Righty Using Lefty. 2024
ETR82 reply :
Just started bass fishing this year. (Addicted already). I'm right handed bought left handed bait casters felt more comfortable. Is there any disadvantages using the left handed reel opposed to the right.
Klebs01 reply :
Nope. I'm a righty with all left hand retrieve reels and it feels a ton more natural and comfortable. Fish what works best for you.
MFBAB reply :
I'm a righty and switched all of mine to LH about 10 years ago and no regrets.
If I am right handed, why would I ever want to hold the rod w my left hand while playing a fish?
Not to mention having to switch hands every time you cast, etc.
It took 1 trip to get used to it, now I feel a little wierd if I ever have to use someone else's RH reels 
poisonokie reply :
Not at all. As far as I'm concerned, you're doing it the only way that makes any sense at all. Except for flipping. If you're truly flipping, the handle, knobs, and dragstar can tangle up your line unless you hold the rod with your left. That's why I don't really flip and when I talk about it, I really mean short pitches with heavy baits. Welcome to the most expensive and time consuming hobby on the planet, by the way!
poisonokie reply :
On 9/24/2015 at 2:16 AM, MFBAB said:I'm a righty and switched all of mine to LH about 10 years ago and no regrets.
If I am right handed, why would I ever want to hold the rod w my left hand while playing a fish?
Not to mention having to switch hands every time you cast, etc.
It took 1 trip to get used to it, now I feel a little wierd if I ever have to use someone else's RH reels
Nice avatar, lol. That's brutal.
bigfruits reply :
i also switched to "left handed" baitcasters years ago and I am right handed.
Todd2 reply :
I'm a righty...switched to LH reels years ago. IMO, the ONLY disadvantage is a lot of times you won't be able to find a certain "on sale" reel in LH as the demand apparently isn't as high for some reason.
Poolshark reply :
It really just depends on what you are more comfortable with. I am right handed and I prefer lefty reels most of the time. though I do use right handed reels some of the time and find it helps me with fatigue after a long day
Bass newb reply :
LH makes most sense to someone who's right handed. I do that.
ETR82 reply :
Thanks guys feel much better about my decision to go lefty. u ain't lying about being a $ hobby. I thought golf was bad.
stepchild reply :
I'm in the same boat, right-handed using a LH reel. What I find perplexing are the people who use spinning reels LH and biatcasters RH...I just think it would screw me up completely. Just pick whatever's most comfortable to you and stick with it, no matter what anyone says. Heck, I've fished a tournament with a guy who holds his spinning reel upside down and, because of his history doing it that way, was just fine casting and reeling fish in (no matter how weird it looks!).
RMcDuffee726 reply :
I'm a righty, yet I use a Right Handed Baitcaster. I just enjoying fighting fish with my weaker hand, and having the power in my knob turning hand. There is no wrong way to do it. Like everyone else above said, whatever feels more comfortable is the correct way to do it.
Random Tackle reply :
As a righty using spinning gear for most of my life the choice was quite easy to go lefty when I bought my first baitcaster.
BassinLou reply :
On 9/24/2015 at 1:56 AM, ETR82 said:Just started bass fishing this year. (Addicted already). I'm right handed bought left handed bait casters felt more comfortable. Is there any disadvantages using the left handed reel opposed to the right.
To answer your question, no. I am actually surprised more right handed don't use left handed reels. For me, a right hand reel is natural because I am a natural lefty. But for a natural righty I would assume its natural to use a left reel. At least for me it is.
K_Mac reply :
I am also a right handed fisherman who has all left handed reels. Controlling the rod with my dominant hand and reeling with my left is far more natural to me than using a right handed reel. My advice is to try both. Some use both right or left, depending on the technique. Its all good.
MasonV reply :
That's the best way to do it so you don't have to switch hands to cast and reel. I'm a lefty with all right handed reels.
Big Bait Fishing reply :
when choosing a reel for the first time , determine which hand you feel comfortable working the rod , you reel with the other hand .. for example , i work the rod with my right hand and reel with the left , all my reels are left handed ....
Bluegiller reply :
I did the same thing I bought a left hand retrieve baitcaster for my first baitcaster
BassWhole! reply :
There is no right (pun intended) or wrong answer. Use whatever feels better and works for you. I will say, that I am right handed and use RH baitcasters because it is more efficient since I cast and fish with a different grip on the rod. Were I to use a LH reel, it would require 2 shifts of grip. I find I have the reel palmed in my left hand while the lure is still in flight. I do use LH baitcasters and RH spinning, when I have a finger injury or have fished for weeks straight to give the arm a break.
yugrac reply :
I am right handed and use all left hand crank reels, both spinning and baitcast. The biggest advantage I like is fishing shallow cover or shoreline. When you dont have to switch hands you can be cranking as soon or before the lure hits the water, this saves on many hang-ups and snags. Also I have had reaction strikes as soon as the lure hits the water, and would have missed fish if not for holding the rod in my right hand and cranking with my left.
Fisher-O-men reply :
It is a recent trend and will cause the manufacturers to make more lefty reels.
Rob96 reply :
I have always used LH spinning reels but wanted to learn how to use a baitcaster. Nobody had lefties on the shelves. I then happened upon an Abu Garcia Ambassadeur S 5500 combo on clearance for $40. I couldn't sneeze at that. It's a little awkward having to switch but at least I am learning the baitcaster.
new2BC4bass reply :
On 9/24/2015 at 3:13 AM, ETR82 said:Thanks guys feel much better about my decision to go lefty. u ain't lying about being a $ hobby. I thought golf was bad.
I've managed to spend a few thousand over the past 6 years on gear. Wouldn't have spent nearly as much if I lived where the fishing was good. I would have been out catching fish instead of on the Internet ordering more gear. I started taking guitar lessons this year. Talk about an expensive hobby! What some feel is a cheap acoustic guitar goes for over $2k. Way beyond my budget. 
EDIT: BTW I am also a righty who started with lefty spinning reels so when I went to b/c reels I stayed on the same side. Not all reels are available in left hand so I learned to reel right hand and cast left hand. Not too hard for most people to do and definitely has its advantages.
Fun4Me reply :
Putting the preference for what feels better aside, I've never found a way to palm a LH reel, casting with my right hand, without having to add in an extra movement, which makes it the same and I would say worse, than the RH model.
Now, if ones hand never moves from the casting position between casts, I could see it as an advantage.
Fisher-O-men reply :
On 9/24/2015 at 8:29 PM, Fun4Me said:Putting the preference for what feels better aside, I've never found a way to palm a LH reel, casting with my right hand, without having to add in an extra movement, which makes it the same and I would say worse, than the RH model.
Now, if ones hand never moves from the casting position between casts, I could see it as an advantage.
Now that is an interesting thought. I have not noticed whether or not I shift my casting hand after the lure lands. I'll have to take note of that. I do know this, my right hand is more coordinated for walking TW baits.
Ratherbfishing reply :
On 9/24/2015 at 2:16 AM, MFBAB said:I'm a righty and switched all of mine to LH about 10 years ago and no regrets.
If I am right handed, why would I ever want to hold the rod w my left hand while playing a fish?
Not to mention having to switch hands every time you cast, etc.
It took 1 trip to get used to it, now I feel a little wierd if I ever have to use someone else's RH reels
More or less my story. When my old RH Abu Garcia reel quit on me I switched to two "lefty" reels and haven't looked back since. A friend later gave me a RH reel and, feeling compelled to at least TRY it, I lost a nice bass cause I reached for the handle on the wrong side. I put that rod/reel down and haven't used a RH reel since.
The debate rages on but it's kind of like arguing over which is superior-chopsticks or forks and spoons. It's all in what you get used to. I think that since you are just starting out and haven't formed a "habit" yet, I'd stay with the "left-handed" reel. (To me the term should be "left-handled" reel and not left-handed).
bigtattoo79 reply :
I'm right handed and hold spinning/casting rods in my left hand. I find my retrieve is smoother when I reel with my right hand. Also I like to lift the fish from the water with my right hand.
d-camarena reply :
A couple years ago when i got my first baitcasters i bought 4 brand new right hand reels and after the first trip i realized i had messed up. Had to sell them and get lefties
poisonokie reply :
On 9/24/2015 at 8:29 PM, Fun4Me said:Putting the preference for what feels better aside, I've never found a way to palm a LH reel, casting with my right hand, without having to add in an extra movement, which makes it the same and I would say worse, than the RH model.
Now, if ones hand never moves from the casting position between casts, I could see it as an advantage.
I cast two handed, so it's easy to make the small transition to retrieval mode because my left hand is holding the rod butt. My right never realm leaves the reel. And if you happen to be using a t3 you can easily reengage the reel in one fluid motion.
poisonokie reply :
*really, not realm
contium reply :
On 9/24/2015 at 8:29 PM, Fun4Me said:Putting the preference for what feels better aside, I've never found a way to palm a LH reel, casting with my right hand, without having to add in an extra movement, which makes it the same and I would say worse, than the RH model.
Now, if ones hand never moves from the casting position between casts, I could see it as an advantage.
This. When I cast, my index finger is on the trigger. When I retrieve, I prefer to palm a reel with the trigger between my pinky and ring finger. That would require more movement with a left handed reel. I transfer the rod to my left hand during the cast so no time is lost. I do use a left handed reel for pitching. I also find always holding a rod in my right hand causes more fatigue in my right arm. Casting with the rod with the right hand and retrieving with the rod in the left hand spreads the fatigue out.
Fun4Me reply :
On 9/25/2015 at 1:20 AM, poisonokie said:I cast two handed, so it's easy to make the small transition to retrieval mode because my left hand is holding the rod butt. My right never realm leaves the reel. And if you happen to be using a t3 you can easily reengage the reel in one fluid motion.
To me, the only way a two hand cast works is if you have both hands on the rod throughout the entire cast, and maybe even past it.
LH reel, casting with right hand or both:
Right hand in casting position, thumb on the spool.
Cast with right hand or both.
Hold both hands on the rod until the bait hits the water or until thumb pressure is no longer needed.
In two hand scenario, take right hand off first and place on the reel then take left hand off of rod and grab the handle
In scenario other than that, one would have to either grab the handle with their left hand, and hold onto the handle only to get their right hand into the palming position, or grab some other way so that one could palm the reel with the right hand then go to the handle after that with their left ( an extra step, basically double grabbing it )
RH reel casting with right hand or both
Right hand in casting position, thumb on the spool
Cast with right hand or both.
No need to hold both hands on the rod because I'm moving my left to the palming position at any point during the cast while the bait is in the air.
All I have to do is transfer my right hand to the reel handle.
Unless one is reeling with their hand in the casting position, having not moved from when the cast was made, I think a RH casting with the right and reeling with the right, or Lh casting with the left and reeling with the left seems more efficient.
I'm not sure if that makes sense or not LOL!!
It sounded good in my mind.
poisonokie reply :
On 9/25/2015 at 2:28 AM, Fun4Me said:To me, the only way a two hand cast works is if you have both hands on the rod throughout the entire cast, and maybe even past it.
LH reel, casting with right hand or both:
Right hand in casting position, thumb on the spool.
Cast with right hand or both.
Hold both hands on the rod until the bait hits the water or until thumb pressure is no longer needed.
In two hand scenario, take right hand off first and place on the reel then take left hand off of rod and grab the handle
In scenario other than that, one would have to either grab the handle with their left hand, and hold onto the handle only to get their right hand into the palming position, or grab some other way so that one could palm the reel with the right hand then go to the handle after that with their left ( an extra step, basically double grabbing it )
RH reel casting with right hand or both
Right hand in casting position, thumb on the spool
Cast with right hand or both.
No need to hold both hands on the rod because I'm moving my left to the palming position at any point during the cast while the bait is in the air.
All I have to do is transfer my right hand to the reel handle.
Unless one is reeling with their hand in the casting position, having not moved from when the cast was made, I think a RH casting with the right and reeling with the right, or Lh casting with the left and reeling with the left seems more efficient.
I'm not sure if that makes sense or not LOL!!
It sounded good in my mind.
Lol, time to stop and grease those gears in your head. There must be smoke pouring out your ears. You are way overcomplicating this.
Fun4Me reply :
LOL!! That wheel was squeaking.
I only went into such detail because I often hear people say casting with your right hand on a RH reel is odd, because you have to move your hand and switch the rod. They claim that the LH reel solves this problem, and I would agree, If they don't palm the reel or any other way of holding it besides the casting grip. Other than that, it's just as many, if not more steps to accomplish the same thing.
I have thought about a LH for Flipping/Pitching. I can definitely see the advantage there
poisonokie reply :
On 9/25/2015 at 5:30 AM, Fun4Me said:LOL!! That wheel was squeaking.
I only went into such detail because I often hear people say casting with your right hand on a RH reel is odd, because you have to move your hand and switch the rod. They claim that the LH reel solves this problem, and I would agree, If they don't palm the reel or any other way of holding it besides the casting grip. Other than that, it's just as many, if not more steps to accomplish the same thing.
I have thought about a LH for Flipping/Pitching. I can definitely see the advantage there
Well, while flipping that way you run into the issue of the handle, knob, and drag star snagging your line unless you pay complete attention to the way your left hand is holding the line, which is really a challenge when you get a bite, plus I think it detracts from your ability to pay attention to the business end of the line. That's why I don't really flip. I feel like I can get the Jo done with short pitches just fine, and if I really felt I needed to flip, I'd get a dedicated RH reel.
As far as general pitching and casting is concerned, you have to change your grip either way. That's not why I reel left handed, though. The reel is just more comfortable in my right and I can steer fish around easier that way.
Fun4Me reply :
On 9/25/2015 at 7:54 AM, poisonokie said:Well, while flipping that way you run into the issue of the handle, knob, and drag star snagging your line unless you pay complete attention to the way your left hand is holding the line, which is really a challenge when you get a bite, plus I think it detracts from your ability to pay attention to the business end of the line. That's why I don't really flip. I feel like I can get the Jo done with short pitches just fine, and if I really felt I needed to flip, I'd get a dedicated RH reel.
As far as general pitching and casting is concerned, you have to change your grip either way. That's not why I reel left handed, though. The reel is just more comfortable in my right and I can steer fish around easier that way.
You have me thinking about the line snagging now LOL!!
I guess the good thing is we have choices now, where we didn't not to long ago 
poisonokie reply :
I know, it's awesome. There's a rod/reel/line combo for every possible taste or technique.
ClackerBuzz reply :
most guys i know that fish righty were 'taught' that way as a kid.
Jaw1 reply :
I write right handed but couldn't cast a rod with my right arm to save my life. It's just awkward to me. I cast left reel right, never switch hands. I also throw left handed so I guess I'm just odd that way. I believe I'm a natural southpaw but was taught to write right handed because the world's a right hand dominant place. Pay attention to most of your power tools locking switches if operated with your left hand you are more likely to disengage them. When I was in grade school the teachers would take your pencil out of your left hand and make you write right handed. I remember them taking my fork out of my left hand and making me eat right handed
hummbug reply :
I ended up using both.
My right hand is my feeling hand, so all presentations like worms etc would be run on a lefty reel.
Cranks, top waters or running presentations I would operate on a righty, I don´t need that much feeling in my hand for a reaction-strike and it works fine for me.... Special benny: Switching rod hands let my wrists get some rest. And at my age you take all the relieves you can find
JOBU1967 reply :
I'm a righty but I use both righty & lefty reels. I cast, pitch, & flip with both hands to reduce fatigue on both arms. Here is a tip to all the righties that flip with lefty reels, keep the handle pointed straight down so the line won't tangle in your handle.
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