Here's a question. Why do right handers reel spinning reels with the left hand and baitcasters with the right? I am a righty but I fish baitcasters "left handed". I reel my spinning reel with my left hand also, but that just makes me a normal right handed fisherman   Is it wierd for anyone else to switch back and forth from left and right handed reeling?  For years I have had friendly disagreements with all of my fishing buddies because I am backwards. I was just curious as to how many righties fish baitcasters left handed. Most of my family does and it makes more sense to me to cast with your strong arm, set the hook with your strong arm, and not switch hands in the middle of a cast. Which brings up another question. Wouldn't it be easier for flipping, pitching etc if you didn't have quickly switch hands when the lure hit the water? If there is a quick strike, I'm ready to set the hook cause I don't have to switch hands.

A lot of the pros on the bass fishing circuits do flip and pitch with a lefty. And some just pitch with the rod in their left hand.

That's a good question, more to follow....

I never thought about it but thats how i fish also on my baitcasters i reel with right and spinning reels on the left, that is just more comfortable to me............JOHN

I got this from Penn...In the old days, (before they started making Left hand retrieve BC reels), it was common knowledge that due to the smaller "radius" of a BC reels handle, it would be easier for most people to reel with their "strongest hand" because MOST people are more dexterous in their predominant/writing hand. Also, "old timer's" rods did not always have a trigger! Trigger BC rods are a fairly new concept, (like 50-60 years only!). It's easier to control the strike of a fish while grasping the reel than the rod. It is a "dexterity" issue that various company's (years ago) did actual research to find out. Now as for spinning reels...
They were originally developed to allow for the use of artificial flies, or other lures for trout or salmon, that were too light in weight to be easily cast by bait casting reels. Therefore, with the rod in your RIGHT hand you can easily make continuous casts, with your predominant hand, and reel/retrieve with your weak hand (left).

Several years ago I started using bait cast reels after a lifetime using spinning reels. I'm right handed. I practiced with my bait casters and used them to become proficient. When I'd use my spinning and fly cast reels it felt weird to switch my cranking hands. So I converted my fly cast and spinning reels to right hand retrieve for consistency. Now cranking any reel with my left hand feels strange and my technique is far better using the same hand to retrieve on all my reel types.

I follow the whole right hand dominant, dexterity concept. Likewise I talk with the phone in my left hand. My right hand can dial the numbers.

For myself, my right hand handles the landing net, so right hand cranking means it's free to grab the net.

I've never done anything but the standard approach...spinning reels with the left hand...baitcasters with the right. I can drop one and pickup the other and everything feels just fine...so am I boring...or lucky?
                                                                                                           

Baitcasters with a left sided crank are relatively recent and many of these reels come with a right hand crank only. Don't know about anyone else but I normally cast my baitcasters two handed so which hand I crank with is kinda immaterial. Just happens that my trolling rods are all right crank and spinning reels all left.

Boring or lucky, sometimes I wish it was more comfortable for me to reel with my right hand. There are a lot of nice reels out there that I don't even look at twice because they don't make a left hand retrieve model. The really funny thing is I am super right handed. It's a miracle I can reel a fishing reel with my left hand. The only other thing I can think of that my left hand does is keep my watch from falling off of my left wrist. That dexterity thing makes sense though. I like low profile baitcasters so I can grip the reel in the palm of my right hand.

Well I'm a Righty that likes to reel with my left hand just find it easier!! to each his own!

I'm 65 and when I was learning Bait casting reels, they only came with a right hand cranks and conversly, when spinning reels came out, they were only left hand hand cranking. I got used to that. I have tried a left hand casting reel but need to work on it because the way I hold the rod, I find myself with my hand up next to my body body. I have my fly reels mostly set for left hand reeling because I learned to operate "under the rod" reels that way.
The wierdes thing I have seen is people who get a spinning reel and operate it essentially "upside down and backwards". I have seen similar things with other types of reels but not so often.
In the end, I guess it is what works for you.

Barresi, forgot to mention in my previous post, I have a "trigger" bait casting rod that is older than I am. It is square steel, about 4 feet long and has a hardwood handle and the guides are probobly imitation agate. The trigger is steel and part of the reel seat mechanism.

Don't use bait casters. Have no use for them. But when I use spinning reels, right hand holds the rod (since it is the dominant arm) left hand cranks.

I also used right hand baitcasters when I first started fishing but it always seemed odd that I didn't have to change hands with a spinning reel but I did have to change hands with my baitcasters. About 25 years ago I bought my first left hand crank baitcaster and taught myself to use it. It just seems more natural to me now. If you would try a left hand crank baitcaster for a full fishing season you would end up scratching your head wondering why you didn't try it earlier. My opinion anyway. Ebay has a bunch of left hand crank baitcasters for reasonable prices if anyone wants to try it.

Can't you switch the handle to the opposite side on most spinning reels?

Every spinning reel I've owned except one, you could switch the handle around. From the time that I was a little kid, my dad and uncle had left hand retireve reels, spinning and casting. That's what I learned on so as I got older that's what I stayed with. I didn't realize until later that left handed casting reels are only available on some models, and most people retireve bait casters right handed.

So, can you switch the handle's side on baitcasters? I don't use them but I am curious.

All of the spinning reels I've come across you can switch the handles from left to right, As for baitcasters, I've never seen one that you can switch. It's almost impossible to switch baitcasters retrieve from left to right and right to left. The actual frame would have to be modified to do that. On the retrieve side, there's too many gears and drag disc to do that.

Another note guys...when spinning reels first came out, they were just like baitcasters...left and right hand models. Then someone must have realized how easy the handle could be reversed, and that was the end of that. This is an original Mitchell 301, the "left handed" sister to the famous 300.
                                    

Posted By Captain Quantum on 20 Dec 2011 03:34 AM
So, can you switch the handle's side on baitcasters? I don't use them but I am curious.

Sadly No ya cant!!!!

I like so many others use the right hand crank for bc reels and left hand for spinning reels. I must say that especially when I'm crankbait fishing, it's nice to switch to a spinning reel and give my cranking arm a break! Although after reading this post, I intend to get myself a left hand baitcaster for flipping. It does make sense.

Cheap: I'm thinkin your going to like that a-Lot!!!! and after awhile I can see other Lefty's in your future!!!!!

I cast right handed, reel both with my right hand even though I can use both hands pretty well.I write right handed but drive left handed. Reeling with my left hand just feels weird

I cast and reel right handed.drive left handed and write right handed.It just feels really weird to reel with my left hand

Sorry for a double post.forgot to turn the page.Mbad

Hey, Hoss, how are you? As far as reel construction, back in-the-day all baitcasting and spincasting reels were right-hand crankers, and most spinning reels were left-hand cranks. Don't know why... just the way the manufacturers offered them to us. There were exceptions, as mo65 points out with the Mitchell 301. Penn also had a few right-handed retrieve reels in their line-up back then, but for the most part, you took what you got and lived with it. As it's been pointed out, in modern times just about all spinning reels (and many spincasting reels) are ambidextrous. Personally, I started out (as many of us) with a Zebco 33, which was a right-hand cranker, and when I decided to try spinning in the mid/late 1970s, I just couldn't get used to left-handed cranking (pretty much just the opposite of your experience). I just preferred to cast, then switch hands so my dominant hand's free. I finally settled on the Shakespeare President II 2810DE spinning reel, and just forced myself to get used to the configuration. Taught myself to cast left-handed, too. I'm glad I did, cuz there were times when one or the other hand was incapacitated, but I could still fish. IMHO, everyone should learn to crank with either hand, not only in case of hand injury, but also because it makes more sense if you fish two rods at a time, as I do. If both rods retrieve on the same side of the reel, and you get a bite on the rig you aren't holding, you have to set the rod you're holding down and grab the other one. With cranks on opposite sides, you can immediately set the hook while setting down the other rig, and greatly improve your chances of success. Setting a hook successfully, just like a lot in life, is a matter of timing. So if at all possible, I strongly recommend acclimating yourself to cranking either way.

BTW Barresi, there was an ambidextrous baitcaster out for a very short while. I don't remember the model, but Shakespeare put one out back in the early 1980s. Apparently it wasn't very successful, because it disappeared from the market in short order.

Tight lines, guys.

Ive gotten into several arguments with buddies over the years on this subject also. I'm right handed and have always switched my spinning reels to crank with my right hand. Casting, I'm ambidextrous, but typically I cast with my right arm also. It never seems awkward or clunky to me to change hands because I use my left hand to close the bail anyway, so its an easy crossover. The reason I do this is I've heard so many arguments about not closing the bail with the crank for several reasons ranging from unnecessary wear on the parts, to it putting twists in your line if the line is still being expelled from the reel.

My family is bass-ackwards anyway when it comes to this stuff. My dad was taught to shoot by his older brother who is left handed while my dad is right. This leads to my dad shooting from his left shoulder with his right hand on the trigger, and his left on the grip. I suppose its still right handed but off shoulder? Never seemed to make a difference in his accuracy, that's for sure!