Righty Spinning AND Lefty Casting?

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Reverendo
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Righty Spinning AND Lefty Casting?

Post by Reverendo » Fri Jul 05, 2019 3:18 pm

More and more I'm hearing about getting LH casting reel if I use right-handed spinning. Switching hands with casting has never been a problem for me, but the insistence of some has me thinking if there is new info that I've not considered.

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Re: Righty Spinning AND Lefty Casting?

Post by hokiehi » Sun Jul 07, 2019 8:20 am

This sounds like the same switch (but in reverse) that most people make. But it doesn't make nearly as much sense to me since from what i've seen, casting gear is usually marketed towards right hand retrieve and spinning towards left.

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Re: Righty Spinning AND Lefty Casting?

Post by LowRange » Sun Jul 07, 2019 9:49 pm

If you have different grips between casting and palming a baitcast reel then you have to change grip anyways so changing hands while changing grip is a non issue. You don't have to use a right hand baitcast reel if you are right handed. If you have enough fine motor skills in your left hand then you can reel left. If you palm your reel while casting with your right arm and use the same grip to both cast and plam then it makes sense to use the left hand to turn the handle. Again this is provided you have sufficient fine motor skills in your left hand to grasp the reel knobs and make continuous rapid circles with the hand by rotating at the wrist.

"Motor skills are movements and actions of the muscles. Typically, they are categorized into two groups: gross motor skills and fine motor skills. Gross motor skills are involved in movement and coordination of the arms, legs, and other large body parts and movements. Gross motor skills can be further divided into two subgroups of locomotor skills and object control skills. Gross locomotor skills would include running, jumping, sliding, and swimming. Object control skills would include throwing, catching and kicking. Fine motor skills are involved in smaller movements that occur in the wrists, hands, fingers, and the feet and toes. They participate in smaller actions such as picking up objects between the thumb and finger, writing carefully, and even blinking. These two motor skills work together to provide coordination. Less developed kids focus on their gross movements, while more developed kids have more control over their fine movements."

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Re: Righty Spinning AND Lefty Casting?

Post by Slazmo » Sun Jul 07, 2019 9:54 pm

For me lefty spin and righty casting.

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Re: Righty Spinning AND Lefty Casting?

Post by edwelch1 » Mon Jul 08, 2019 1:35 pm

Unless you can't avoid it, I don't see why you would want to reel with different hands on spinning vs casting, because the reeling motion is essentially the same regardless, it's really only your rod hand grip that's changing. There's argument to be made if they don't make a particular casting reel in a left handed version, or don't make the specific gear ratio you want in left handed, or if you're borrowing equipment that's a different hand than your typical preference. But other than those three scenarios, why wouldn't you want to always reel with the same hand?
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Re: Righty Spinning AND Lefty Casting?

Post by Slazmo » Thu Jul 11, 2019 6:41 am

edwelch1 wrote:
Mon Jul 08, 2019 1:35 pm
But other than those three scenarios, why wouldn't you want to always reel with the same hand?
I think for me there is a marketable difference between the use of Spin & Baitcast outfits, the baitcaster is more natural to use in RH configuration even with the hand to hand changeover before and after the cast. Spinning reels to me feel more natural in the LH wind configuration myself.

I changed from winding spin from RH to LH about 4 years ago after teaching myself to do so for a few reasons, one its kinder to the reel, for most Shimano reels there is a bigger bearing in the LH side plate, also more meat holding that bearing cup (you only have to look in most Shimano reels) and the gear face is closer to the handle shoulder and drive side - so I bit the bullet and gritted through the period of learning and got hooked so to say on the LH wind on spin. I feel that there was no marketable change in ability to wield the rod from LH to RH to direct fish or work a lure - I did break my LH wrist badly back in 2005 and its still not 100% so winding does play a little on the heavy side with the rotation on my wrist increasing noise within my wrist (crunching)...

Now I did try a 201 Chronarch e5 for a time LH wind baitcasting, and boy was it a hell of a reel - loved it but couldn't get accustomed to the LH rotation of it with the rod - strange as I was lefty on the spin for a long time at that point... Caught a few fish and one particular fish nearly saw me lose that rod - due to my grip... Now the same rod with a RH Curado 200e (same reel - just a RH) I had no issues with it at all within regards to fishing it and grip etc while in my non dominant LH (as I am RH dominant).

Now my mate is LH baitcaster - however he struggles with finding reels to suit - as we have a tiny market over here for LH baitcaster reels - its like a full time job I have looking for lefties when they come up...

I guess its a user preference thing, one guy I work with shoots handguns RH and shoots shotgun with LH. He honestly couldn't explain it either - its as close to fishing I get with these guys I guess, so its a trade off with techniques... Some people are LH foot dominant, RH hand dominant and LH eye dominant - just one of those weird things that the body and mind just makes up to deal with how you as an individual work.

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Re: Righty Spinning AND Lefty Casting?

Post by edwelch1 » Thu Jul 11, 2019 6:57 am

Slazmo wrote:
Thu Jul 11, 2019 6:41 am
I guess its a user preference thing
Oh for sure, I know it's a user preference thing 99% of the time, and I'll never be one to say someone else is wrong for reeling LH with one type of reel and RH with the other if that's what works for them. I guess my point was more so that I don't know why you would switch seemingly for the heck of it because you see other people are doing it, if you're already comfortable reeling one way.

Switching to LH for spinning to reduce strain on the reel itself makes sense and is a valid reason; same way I would view switching from RH reel to LH reel like my dad did when he switched from primarily bank fishing as a kid to fishing from a 14' boat with a 5hp tiller on it, so that he could jig with his rod and control the tiller at the same time until it was time to reel. Personally I grew up reeling LH because my dad had mostly LH gear for the tiller reason, even though I'm right handed for everything and right eye dominant. Also, it just felt more natural for me as a righty to control the rod with my dominant and more sensitive hand; that's even more true for me after I broke my left wrist in college, as my left hand now has the sensitivity and fine motor control of a club, and my personal view is that you don't need much sensitivity in your reeling hand.
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Re: Righty Spinning AND Lefty Casting?

Post by Thurin90 » Fri Dec 06, 2019 6:53 am

In my opinion just use whatever you're comfortable with.
I find a hassle to switch, so I just use LH reel. I'm RH dominant so I use that side for sensitivity and control on the rod, and use the left hand to reel. I tried the otherside around and just couldn't get used to it. Nowadays almost all reels come in a LH and RH speck so, you just have to use what you prefer.

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Re: Righty Spinning AND Lefty Casting?

Post by slipperybob » Mon Dec 09, 2019 7:12 pm

Which hand do you use to grab the net? That answers for me.
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Re: Righty Spinning AND Lefty Casting?

Post by BRONZEBACK32 » Mon Dec 09, 2019 11:27 pm

I reel both with my left hand..

switching would just throw me off

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Re: Righty Spinning AND Lefty Casting?

Post by Obz » Tue Dec 24, 2019 4:06 am

Slazmo wrote:
Sun Jul 07, 2019 9:54 pm
For me lefty spin and righty casting.
Same. I think its due to there not being many LH baitcaster options when I started. I have read that your non dominant hand is more sensitive though, shaving was an example they listed. May be a blessing in disguise.

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Re: Righty Spinning AND Lefty Casting?

Post by Obz » Tue Dec 24, 2019 4:12 am

It seems to me reel manufacturers had it bass ackwards. It should be natural for a right handed person to cast right handed, set hook right handed and reel left.

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Re: Righty Spinning AND Lefty Casting?

Post by bronzefly » Tue Dec 24, 2019 4:15 am

I switched to left hand casting reels many years ago, and grew up using left for spinning. I have always felt more comfortable and been more accurate pitching with my right and I disliked the added movement of switching the rod to my left hand to present and retrieve. It was a hard learning curve and very awkward when I made the switch, walk the dog was the hardest technique for me to re-master, but I am glad I did it.
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Re: Righty Spinning AND Lefty Casting?

Post by mark poulson » Thu Mar 19, 2020 9:14 am

I am right handed, and throw right handed baitcasters.
10+- years ago, I developed tendonitis in my left elbow, and couldn't work jerkbait with my left arm, so I bought half a dozen left handed baitcasters, and learned to work the rod using my right hand. I was still casting right handed. It took a while to get it right, especially on my hooksets, but I figured it out.
Well, the tendonitis went away, and I went back to right handed reels. But I still use (3) left handed reels for flipping/punching, because I like not having to switch the rod to the other hand when I get bit. It was either that, or learn to cast left handed, and I'm way too old to teach myself how to do that.

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Re: Righty Spinning AND Lefty Casting?

Post by BigG » Thu Mar 19, 2020 9:50 am

I found easier for me to cast with my left than use left handle casting reels. I cast about 60% of the time left handle. The straight handles on most rods make to easy to cast with either hand since you're using both hands on the rod. Spinning reels just seem nature to reel with left hand, no problem there.

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