Left or right retrieve and left or right handed person

[Canuck]

A boredom poll on people's reel retrieve preference and why.  Its multiple choice because I expect that it might depend on the type of reel or the quarry.

[woodenboater]

never really got the 'cast with one hand, then switch over to retrieve' method. Also since my right is stronger, prefer that for rod handling where I want more control/finesse. does make it harder when looking for used reels in the classifieds lol

[Terry]

right  handed   right for baitcaster , left  spincaster

[misfish]

13 minutes ago, Terry said:

right  handed   right for baitcaster , left  spincaster

Me too

[chris.brock]

58 minutes ago, misfish said:

Me too

me three

 

[SirCranksalot]

hmmm---I might be normal after all. Right hand, left retrieve.

 

[TennesseeGuy]

Any right hand  fishermen cast bait caster left handed and reel right handed?   I do about half the time.

Should have said both hands with left hand on top, left hand on reel.

 

Edited January 28, 2019 by TennesseeGuy

[BillM]

1 hour ago, chris.brock said:

me three

 

Me four.

[Fisherman]

I guess I must be the oddball, spinning reel, cast right hand, retrieve left. Trolling rod, hold right hand, retrieve left.  I write right handed but most everything else, hammer, cut, saw, eat is left handed. 

[GBW]

All my reels are lefty, spinning, casting, centerpin, fly.  I am left handed but ambidextrous for most sports so my casting and throwing is my right arm as my primary.  Can I mix it up, yes.  Why bother...    

[OhioFisherman]

I am right handed and learned to fish using right hand retrieve baitcasters, well those and bamboo poles.  I bought the first left hand retrieve baitcaster I saw, it just seemed more natural to cast righty and retrieve lefty, all my spinning reels have been left hand retrieve.

[Mike D from Lunkerville]

Hello y'all.

I'm a righty and use left hand retrieve on my spin and bait caster. It's just more comfortable, logical to me and that's how I learned.

I've asked a lot of folks this question: if you're right handed and use a right cranking bait caster, then why?  Why switch hands?  Makes no sense to me. The only logical response I've ever heard is "I learned that way" or "there were no left handed retrieve bait casters when I learned to fish"

 

[MJL]

I am naturally left handed but grew up in a right handed world where left handed scissors, left handed can openers and left handed baseball gloves weren’t readily available. I also had to switch my writing hand in junior kindergarten because I smudged.LOL

 

Spinning reel = cast right, reel left

Baitcasting reel = Cast left, reel right (Although I’m comfortable casting or reeling with either hand)

Float reel/centrepin = Cast right, reel left (although I'm comfortable casting or reeling with either hand)

Fly reel = Cast right, reel left

 

When it comes down to it, the hand that I cast or reel with is primarily based on the first rod combos that I had as a kid. I don’t switch hands after casting (that’s weird).

[Loonietoon]

2 hours ago, Mike D from Lunkerville said:

Hello y'all.

I'm a righty and use left hand retrieve on my spin and bait caster. It's just more comfortable, logical to me and that's how I learned.

I've asked a lot of folks this question: if you're right handed and use a right cranking bait caster, then why?  Why switch hands?  Makes no sense to me. The only logical response I've ever heard is "I learned that way" or "there were no left handed retrieve bait casters when I learned to fish"

 

Hello Mike D  l see you have done some rv shows in Ontario, l think you need to do more as we have better fishing here ?

[davis]

18 hours ago, TennesseeGuy said:

Any right hand  fishermen cast bait caster left handed and reel right handed?   I do about half the time.

Should have said both hands with left hand on top, left hand on reel.

 

me. i'm a righty - cast with my left (and/or right - depends on the situation) and reel with my right on any spin & baitcaster. never realized I was in the minority until I'd pick up friends rods and realize everyone else reels in left handed. I also cut my food with the knife in my left hand and feed with my right. apparently also uncommon

[Lape0019]

It ends up being personal preference and what you are comfortable with. For me, I am right handed and reel with my right on both spinning and baitcast setups. I've tried reeling with left hand and find it uncomfortable.

[chris.brock]

My brother always reeled with his right on his bait casters.

He bought a left hand retrieve bait caster for a good deal when Burns was going out of business. He said it wasn't a big deal and didn't take too long to switch over and feel comfortable. 

 

 

[Old Ironmaker]

I'm ambidextrous. Cast right hand, retrieve right hand. 

[dave524]

If it is mounted on top of the rod I reel it with my right hand , slung underneath I reel with my left, I am old and right handed. BTW Always cast right handed.

Edited January 29, 2019 by dave524

[Terry]

I'd give my left arm to be ambidextrous

 

 

?

[Acountdeleted]

I'm strange. I am left handed in all things (writing, swinging a baseball bat, shooting a hockey puck) but I cast with my right and reel with my left. I always figured I wanted the dexterity on my reeling hand and strength to set the hook was easier to teach for my non-dominant hand.

 

Now, the problem has become, about 5 years ago JoeyTier taught me how to do the 'pencil grip' for ice fishing jigging. I love it but I can only do it with my left hand. So its, jig, set the hook, switch hands, reel........ or more accurately, jig, set the hook, switch hands, fish has spit the hook, scream into the hole for 15 minutes.

[dave524]

My dad was strange too, right handed but left eye dominant, https://www.allaboutvision.com/resources/dominant-eye-test.htm , so anything that the parallax error would cause him problems, he did left handed, shooting, throwing darts, swinging a baseball bat, archery but he did cast with his right hand and he was very good at it too, he won first place a few times at the Toronto Sportsman Show , Toronto Anglers and Hunter's competition both in fly and bait accuracy,  the late 40's , early 50's.

[Acountdeleted]

2 hours ago, dave524 said:

My dad was strange too, right handed but left eye dominant, https://www.allaboutvision.com/resources/dominant-eye-test.htm , so anything that the parallax error would cause him problems, he did left handed, shooting, throwing darts, swinging a baseball bat, archery but he did cast with his right hand and he was very good at it too, he won first place a few times at the Toronto Sportsman Show , Toronto Anglers and Hunter's competition both in fly and bait accuracy,  the late 40's , early 50's.

Right eye dominant left handed here. No wonder I can't shoot straight. 

[dave524]

46 minutes ago, jerpears1 said:

Right eye dominant left handed here. No wonder I can't shoot straight. 

Just learn to shoot right handed, there was no one faster than dad with a pump shotgun, his strong arm working the pump.  You're lucky when it comes to bolt guns, left handed  actions are a rarity,  tons of right handed actions out there.

[Canuck]

I am right handed.  Baseball and golf right.  Hockey left.  Cast right and retrieve right, but can do both with either hand.  I prefer right retrieve because I feel better holding the rod with my left when fighting a fish for some reason.  Maybe because holding a net with the right feels better?  Who knows.  Interesting that most big game saltwater reels are right retrieve.  But they are not casted.

Re hunting, I went through most of my youth thinking I was really bad with a shotgun.  In my 30's someone on a goose trip asked me if I was left eye dominant.  I said "Huh???".  He told me to do the test.   Oops, I am left eye dominant.  So shooting a shotgun with both eyes open has me shooting way left of target.  Closed left eye and was a much better shot, but still not as natural as a right eye dominant shooter would be.

Edited January 29, 2019 by Canuck