Right Or Left Hand Baitcaster? 2024
TomB reply :
My first baitcaster. I am right handed and use my left hand to reel in my fly fishing line. Found lots of RH baitcaster reels but far fewer LH reels for sale.
Am i missing something? Do most guys reel in with the RH?
Thanks!
Looking at Abu pro max, academy h2o, etc.
SoCalFisher reply :
For right handed you will have to switch hands after casting. For some people switching hands is a problem but for me I like it better because it is what I have always used and switching hands doesn't take that long. So really what you start with will probably be what you get used to and will like more.
QUAKEnSHAKE reply :
I dont switch hands throw left reel right any type reel. I see people switch and think waste of energy but then its not me so what does it really matter what/how they cast. As long as a person is fishing & comfortable doing it oh well.
tomustang reply :
Your best bet is to go to a shop and try out L and R of the same reel and figure what works for you. Their should be an instant choice on what's more comfortable.
islandbass reply :
On 2/4/2012 at 11:31 AM, TomB said:My first baitcaster. I am right handed and use my left hand to reel in my fly fishing line. Found lots of RH baitcaster reels but far fewer LH reels for sale.
Am i missing something? Do most guys reel in with the RH?
Thanks!
Looking at Abu pro max, academy h2o, etc.
Even if most guys ise RH reels doesn't mean you have to. I would highly recommend that you choose a bc reel with the crank on the same side you are already accustomed. I would be a floating Rapala minnow that you would be most comfortable with that. The chance of you preferring a rh over a lh reel is highly unlikely but possible, so see which feels most comfortable before you buy.
There may very be some plausibility to the lack of sales of lh reels, but it might be more of a function of them selling out before we see them. I have also seen sites where righties are on sale and lefties aren't. I just chuckle. It means they lost my business or I was too late to the party. lol.
guitarkid reply :
Join the dark side, go left handed.
-gk
bassinbrian reply :
Im right handed and reel with my left hand. To me it just made sense because holding the pole is the hardest part and I want to use my strongest arm for that, reeling is easy 
Plus no switching of hands
TRYTOFISH reply :
I use both.If your throwing all day long, its nice to be able to change hands.
grampa1114 reply :
I switch hands after casting because my right thumb is much better suited to controling the cast than my left......well worth shifting hands to keep the backlashes to a minimum.
Red reply :
i use left handed reels too and am right handed. For me, I want the rod in my "good hand" I work the bait and set the hook with my rod, those are pretty important aspects of fishing, so I want the comfort and power I get from using my dominant side.
Cliff
roadwarrior reply :
This question comes up a lot and probably boils down to personal preference or what works best for you.
However, I have always found this post by George Welcome interesting:
Posted August 22 2007 - 10:37 AM
Let's get technical, as there are in fact reasons, not just some lame holdover from days past that put the handles where they are.
What will move the fish during retrieval is placed to the strong hand!
A baitcast is designed to be used as a winch, so it is the reel that retrieves the fish. Hence if you are right handed the handle is in your right hand.
A spinning reel is designed to pick up unloaded or loose line, not retrieve the fish. Hence it is the rod that does the retrieval, so it is the rod that is in your strong hand. If you are right handed then the pole goes to the right hand.
George Welcome Sebastian Florida
TomB reply :
Thanks to everyone! I will try and then decide. Switching hands seems like a pain. Just seems interesting that the sale reels are offerings are RH.
Thanks roadwarrier for the technical referral. In fly fishing your free hand pulls in the fish, with spinning the rod pulls it in, and with baitcasting the winch-reel pulls in the fish.
I will try in a shop and then get one version and keep an open mind to try the opposite. Buying more than one reel eventually will stimulate the economy right?
DaveT63 reply :
I'm with Red above. Right handed, but I cast right, reel left. It's the way I fished growing up with my old Mitchell 300 spinning reel, and I'm comfortable with that. I tried right handed reels but just can't make the switch.
Try both and see which you prefer. It won't take long to figure it out. You've probably got friends who use RH and others who use LH. Ask if you can try one of theirs.
QUAKEnSHAKE reply :
On 2/4/2012 at 9:46 PM, TomB said:Just seems interesting that the sale reels are offerings are RH.
Well when local DicksSG had sale on curados I went but all they had were LH models figure just getting rid of leftover stock.
j.bruno reply :
Im right handed but been cranking with my left hand my hold life. So i use LH bait casters also
james 14 reply :
I'm RH and use RH reels but have experimented with pitching with LH to avoid having to switch hands so often. It doesn't usually bother me to switch but when pitching you're moving pretty quickly from cast to cast and the loss of time due the switch is very noticeable. It's very awkward indeed to use my LH in this fashion. As far as making full casts - it doesn't bother me to switch.
I also don't buy into the "using the reels as a winch" theory. I never fight my fish with the reel unless they're dinks and I'm just reeling them straight in. But in that case power isn't a problem. However, I still have my RH on the reel because that's what I'm used to. I suppose it would make sense to fight the fish with the rod in my RH but, again, I'm so used to using my LH here I'm much more effective that way. Besides, it's not like we're fighting tuna offshore here. The vast majority of the time its a <5lb bass which isn't too demanding.
Let me now make an attempt to actually answer your question 
. As I said I'm much more comfortable with a RH baitcaster but when it comes to using a reel that is UNDER the rod I like the LH reel much better. I don't know why but I guess it has something to do with the position of the reel. I've used both fly and spinning reels and, as a righty, want the reel in my LH. So, basically, I'm telling you to go with the RH for the baitcaster.
jignfule reply :
I'm RH and use LH reels. Feels much more natural and comfortable to me. For me it was a no brainer to go w/ LH reels
Hyrule Bass reply :
On 2/4/2012 at 9:16 PM, roadwarrior said:This question comes up a lot and probably boils down to personal preference or what works best for you.
However, I have always found this post by George Welcome interesting:
Posted August 22 2007 - 10:37 AM
Let's get technical, as there are in fact reasons, not just some lame holdover from days past that put the handles where they are.
What will move the fish during retrieval is placed to the strong hand!
A baitcast is designed to be used as a winch, so it is the reel that retrieves the fish. Hence if you are right handed the handle is in your right hand.
A spinning reel is designed to pick up unloaded or loose line, not retrieve the fish. Hence it is the rod that does the retrieval, so it is the rod that is in your strong hand. If you are right handed then the pole goes to the right hand.
George Welcome Sebastian Florida
While this might be factual, im not sure it is or not, but while it may be, it means nothing to me and i dont really think it does much to answer the question, because said question is a matter of preference...
both of my baitcasters are LH, im right handed. i feel much more comfortable holding the rod in my right hand no matter what type of reel. its not that hard to turn the handle with your left hand, reeling is easy. but id much rather hold the rod in my right hand so i know it isnt going anywhere
nvhsaccel reply :
I use left handed baitcasters because i cast with my right hand. That way I don't have to switch hands. This also helps if you flip/pitch a lot.
Packard reply :
No one can prove the other side wrong. It is all personal preference. I can switch hands way before the lure hits the water. RH reels are more availible and have no intention of switching to LH for that reason.
Diggy reply :
Im RH and I like LH retrieve reels, but recently my right hand has been killing me(fractured wrist way back), so I bought a RH reel again to see if I get the same pain or not after fishing. Time will tell if I adapt or not. Ill give it a week or so.
Phranchise1213 reply :
I cast with my right hand and then swtich to reel with my right hand. I know it doesnt make sense from an efficiency standpoint but it just feels right that way. I also don't think there is a correlation between fishing success and the way you do it. For example, both Iaconelli and KVD do it the same way I do and I don't have to list off their achievements.
NBR reply :
I like to palm the reel when I retrieve and I am more accurate casting right handed. So I switch but some times I do that before the lure hits the water. It males little difference which way it's done.
alyswim reply :
I had a right handed last year, and found uncomfortable having to switch hands after I cast. Also, my "strong" hand was reeling in the line and my weak hand was holding the rod... Felt very awkward all season long. This year, switched to the left handed... Feels much more comfortable, even in my living room...
ww2farmer reply :
I am RH and use nothing but LH casting reels. As a kid I grew up fishng with spinning reels with LH retreive, my first few baitcasters were RH and I was never comfortable with them and have been using LH reels ever since. I always think about trying RH reels again, but never do.
Reel_Kaotic reply :
Never made sense to me to use a spinning reel with left hand retrieve and switch using a BC with the right. I cast with the right hand and reel with the left on both reels. Rare breed!
Traveler2586 reply :
I took a tip from an old timer years ago and never regreted it yet. If your right handed all your fine motor control is in your right hand and forearm, etc... For a fisherman that translates into "rod control" and "thumb control" of the spool. You need to have both when casting until the bait hits the water. If your switching hands you don't have control for the whole cast (followthrough) and if your bait gets interrupted in flight (wind gust, or hits something) you don't have "thumb control" of the spool, which translates into a more severe back lash.
Whichever way you go insure you can maintain rod and spool control throught the baits flight - that is the most inportant point.
Then you can decide how sharp your reflexes are, and can you afford to hand off control of the rod to the other hand while the bait is dropping in the strike zone.
Think this through, go to a tackle shop and play with the reels on the same rod (LH reel on one rod, RH reel on a second rod) then go with what feels right to you.
Really, it's no big deal, you can always change later. If you get a chance try a friends setup to see how it feels.
Cheers, Eric
new2BC4bass reply :
Curious. Which hand reel did you go with? Which reel did you get?
Wild Bill [NY] reply :
I am 'right-handed'.
My right hand and arm are FAR stronger than my left.
BY having my rod in my right hand as I cast and retrieve, I can set the hook with that much more force.
My right hand is far more sensitive than my left hand.
Because of that, I can sense bites through my rod and line with my right hand, than if I was holding the rod in my left hand.
I can reel with my left hand just fine.
By examining those three things is how I decided which hand of reel to use in baitcasting.
I am right handed, and crank on the left side; that is what is best FOR ME.
BASSclary reply :
The whole saving time thing is wish-wash if your casting (Not pitching) and you palm your baitcasters. It takes the same amount of time to switch hands that it does to go from the casting grip to the comfortable palming grip. the only advantage would be pitching.
Go with what feels right in your hands. Make sure to go to the store, put it on a rod and play with it. I like my spinning reels left and my casting reels right, witht he exception of flipping/pitching.
The one that got away reply :
I'll probably get bashed for this, but I never got the whole switching hands thing. For example, when I use a fork to eat with my right hand, I don't switch it to my left after it leaves my plate and before it gets to my mouth. I suppose I could switch hands, but what's the point.
For fishing, I cast with my right hand, hold the rod in my right hand, and reel with my left. No switching hands for me, but to each his own.
Traveler2586 reply :
Have you ever noticed how many fishermen use the crank on the left side of their open-faced reels??
I went with LH on all my reels. By the time I transfer the power of the cast from the rod tip to the bait, my thumb is on the spool and my LH is in position to crank. I have full control of the process; I may not hit my target all the time, but that's another matter to deal with
Like most here have said, it's a matter of personal choice.
Cheers, Eric
Roach87 reply :
I echo what a lot of guys have already stated..just feels more comfortable holding the rod in my right hand and reeling with the left. Growing up whenever I went out it was with a spinning reel, and the first time I picked up a right handed casting reel, it didn't "feel right". Switched over to a left handed and haven't looked back.
SausageFingers reply :
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