Why do you reel left and right handed?

[MicLee]

Why do some guys reel with their left hand for spinning reels, but with their right hand with their line counter crankbait rods?

 

[johnr]

I do what mrs johnr tells me to do

 

[MicLee]

I do what mrs johnr tells me to do

She likes it both ways?

 

[Nmariner]

never thought of that before. I would guess its because I hold a spinning rod in my hand all day feeling for bites and the cranking rods are in the rod holder

 

[Rowdie]

I change all my spinning real to real with right hand.

 

[JayKay]

Age old debate. I cast the rod with my right hand, then transfer it to my left hand, and crank with my right. I learned how to fish with a closed-face reel. To me, it should be illegal to have the handle on the other side.

That, and nearly all baitcaster reels have the handle on the right.

Sunday night I was fishing the tailrace, east side. Caught my line in the bail-roller, at the end of a cast. When I pulled the line out of the bail-roller, the line broke. I had to retrieve, like a neanderthal, hand over hand. midway through getting my crank back, disaster (catfish) struck.

It was a regular rodeo.

 

[Weekender]

I wouldn't be able to set the hook or feel bites very well with the rod in my left hand. I do fine with my linecounters reeling on the right because your just holding the rod and reeling it in, no finesse needed.

 

[Allen Gamble]

A DL guide told me this year that he would've had to special order his line counters to left hand reel and that they can't be switched like a spinning reel. I don't use baitcasters, ever, so it was news to me.

 

[Bfishn]

Casting with your right hand, then having to change rod hands to also reel with your right hand has always seemed counterintuitive to me. All of my casting rods whether spinning or bait cast are left hand reel. For cranking/trolling it doesn't really matter although I still prefer left hand for those as well. In a tiller it can be handy to have right hand cranking out the right side of the boat and left hand cranking out the left side so the reel handle is always facing back toward you for an easier reach.

 

[MicLee]

In a tiller it can be handy to have right hand cranking out the right side of the boat and left hand cranking out the left side so the reel handle is always facing back toward you for an easier reach.

Good point I had not thought of that.

 

[KDM]

I reel with the hand that's upcurrent. That way I set the hook with the rod instead of the reel handle. Saves on equipment malfunctions. I've broken a reel handle or two by yanking on it instead of the rod handle. Switching sides takes a minute or two to get used to, but in the end it's been the best way for me to maximize my hookset to catch ratio.

 

[lunkerslayer]

That seems weird to me people who reel with their right hand, so I'm trying to imagine someone using their right hand to reel up their fish, when you cast is that also with the right hand, when you open your bail that is with the left hand or right. Then after you cast out throwing cranks example, do you close the bail with your left/right hand or do you switch hands when holding your the rod handle and close the bail with your right hand then start reeling in your lure with your right. That's crazy confusing to me, so for me the rod handle never leaves my right hand, reel with my left, open/close bail with my left, and use my left hand to net the fish. That to me is a lot of hand switching for using a open faced reel , even using a right handed bait casting reel would be crazy to have to switch from right to left after casting.

 

[svnmag]

Casting with your right hand, then having to change rod hands to also reel with your right hand has always seemed counterintuitive to me. All of my casting rods whether spinning or bait cast are left hand reel. For cranking/trolling it doesn't really matter although I still prefer left hand for those as well. In a tiller it can be handy to have right hand cranking out the right side of the boat and left hand cranking out the left side so the reel handle is always facing back toward you for an easier reach.

Hell yes. IMO a left side crank is a right-handed reel. The strong arm is for rod control not turning a little circle.

That is all.

 

[shorthairsrus]

both reels handles on right cast with left (stronger). Less time wasted is suppose to equal more fish --- in theory

 

[Vollmer]

My crank rods have the handles on the right, but I wish they were on the left. I think my next set will be. My uncle has a full set with handles on the left and I like that better.

 

[1lessdog]

both reels handles on right cast with left (stronger). Less time wasted is suppose to equal more fish --- in theory

I agree, I batted left handed and cast left. Retrieve with right hand.

 

[IFishND]

Never understood reeling with left hand when you are right handed. You telling me your left hand/arm is so weak/uncoordinated it can't hold a rod? What?

 

[svnmag]

^^^^I say it's a waste to use the strong side to crank a little circle. The strong side should be for casting/rod control and especially hooksets. Lots of strikes occur immediately when the presentation hits the water and there's a danger for slack if you must switch hands to reel. I'll admit it's a tedious little argument like the 6.5 Creedmoor.

 

[svnmag]

Age old debate. I cast the rod with my right hand, then transfer it to my left hand, and crank with my right. I learned how to fish with a closed-face reel. To me, it should be illegal to have the handle on the other side.

That, and nearly all baitcaster reels have the handle on the right.

Sunday night I was fishing the tailrace, east side. Caught my line in the bail-roller, at the end of a cast. When I pulled the line out of the bail-roller, the line broke. I had to retrieve, like a neanderthal, hand over hand. midway through getting my crank back, disaster (catfish) struck.

It was a regular rodeo.

Not a about your crank handle retardation. You're proving my point to Catdaddy.

 

[wjschmaltz]

I’m right handed. Hold the rod in and cast from my left hand for everything. Never switches hands. Cranks, deep sea, fly fishing, dragging spinners, ice fishing, anything. Rod never leaves my left hand and reel with my right. This is especially efficient because I’m a right-handed drinker. With this combination of skills, I would no doubt win every fishing tournament by a minimum of 2 lbs. But luckily for everyone, I am not. Men like me don’t have a weak side and a strong side, just two deadly sides.

I grew up casting a closed face zebco 33 around the yard for literally hundreds of hours. Never used anything else until I was well into my teens. Just the way it was and it became second nature.