Right or Left

[Reef Runner]

It's a simple question....and a slow day at work. lol.

 

What hand do you crank your reel with?

 

 

I am right handed.

However, all my fishing gear cranks with the left.

I'm in the market for a baitcast combo and the question came up. For instance, my cousin is right handed,has his spinning gear cranking on the left but baitcast on the right.

I'm think I'll be more comfortable on the left but try out the poll and we'll see what the general trend is here.

 

Comments would be appreciated too. Try to steer them away from dating advice or whatever sicko things might be incinuated from this topic.

 

reefrunner

[ccmtcanada]

I am right handed and reel with my right hand as well. My first setup was a kids spincast combo. The handle was on the right side. I got so used to it that I've always felt more comfortable reeling with my right hand. Some have told me it's easier to fight fish using your dominant arm, but since I play piano and guitar, the strength is pretty much equal in both arms/hands.

[largemouth]

I REEL WITH MY LEFT HAND BUT AM RIGHT HANDED, BEING SINGLE I HAVE ONE WRIST/ARM STRONGER THAN THE OTHER.

[Stoty]

LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL

 

[evster]

I find this is all a matter of preference and what feels right. I reel with my left for spinning reels and my right for baitcasters. Not sure why, but that is just what feels right to me. I have tried reeling with my right hand on a spinning reel and it doesn't feel right and same with my left on a baitcaster. If left for both feels more comfortable to you then thats what you should get.

[ccmtcanada]

I REEL WITH MY LEFT HAND BUT AM RIGHT HANDED, BEING SINGLE I HAVE ONE WRIST/ARM STRONGER THAN THE OTHER.

 

LOL...too much info....but LOL

 

A lot of married guys reel with their left too...even though they are right handed.....

 

This will be an interesting poll.....

[Roy]

I've never heard of anyone being Omnidexterous.

Most of my reels are lefties. I have a few that are righties and I manage with them but mostly use them for trolling.

 

For most people, it's generally more comfortable to use their strong arm as the rod arm and the other as the reel arm.

[tdotfisherman]

I'm right handed, cast with my right hand, but hold the rod with my left, and crank with my right - both with spinning and baitcasting.. I've tried using the left hand for cranking, but it just feels weird to me..

[Reef Runner]

[

For most people, it's generally more comfortable to use their strong arm as the rod arm and the other as the reel arm.

 

 

I couldn't agree with you more on that Roy. But observance and the poll results (early) indicate something otherwise. It seems like most right handers like spinning left and baiting right. I'm interested to see where this goes, and the multitude of possible explanations.

 

And for those who are omnidexterous (comforatable with both right and left), ya'll have one heckuva love life.

 

reefrunner

[wallyboss]

I am right handed, but both spinning and baitcasting I reel in with my left hand. Which kind of makes sense, if your right hand is your strong hand you would want to use it to play with the rod, as for reeling you don't need strenght or dexterity to do that.

[John]

Simple.............. whatever works for you. I am right handed. I use left hand retrieve spinning reel and left hand retrieve baitcaster. However, most guys and gals I talk to use left hand spinning reel and right hand baitcaster.

[muskymike]

I am a righty naturally. My spinning are all left and my baitcasters are mainly right handed cranking. I have 1 left handed baitcaster and i can use it just as well. I think this is more of a comfort/preference question.

 

try both see what works for you. if you get the fish to the boat it doesnt really matter just get a bigger net

[LeXXington]

I am married to the warden, Strong in both arms (Reaching for the wallet with similar strengh)

 

I am right handed, reel spinning use my left hand for reeling.. Here is the one that gets most people, because I am so use to reeling with my left hand I just flip my baitcaster and downrigging reels over and reel backwards

 

Sometimes its just hard to find a left reeling baitcaster

[Roy]

It really DOES come down to personal preference. But, bear in mind that at one time, almost all baitcasting reels were only available in right hand models. You'll also notice the the most popular (most sold) baitcasting reels are the ones that are available in left hand versions. There's a reason for that.

[kickingfrog]

I'm left handed. My rod hand (I know, I can hear the laughter) is my left hand, more strength and dexterity for hook sets, feel and casting (at least that's what works for me).

 

Traditionally baitcast reels only came with the reel handle on the right side, even though most right handed spinning reel users had the reel on the left side. If you watch a fishing show were the host is right handed but has a baitcast reel with the handle on the right side they will often switch the rod to their right hand to cast and then they have to switch the rod back to their left hand so that they can reel with their right hand. That doesn't make sense to me, but they seem to be fine with it. Such is life.

 

Is that worth 2 cents?

[urbanangler1990]

I REEL WITH MY LEFT HAND BUT AM RIGHT HANDED, BEING SINGLE I HAVE ONE WRIST/ARM STRONGER THAN THE OTHER.

 

 

 

LMAOOO

[fishing n autograph]

All my fishing gear is right handed, for some reason I could not use my left....oh well

[BillM]

You guys are to funny..

 

Write with my right, spinning reel with my left, baitcast with my right, hockey left, baseball either/or.

 

As far as the 'other' thing.. Depends on what kind of mood I'm in

[Kirk]

I cast right, then switch hands and retrieve right as well.

 

Don't know how common or rare that it is but its a PITA

[capt bruce]

IM RIGHT handed , so I cast with my right arm ,my stronger arm so I reel with my left hand . I have had people in the boat doing the change hands every cast thing and laught when they cant seam to hook up with a fish and I allready have got a few . Most of the hits come when the bait firsts falls , when IM setting the hook the other guy is changeing hands and didnt even know he was bit lol . Watch the bass masters or any pro and you will not see this hand changeing thing so I think your poll may not really reflect whats the most effective way to use a rod and reel just the misstakes people who have never had a lesson have developed by just trial and erreor .Would recomend to anyone who wants to improve their sussess rate to take a few lessons from a pro.

Edited March 17, 2008 by capt bruce

[OhioFisherman]

Right handed and started fishing back in the mid to late 50`s using right hand retrieve bait casters then left hand retrieve spinning reels also. I bought the first left hand retrieve baitcaster I saw Abu 5001c and followed it up with more. Shimano increased my options with a lot of lefties back in the 70`s and 80`s.

 

There are a lot of choices out there now for left hand retrieve bait casters compared to the old days. Nothing like the thrill of a good strong right handed hook set, watching the fish sail thru the air into the boat and playing with it in the live well. Or a live release.

[huntervasili]

Right handed, spinning reels have ALWAYS have the handle on the left, I can cope with both right or left hand retrieve with baitcasters but can only do right retrieve when casting alot... As for fly fishing which was not asked, It is always cast with the right retrieve with the left...so left hand side has the handle...

[MJL]

I guess I'm omnidextrous. I think I was a natural born lefty who grew up in a world with almost everything geared towards righties. My grandmother thought I was retarded when for the first 18yrs of my life, I didn't know how to use chop-sticks with my right hand...Tried them out with my left and within 10 seconds got the hang of it. When I write, I'm pretty much a mirror image of a lefty which could explain why my writing is so nasty - Probably the result of looking at everyone else in kindergarten class and seeing what hands they were using. For computer mice, both hands feel equally comfortable.

 

For spinning and centrepin reels, I crank with my left. For baitcasting, either hands feels OK. For fly fishing I cast with my right but can throw fairly tight loops to about 40ft with my left.

[Beans]

Christmas of 1948 I received my first rod and reel...up until then I used a bamboo cane pole...The rod was spring steel and the reel was a Shakespeare "Wondereel" (right hand retreive) (no free spool...everything turned when you casted...handle included) so I learned to cast with my right and switch hands to retreive...Along came open faced spinning reels with left hand retreive and found it easy to cast right and retreive left...but when the new version of baitcasters came on the market I naturally bought a right hand retreive 'cause it just felt right that way...

[Rich Clemens]

I don't have any baitcasting reels (yet).

I am right-handed, but all my open-faced spinner reels ... I reel with my left.