One idea is that switching from right to left hand after the cast may help avoid hand cramps
when making many casts during a long fishing day.
Others feel that switching wastes time, it is a personal choice, neither right or wrong.

Best wishes,
Ron Schneider
Schneider's Rod Shop
Mountain Home, Arkansas
[www.schneidersrods.com]
mtnron40@yahoo.com
870-424-3381



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/23/2017 10:19AM by Ron Schneider.

Golly, Ron, never thought about it. Would not dream of switching a fly rod from my strong side to the weak side after the cast. And all my spinning rods are set up to keep the rod in my strong hand. But why I learned, long ago and far away, to do the switch from strong to weak with a bait caster is, frankly, a mystery to me. Mark it down as one of those "just because" things.

Donald
I think I am preaching to the choir.
long ago and far away bait casters had the crank on the right side of the reel and then when the first spinning reels were introduced for some reason had the cranks on the left side of the reel, and this convention remained until the manufactures made reels with the option of having the crank on either side. During that interim if one wanted to fish with both types of reels one had to switch hands after the cast, and folks just got used to that convention. Human nature dictates when one gets used to something it is difficult to change.
I agree with you it seems to me that the hand one casts with is the hand that has the most control of the rod during the presentation so it should follow that the hand with the most control should be used during the retrieve.

I also have to agree with Ron after all is said and done it is a matter of personal choice.

I am right handed but like to use left handed bait casters. I am comfortable with a left hand retreive with a spinning reel. I think bait casters were mainly strong hand retrieve because of the low gear ratio of the reels of that time.

Oh sorry Ron you are talking about switch casting, yeah if I was ambidextrous.

Some flippers prefer right hand cranks as left hand ones can snag the line if you're not careful.

I think David Miller nailed it. When I learned to cast the reel handle spun backward - REALLY FAST! In order to retrieve a plug, spinner, or spoon fast enough to interest a fish one had to turn the reel handle REALLY FAST - and for us right-handers that meant reeling with out right hands.

I think the true reason or purpose for switching will be for injuries or fatigue. Personally I had injured my wrist when I was a teenager and it it forced me to use my left hand. Recently I strained my shoulder fly casting and switched to my left hand to cast, because of my previous wrist injury I have developed a moderate ambidextrous (thanks spell check) ability to use my left hand and left side of my body. At some point we will most likely have an injury and the opportunity to fish at the same time so it will not hurt to practice on different sides.

I have the same strong feelings on this topic, as I do on adding weight to a rod to get the rod and reel combination you prefer. As with the latter, the former is personal choice. Being a personal choice does, as Ron mentioned, mean there is no right or wrong.

But .... just as a lighter guide train offers advantages, so does (with bait casting gear) switching hands after a cast. Are there disadvantages? Yes, but they aren't as detrimental or even existent, as some make them out to be. I could write a chapter on my feelings about this, but I'll spare you folks lol

Instead I'll just offer that reeling with your strong hand offers you more power, and is less tiring while reeling.

Oh and BTW ..... I'm a right handed and use right hand retrieve bait cast reels. For spinning gear I am right handed and retrieve with my left hand. Then again I don't retrieve a lot of hard pulling baits with spinning gear. It's just too tiring. As far as fighting a fish, I fight fish differently on spinning gear than I do with bait casting gear. With bait casting gear I use the reel to bring the fish in, as much as I do the rod.

With spinning gear it's pump the rod, retrieve the line.

Anyhow ..... great topic

I agree there is no right (correct) or wrong way, it is a personal choice, based on comfort and control. I am right handed and prefer to hold the rod in my right hand and crank with my left for casting, spinning and fly rods. It feels awkward for me to hold the rod in my left hand and crank with my right hand. I have fished all my life and never felt an advantage to cranking with my right hand, but I grew up using a spinning reel that cranked left handed. Many people grew up using a spin casting reel (Zebco 33) that cranked right handed. But I know it is not that simple, For example, when I am teaching a right hander to fish for the first time many instinctively want to crank with their right hand, and if using one of Spinning reels that means they turn it upside down to crank it. Many of my bass fishing friends have a difficult time cranking with their left hands and most will switch the handles on their spinning reels to crank from the right side. Others will only crank a spinning reel with their left hand and a casting reel only with their right hand. Go figure!
Norm

I used to cast and switch hands and it never really bothered me until I started flipping and pitching a lot. Then it started getting annoying so I learned to reel left handed, best thing I ever did. Not to mention once you switch you feel comfortable reeling with either hand which makes buying reels easy cause you can go left or right (as long as I'm not flipping with it lol.)

If one wants to twitch blades and swim baits sort of aggressively with a bait-caster, and has a damaged left rotator cuff that will never get better, he most likely will like a left retrieve bait-casting reel regardless of what he learned with and has used for 60 years. Because handling the rod for this technique takes more power than reeling. And repeatedly doing the same twitching action with the left gets quite tiring and even painful.

Brian, as I said in my initial post, I am right handed and use right hand retrieve reels. I learned to flip and pitch while holding the rod in my right hand, but with those two techniques, switching hands is much less efficient than not having to switch hands. (BTW those are the only two techniques that I feel are less efficient if you have to switch hands)

Because I feel as I do, I taught myself to flip and pitch with the rod in my left hand. For me it was far easier learning to perform those techniques left handed, than it was to learn to use a left hand retrieve reel. Occasionally if I need to, I'll still flip or pitch while holding the rod in my right hand, but now it just feels strange.

My dad is right handed and switched over to using left hand retrieve reels years ago. I have tried using his rods, and I just can't do it. For one, it just feels strange to not have the reel handle on the right side of the reel. And two........ reeling with my left hand is like something from another world.

Many sporting goods store will put their unsold inventory of casting reels on sale when the new models come out. Since fewer people buy left hand casting reels they undergo the steepest discounts. Over the years I have bought a number of high end casting reels at less than half price. Another advantage for using left hand reels.
Norm

Powerhand Baaitcasting was written by Rich Forhan 20 years ago, it was a good read than and most still be relevant, as I see a used paperback version goes for almost $80.

I learned to use a left hand casting reel when I started musky fishing with large in-line spinner baits. They pull really hard, fatigue was an issue. So I set up 2 rods one left and one right, this really helped with fatigue. One thing that helped me was to hold the left handed reel and crank it while I watched TV. I just cranked the reel and after a few weeks had built up the required muscle memory and it seemed very natural. I then adapted this concept to my bass fishing. I set the bass reels up based on technique. Most of my bottom/dragging bait set ups are left handed, jerkbait rod is also left handed, crankbaits and spinnerbaits are mostly right handed. I can now switch at anytime and never know the difference.

I have really never given it much thought but did wonder why the majority of conventional reels crank from the right while spinners from the left; just figured that was the way it was and followed suit for the past 50 years. I am right handed and use my left hand to hold everything while the right does all the work (including smashing the left at times). My right hand and arm have more control and are stronger. Basically, I use ultralight spinners in the mountains for trout and conventionals for the salt. When fishing for the relatively smaller trout, I cast and retrieve with the right and crank with the left. When fishing salt for larger yellowtail, tuna and calico, I cast with the right (more control) and then SWITCH to holding the rod above the reel with the left during the retrieve while cranking with the right (more power). As long as that is the only aspect in my life where I SWITCH, I’ll be OK.

Mark Talmo
FISHING IS NOT AN ESCAPE FROM LIFE BUT RATHER A DEEPER IMMERSION INTO IT!!! BUILDING YOUR OWN SIMPLY ENHANCES THE EXPERIENCE.

Orlando Wilson fished left handed reels and wore a Braves hat while doing it, can't get a better recommendation than that.

I started because some presentations have me casting into shallow water or areas with heavy vegetation just under the surface. By the time I switched hands I was getting hung up on stuff.

Now I'm comfortable either way. And yes, sometimes you can get a better price on the reel.

Russ in Hollywood, FL.

I switched from a right to a left-cranking casting reel years ago when I started vertical jigging for lake trout out of a small boat. I would keep the outboard running (back then, I use a trolling motor with spot-lock now), kicking it in reverse/neutral with my left hand against the wind/waves to remain vertical over the fish, which turned into an aerobics workout flip-flopping between the motor and right-cranking reel. Found it much easier to hold the rod with my right hand and run the motor + crank with my left.