Reels - left or right?

[Holls]

Just bought two new reels! A Fin Nor and a bigger Pflueger, can't wait to test em. But I notice that ALL spinning reels are sold with the handle on the right. I'm right-handed, which means I hold the rod in my right hand and wind with the left. "That's the correct way", three shop fishos tell me this week. It's personal pref of course, but doesn't it make sense NOT to change hands with the rod every time you cast?

[NaClH2OK9]

Like you say personal preference. I'm from the UK originally and have always fished with my handle on the left (right handed) . Leaving my strongest arm to work the rod.

I find it strange that ozzys switch hands for casting but hey. What ever feels comfortable.

Edited September 24, 2014 by NaClH2OK9

[Sydneyfisher12]

im left handed and use a reel with the handle on the right reel just how i was taught

[spaners]

I'm right handed and have this argument all the time.I hold the rod in my right hand and wind with the left.I cant understand why right handed people hold the rod in their left hand.I don't get it ...put rod in right hand,cast,put rod back into left hand to fish..its just wrong to me.

[batfishing]

I also constantly have this argument.

I was taught to use a left hand spinning reel. So no changing hands and also as mentioned strongest arm is on the rod, you fight the fish with the rod not the reel.

Now the biggest bone of contention with my friends, is I can use both with no issues, why do they have to bitch and whine when they pick up one of my outfits?

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[Blood Knot]

Hiya Holls

Just bought two new reels! A Fin Nor and a bigger Pflueger, can't wait to test em. But I notice that ALL spinning reels are sold with the handle on the right. I'm right-handed, which means I hold the rod in my right hand and wind with the left. "That's the correct way", three shop fishos tell me this week. It's personal pref of course, but doesn't it make sense NOT to change hands with the rod every time you cast?

Im with you Holls

Im a righthander who started out like most righthanders, casting with the right and then swapping the rod over to wind with the right hand. After having been hit on the drop a few times when casting to salmon schools I decided to teach myself to crank a reel left handed, so swapped the handles to the left side (easy to do). Took a month or so to get really comfortable with it, but that was 15 years ago and I have not looked back. Though strangely I still crank heavy overhead reels right handed (I am not buying new ones) but baitcasters are all purchased left hand drive.

Cheers

Blood Knot

[fishesh]

Strange maybe it was the first time i picked up a reel but i am right handed and hold the rod with my left hand and the reel with my right. I'm use to it though so its unlikely going to change

[Ryder]

I'm right handed, I used to always cast and wind right handed.

When I started fly fishing, I was told keep your natural hand on the rod, Casting is like throwing a stone. Wind left handed.

It makes sense to use your stronger arm to fight the fish, and it's faster to react, just mind nerve pathways.

I do the same with plastics, because I think I have better touch and control.

I hear the old switcheroo is peculiar to Australia.

[Witha]

Yup I echo most of the above. When I was a kid with my dad it was always left hand on the rod, I'm ambidextrous so it's not too much of a problem but when I started plastic fishing you really want to get a pin point cast in amd then be in constant control, I get better action, a better finesse on retrieves, and a much better fighting feel when battling a fish with the rod in my right.

When I got my bait caster I realised they were usually all left hand on the rod....which seems even more silly because you have to have constant contact with the reel to feather the cast and you want to be able to manage the line as soon as it hits water...seems impractical but most of the Americans seem to do it with a hand switch.

I'll keep my way amd next I'll get a bloody correctly sided bait caster haha

[sniper]

I am right handed I have always turned the reel with my right hand. Not changing, when you get to the end of the fight I prefer to search/aim/use my right hand with net/gaff/pliers rather than my uncoordinated left .

[Linc]

I'm right handed and was taught to wind with my left, hold rod with the right, it does make sense the fight the fish with your stronger hand and also remove the need to switch hands, And like a lot of you I have this argument everytime, especially if someone borrows a rod from me or needs to pull one of my rods in.

[cameldownunder]

I am right handed, but also dont have a problem using a screw driver with my left one. So it seemed obvious to hold the rod with the strong arm, also to cast, and use the left hand to slow down the impact of the bait, or closing the drag when fishing with a loose drag with he left. The only issue I have right now, is that I am looking at Baitcaster/Overhead reels, and only a few big brands have left handed reels. Glad I am not alone. And by the way, that's how I teached my son, so he is part of those right-lefties too now.

[kulch]

IMO there is no right or wrong way, its your own technique

my right hand/arm is stronger

personally - i wind with my left hand for light gear and wind with my right on heavy gear. yes i have my different combos setup this way.

mostly because game fishing reels usually come with right handed handles - you have harnesses to hold the rod, u can swap hands to hold the rod, but ultimately your strong hand is going to pack the stamina down to wind in big fish.

but at the end of the day you can adapt whenever you like. it only takes a few outings on the other hand to get a new rythym. as long as your not one of those guys that holds an overhead upsize down and winds backwards just to maintain the same hand. lolzzz

[Holls]

So it seems weird to me that manufacturers sell the reels with the handle on the right. Especially when informed shop assistants say thats not correct for right handers. When flyfishing yer b..gged if you dont reel/strip with the left hand. :-)

[Scratchie]

So do you put your left or right foot forward. Or do you breathe in or out as you wind. I'd use my feet if I had too! So I guess there's no reel correct technique (pun intended) but for the record, I'm left handed, reel with my right. And whilst game fishing I really wish I could use a left handed reel.

Great thread though and interesting to read!

Cheers scratchie!!!

[Blood Knot]

So it seems weird to me that manufacturers sell the reels with the handle on the right. Especially when informed shop assistants say thats not correct for right handers. When flyfishing yer b..gged if you dont reel/strip with the left hand. :-)

They have to put em on side or the other and most likely have their assembly jigs set up for right hand installation - probably r/hand is a custom from years ago before the cast and retrieve lure thing became as popular as it is today - some may be able to remember when there was not a lot of choice for some early models of spinning reels. At the end of the day with new spinning reels it only takes 20 or 30 seconds to swap em over.

Cheers Blood Knot

[The Iceman]

Ridiculous argument which wouldn't exist if some big boofhead(Rex Hunt)hadn't of preached this is the way you have to do it on tv

[Fab1]

I've done some thinking of everyday things we use our hands for and come up with this.

I, m right handed and cast with my left, wind with my right.

Use screwdrivers with left.

Hammer with right.

Stick weld with left, mig weld with right.

Open doors with either.

Drink with right.

Use spanners with left, pliers with right.

When you think about it, I really don't think it's about whats right/wrong.

You just use whatever your non-conscious mind decides is natural for you.

But I just think I'm a bit of a weirdo the way I do things.

My 19 year old son when he was young and getting taught how to write use to write with a pencil in each hand and start from the margins either side of the page writing inwards at the same time and meet in the middle.

In essence his left hand was writing forwards and his right hand writing/spelling backwards.

His teacher said that in all her years she had never seen anything as co-ordinated and incredible as that.

Now that's weird!!

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[The Iceman]

But I just think I'm a bit of a weirdo the way I do things.

Your not alone I'm like that Some things I do with right and others I do with the left and then there's others that I'm comfortable with either

[Witha]

I've done some thinking of everyday things we use our hands for and come up with this.

I, m right handed and cast with my left, wind with my right.

Use screwdrivers with left.

Hammer with right.

Stick weld with left, mig weld with right.

Open doors with either.

Drink with right.

Use spanners with left, pliers with right.

When you think about it, I really don't think it's about whats right/wrong.

You just use whatever your non-conscious mind decides is natural for you.

But I just think I'm a bit of a weirdo the way I do things.

My 19 year old son when he was young and getting taught how to write use to write with a pencil in each hand and start from the margins either side of the page writing inwards at the same time and meet in the middle.

In essence his left hand was writing forwards and his right hand writing/spelling backwards.

His teacher said that in all her years she had never seen anything as co-ordinated and incredible as that.

Now that's weird!!

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Your not alone I'm like that Some things I do with right and others I do with the left and then there's others that I'm comfortable with either

Yeah I'm the same guys, I'm a lot more proficient at a lot of things with my left but I write /cast right handed. If I'm eating, I use a knife in the right. But when I'm chopping things / doing things that require a bit of technique I use.my left haha. Ambidextrous gives you more options

[big Neil]

There's no right or wrong...it's what you are comfortable with that matters. I'm right handed, so casting with the rod in my right hand is easier. Reeling with my left hand follows naturally. Where it gets interesting though is casting the baitcaster. Most low profile reels come in right hand wind so I often cast with my left hand and (naturally) reel with my right hand. I do have one low profile reel which is left hand wind and cast this with my right hand... much easier and far more accurate when casting in to tight spots. I remember my father in law losing several good fish at Montague Island because it took him (what seemed like) an eternity to change hands between casting and reeling.

[Holls]

Yeah I'm the same guys, I'm a lot more proficient at a lot of things with my left but I write /cast right handed. If I'm eating, I use a knife in the right. But when I'm chopping things / doing things that require a bit of technique I use.my left haha. Ambidextrous gives you more options

All of the above is cool. The only issue is casting with the right hand, then transferring the rod over to the left, which is ok but a bit clumsy if you are doing a lure or fly retrieve. HAPPY FISHING!!

[wizza]

A lot of us are Goofy handed like Goofyfoot surfers leading with the right foot.Some say right is not correct.Cheers leftrightout.

[Nolongeramember]

When people ask me what handed I am I don't know what to say. Here's a few examples of the weird stuff I do and I think I do most of them pretty well or above average.

Write left handed. Throw a ball overarm right handed. Throw a ball underarm left handed. Serve in tennis right handed then swap and play all my shots left. Scissors right handed. Swing golf or cricket right handed. Use a knife on a chopping board left hand. General painting can use both hands equal but precision work it's left hand.

Casting a rod when using 2 hands is right handed then swap and wind right hand. Casting a rod with one hand for bass/bream etc left hand and it stays there. My right arm/hand is the stronger but not by much.

[SgtBundy]

I am right handed. I watched some episodes of iFish where he talked about using your preferred hand to hold the rod and so I gave it a go just to see what difference it made. To be honest it was not that different for me, but because I only switched one reel over I kept going for the wrong side on habit between my two rods so it just got annoying for that reason and I switched back.

I don't really notice any issues switching hands to do stuff anyway. I do notice I tend to hold the rod in my right hand most of the time if I am just waiting for a bite, then have to switch to wind, but I just do it and it really does not impact what I am doing. I don't think I work the rod any less proper using my left hand anyway, but maybe I just don't have that much technique When I am lure fishing I don't notice any problems working the rod using my left hand.

I later watched another later series episode of iFish where he says the complete opposite, and to just do what is natural