left handed vs right handed reels.

I am right handed, but I have 7 abus these days, 2 right handed and 5 left handed.

Basically being new to baitcasters I liked mooch's view on this and have kind of adopted
left handed reels.

In playing with both, I realize that when I use the right handed reels, I put my left
hand on the foregrip and the butt against my body,
but when I use the left handed models, I leave my right hand on the butt and reel.

In the left handed case the rod/reel is not quite balanced, so it is comfy, but more so
for lighter rods. with the heavier setups, holding the foregrip and placing the rod butt
against my body seems better.

So I guess I'm asking where do folks put their non winding hand? on the butt/reel or
on the foregrip?

J

great topic John!

To this day, I still don't understand why a majority of the baitcasters are made on right hand retrieve. I cast with my right hand and  I reel in with my left hand = Very sweet and simple. I  grip the rod slightly behind the reel when fighting smaller fish like bass and trout...but with a bigger fish on -
like a striper or a salmon, I grip the rod area above the reel and tuck the butt of the rod under my right armpit (I like buying rods with longer butts for this reason).

IMO: to cast with your right hand and then switch the rod to your left hand so you can reel in the line with the right hand seems unnecessary. That's 3 steps compared to two.

right hand retrieve: 1) cast with right hand 2) transfer rod to left hand 3) reel in the line with the right hand 

left hand retrieve: 1) cast with right hand 2) reel in with the left = BINGO! FISH ON!!!!

By the way, I'm looking at this from a right hander's perspective and not a lefty 

Personally, I don't like the feel of fishing with my dominant hand below my other hand.  For example, I'm right handed and when I use a baitcaster, my right hand is reeling in the line above my left hand which is holding the rod.   However, when I'm using a spinning reel, my right hand is holding the rod above my left hand which is reeling in the line.

It's the same with swinging a bat, gulf club, or chopping with an ax, my right hand is above my left (when the tool is held upward like a fishing rod during a cast)

Brian

I'm the same way, Brian.

And I use the 3-step method that Ole Mooch condems. 

The only time it's ever a problem is sometimes at my Bodega perch spot, when my bait gets nailed before I can pass the rod to my left hand. But that's a problem I'll gladly accept any day! 

I agree with Mooch in theory,I bought some 01s  tried it but couldn't get used to it. I'm with  Brian and Dustin.

I'm totally odd when it comes to fishing (no jokes please).   Although I'm very much right-handed for everything, when it comes to fishing, I can only use spinning or casting reels with the handle on the right side.  I started that way as a kid and I haven't been able to change no matter how many times I've tried.

However, it does make a lot of sense that right handed fishermen should be using left-handled casting reels... especially levelwinds with thumb bars.

The whole handedness thing is strange.

There is one other thing that goes with being "handed" and that is whether you are
"cross-dominant" or "same-side-dominant"
(and we aren't talking about the bedroom, that's another bulletin board  ).

cross-dominant is when you are right-handed and left-eyed, or left-handed and right eyed.
This is actually the most common.

If you hold up your finger in front of you face and note what it obscures, then close your left eye,
if the finger stays covering the item in the background, you are right eyed.  If you then open both
eyes and try closing the other eye, the finger should "move" in relation to the background.

I'm with Brian for golf and baseball, but here's the exception that proves the rule:
What about a two-handed tennis backhand? I put my left hand on top for that one.
Also Brian, sounds like you don't use the foregrip, only the butt of the rod? you would get
more leverage using the foregrip, right?

which foot do you plant when you bend it like beckham? plant my left, kick with my right.

I am right handed, right eyed, and I'm right footed and push mongo and surf regular foot (not goofy).

now when you push your skateboard do you push with your front foot (mongo) or backfoot (regular)? 

for me it's about which hand is the 'power' hand, and for me that's the right hand, I'm pumping the rod
with my right hand (silence peanut gallery!), reeling doesn't take much strength if you pump the rod.
Maybe on a big game rod and reel it would be different. Mooch what about when you are reeling in that
marlin? Still going to reel with your left hand?

I tried casting with my left hand the other day. surprisingly accurate. I guess if I get tendonitus from catching
so many fish, I'll just switch hands. 

Mooch what about when you are reeling in that
marlin? Still going to reel with your left hand?

Absolutely.....my right arm is stronger, thus I will use my arm strenght to pump the rod up and down while trying to gain line while reeling in with the left hand 

The reason baitcasting reels were origonaly made righthanded with the reel on the rite side is that when fighting a realy realy big fish you want your strong hand on the handle imagine a 300# halibut the rod is pined to the rai,l or a 200# tuna you are straped to the rod with a full harnis you lean back and you can even take the left hand off the rod.
 When I have a custmer that wants to get their first baitcasting reel but doestnt know witch side to by I hand them both and tell them to real them both as fast as they can one will usualy be alot smother.

I am right handed and use right handed reals  moastly because your choices are siverly limited when it comes to left handed saltwater reels.

I am right handed and only use left handed reels. I do this when I flyfish too. I do not understand guys who cast with their right hand, then pass the rod to their left hand so they can reel with their right, then pass it back to their right hand so they can cast, then pass it to their left hand so they can reel. Kind of like playing 'hot potato'. It seems like a LOT of unnecessary steps to me and a LOT of opportunities for missed strikes too.
I keep it simple. Cast with the right, reel with the left. Been doing it as long as I can remember and it works for me.

Here's a related question...

How many of you also eat with a fork and knife by switching hands every bite. 

Here's the scenerio, you start with your fork in your dominant (say right) hand, grab you knife, switch hands so you can cut with your right.  While many will then keep the fork in their left to lift the piece of steak up to their mouths, many others will swich their fork back to their dominant (right) hand to eat it.  When it's time for another bite they do the switch again.

As for the casting bit... I'm right handed and don't mind the constant switching during a cast as long as it feels natural during the retrieve.  if I'm casting only a few feet I'll often cast with my left hand keeping my right hand on the retrieve just in case I get that quick surface bite.  However, if it's a nice long cast I'm usually thumbing the spool anyway so I have no problem setting the hook if need be.

Brian

Fork and knife?? I just eat with my hands!!!

My parents are british and they told me that british people keep the fork in the left hand.
They also use the fork so it curves down. maybe better for meat and potatos, 

according to them, americans switch hands and use the fork pointed up like a shovel.

When done eating, americans place their knife and fork parallel at about 4 o'clock while british
people put their knife and fork parallel at 6 o'clock. unless they grew up in a barn and
just use their hands, 

you say tom-A-to, I say to-MAH-to!

goldenarrow, that sounds like the best explanation of the whole thing.  I could see that the big heavy
reels are better right handed, but thumbar baitcasters w level wind one can go lefty.  I definitely
wind smoother with my left if the reel is small.

That is a good explanation.  I always figured the "correct" technique is to cast with the left and crank with the right (for right handers).  I've tried it, and it's not difficult - it just 'feels' funny so I use the 3-step method.

I don't think it's about which hand is stronger.  In fact, I don't think one side is actually stronger at all.  If it were, we'd collapse onto our left side after too many push-ups.  And marathoners would topple over onto their left sides when their endurance was exceeded.  And isometric exercise would be really comical.

I think it's about coordination.  I used to do a little sport whipcracking, which requires cracking on both sides.  Cracking on the left side is awkward (and painful) at first.  The technique is to learn on the right side, then crack on both sides simultaneously until the left becomes comfortable.  Martial arts which use impact weapons can be taught the same way.  It seems to me that if someone really wanted to learn to cast with the off hand, they could start off with two rods of the same length and weight and cast them together untill the off hand caught up with the dominant hand.

Randy

practice does seem to allow the "other" hand to do the same things,
but it's like you have to teach it all over again, it's like the left hand
doesn't know what the right hand is doing!