TackleTour

SteveSchmelzle wrote:i truly wish we were able to drill down further into the selections.

i find, at our local shop, that the right handed anglers, who cast with their right, then switch hands and reel with their right, are of the old(er) generation.

when we sell left handed reels, the majority of the buyers are less than 35 years old (yes, a generalization, but still quite accurate).

I feel that the anglers who grew up fishing bait casters when there simply wasn't the left handed options learned to cast and reel with their right, effectively switching hands.

I further feel that younger anglers, ones who have the option from day one, don't see the need to switch hands, and start with what is comfortable for them.....

Just some rambles while staring out the window at 5' snow piles. Winter can't go fast enough!!

That's pretty interesting. I too, don't see the point in wasting a move. I cast with my right (dominant hand) and reel with my left when it comes to baitcasters. I think my dominant hand does better at thumbing. As far as spinners go, I'm also left hand retrieve.

Cast with right hand, reel with left hand having only started using casting reels in the last few years its the most natural feeling. Its upsetting that some manufaturers only make right hand reels.. although many are striving to come out with lefties (cant wait for the 13 fishing concept reels to come out in LHR so i can try out thier acclaimed quality)

I cast with my right, reel with my left. I write with my right hand and golf right. For some reason a shoot left for hockey

Reel with my right, but I've been thinking of giving a lefty a try.

I'm a natural lefty but like most left-handed people, a bit ambidextrous.

For both casting and spinning reels, I cast with my dominant left hand, and reel with my right. It seems more natural to me to want to cast and fight fish with your more powerful side, then reel with the off hand.

Most of the pros and other contributors on YouTube seem to reel right handed on casting reels, left handed on spinning reels.

I don't get it. I understand why I picked it up with casting: I started with Zebcos and it got me started correctly for a leftie. So, right handed spinning enthusiasts seem to have made the proper adjustment . . . to a right handed dominant side cast and a left hand reel. It is their bait casting that seems wrong.

If you are trained by a professional to properly cast on spinning tackle, you learn to never release your grip on the rod: It remains in place throughout your whole casting routine: the cast, any dead time on the water, the reeling in process. I think the reason is rather simple, that your other hand must be ready to throw the bail over at the end of the cast and you don't have time to shuffle grips. My left hand rarely comes off the rod even between casts. I do use my right hand in most situations down on the butt of the rod for leverage.

Interesting! A result of early spincasters on us??? Brad

I'm right-handed and reel with my right hand using baitcast reels. Spinning, I use my left hand to reel. I think many Japanese anglers use their left hand to reel, if I'm not mistaken...thought that was interesting.

i am right handed. I reel both spinning and casting with my left.

I'm definitely surprised by the results, although I think that everyone should reel opposite of their dominant hand as I can't find the logic not to. Count me in on the RH dominant left hand reel crew.

I cast left handed because I am and I reel with my right hand naturally. So the right hand baitcaster is made for me but whenever I get a spinning reel I need to change the handle over

I live in the Northwest and most of us Salmon Steelhead fisherman reel with our left hand and control the rod with our right.
It only seems natural being a right hand and eye dominant person.

What's interesting is most fisherman outside the west coast seem to be opposite.

My principle is simple, always use my strongest hand for the task that demands most power.

For baitcasting, I always crank with my left hand cos it doesn't require much power to have to crank in a relatively small fish such as a bass. That is why I use my right hand to hold the rod, well cos the rod in itself is heavier to begin with, that's before you talk about setting the hook, fighting a fish and so forth. So, in other words, the most ironic thing is I am a left-hand crank person, but in actual fact I am a right-handed guy.

But, this totally changes say if I was jigging for pelagics, then I would crank with my right hand cos I can then use a gimbal belt and leverage the rod on the belt. In such a situation, you would need to have your strongest hand to crank cos those kind of fish are no joke.

Rascal wrote:My principle is simple, always use my strongest hand for the task that demands most power.

For baitcasting, I always crank with my left hand cos it doesn't require much power to have to crank in a relatively small fish such as a bass. That is why I use my right hand to hold the rod, well cos the rod in itself is heavier to begin with, that's before you talk about setting the hook, fighting a fish and so forth. So, in other words, the most ironic thing is I am a left-hand crank person, but in actual fact I am a right-handed guy.

But, this totally changes say if I was jigging for pelagics, then I would crank with my right hand cos I can then use a gimbal belt and leverage the rod on the belt. In such a situation, you would need to have your strongest hand to crank cos those kind of fish are no joke.

RH (dominant) holds rod and does the casting/thumbing. LH on the handle for baitcasters and spinning reels.
When on the ocean it is the same. Mostly because I am so used to doing it this way. However, belt or no belt, I still need my RH for pulling the fish while LH is for cranking/picking up slack line. I never just "crank" a fish to me (unless it is less than 10 inches or so).

Dalleinf wrote:

Rascal wrote:My principle is simple, always use my strongest hand for the task that demands most power.

For baitcasting, I always crank with my left hand cos it doesn't require much power to have to crank in a relatively small fish such as a bass. That is why I use my right hand to hold the rod, well cos the rod in itself is heavier to begin with, that's before you talk about setting the hook, fighting a fish and so forth. So, in other words, the most ironic thing is I am a left-hand crank person, but in actual fact I am a right-handed guy.

But, this totally changes say if I was jigging for pelagics, then I would crank with my right hand cos I can then use a gimbal belt and leverage the rod on the belt. In such a situation, you would need to have your strongest hand to crank cos those kind of fish are no joke.

RH (dominant) holds rod and does the casting/thumbing. LH on the handle for baitcasters and spinning reels.
When on the ocean it is the same. Mostly because I am so used to doing it this way. However, belt or no belt, I still need my RH for pulling the fish while LH is for cranking/picking up slack line. I never just "crank" a fish to me (unless it is less than 10 inches or so).

Actually, once you talk about saltwater, it all becomes more muddled up if you will.

1) Say if I am popping for GTs then I crank with my left cos the popping outfit is actually quite heavy plus you will have to be holding it on the retrieve most of the time until the fish is hooked when you can make use of the gimbal belt

2) Light/slow jigging, I also crank with my left hand because for those slow jigging rods, there are no fore grip, you will have to be palming the reel like you would with a baitcaster.

3)Pelagic jigging/trolling/live-baiting, that I will crank with my right hand, as mentioned before you will need to put in a lot of power to crank in a big fish plus you have the luxury of the fighting belt or a fighting chair whereby your upper body weight can help your left arm to pump the rod leveraging on the gimbal.

Right handed....
BC - crank with right hand.
Spin - crank with left hand.

Same as the post above ^^^^

Reel with my right hand with baitcaster and reel with my left hand with spinning and I don't know why.