and now I cast with my R hand and crank with my L. I have sold or given away all my RH crank reels.

It seems unnatural now!

BrianSnat reply :

I think that is huge for those of us who use tiller motors. I operate the motor with my left hand and the rod is ready to go in my right. Some people who responded said they cast equally well with either hand. That is a nice skill to have, but I suspect most people cast best with their dominant hand.

Koz reply :

I bought my first baitcaster the other day and it has RH retrieve. Even though my right hand is my dominant hand I find it hard to get my cadence correct cranking with the RH. Holding the pole with the LH seems odd as well and it's hard to get it in a comfortable place.

I'm sure I'll get used to it (I've only used my BC that one day) but it certainly feels odd. I'll probably need to start lifting weights with my left hand so a hawg doesn't rip the pole out of my hand

j_blaze14 reply :

i got about 20 years of LH spinning rod use and 15 years of RH baitcasters. last month i got a lefty just to try it out, i figure no big deal, $25 baitcaster on ebay cant hurt. turns out im a lefty all the way. my right hand should have always been my rod hand. a couple more months of muscle memory and i can make the switch all around. i can do a lot more things with the rod using a LH reel.

Rick Howard reply :

Left hand retrieve for me. Like you, I fished for more than 30 years with spinning gear. Only a few years ago I started with bait casting. Getting a bait caster with a RH retrieve seemed pointless because LH is available. To me it just makes more sense in that regard.

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Baitcasters LH vs RH retreive 2024

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