# Right or left handed reel?



## Barrabundy (Sep 29, 2008)

I remember reading this topic some time ago viewtopic.php?f=3&t=29882&p=318241&hilit=left+handed+reels#p318241 and gave the subject some thought.

I'm right handed and hold the rod in my right hand for casting and then swap it to my left hand so I can wind it in. My spinning reels have the handles fitted on the rhs so I obviously use my right hand to wind. There's no right or wrong here I know but I tried swapping the handles to the lhs and found it awkward to land fish in the kayak.....purely just about forming a new habit.

Now that's all well and good with spinning reels because you can swap the handle from side to side so it doesn't matter what your preference is. I'm at the stage where I'll soon consider buying a new baitcaster reel and am thinking how good it would be to cast with my right hand and keep it there while winding with my left. Obviously I'd need to buy a reel with the handle fitted to the lhs.

I seems soooo inefficient when you've got a outfit designed to be easy to cast one-handed, and then go complicate the process by doing a hand swap half way through.

Considering right handed reels are more common it might make sense to buy one and just learn to cast left handed rather than wind left handed. Then again, being a Hobiephile, that might make it awkward at times I need to make a fine steering adjustment while getting ready to cast (steering on lhs). Either way I'd need to retrain, just a matter of what to.

.....or I could just do nothing.

Sooo, regardless of whether you are right handed or left handed, how many of you keep the rod in the same hand you used to cast when retrieving? Anyone out there do it or do you all swap hands?


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## koich (Jul 25, 2007)

No swapping for me.

Rod goes in right hand, wind with left.

You'll eventually miss fish because of it, you'll eventually lose lures because of it.

That second you take to switch hands could cost you a lot.


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## Feral (Oct 18, 2008)

I fish with both left and right handed reels. When I use baitcasters I use them exactly as you suggest. Cast with the hand that will hold the rod, wind with the free hand.

Usually I use two rods at once, usually matching rods, with a left hand reel on one, a right hand reel on the other. I just swap between the two depending on whether I want to use the lure on a particular rod, or one arm just needs a break. Also good if I dont feel like doing a backhand cast, I just swap rods and do a forehand cast.

I can do this for two reasons.

Firstly when I was a kid I learnt to fish right handed (I am naturally left handed), whilst I started using left hand reels when alvey started making the conversion kits available, I still favoured my right, because that was my learnt technique. Secondly about 5 years ago I got really bad tennis elbow and could not cast with that arm for nearly 18 months, needless to say that was enough to perfect my casting with the other arm!.

Now I cast with both arms, although my right arm strays a bit in accuracy at the end of a long day compared to my left.


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## bundyboy (Sep 6, 2009)

I made the decison to change all my egg beaters over to left hand wind and have never looked back since. It does take a bit of getting used to but man its good now and I recon it will be hard to go back if I ever have to. I recon when I eventually get around to buying a baitcaster I will try to get a left hand wind as well just to keep things the same.


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## Ubolt (Dec 8, 2009)

i have always wound with my left hand being right handed you always want to hold the rod with your stronger arm
but i also own a couple of right hand wind overheads and ive just got used to it give me a spinning reel and the handle has gotta be on the left but overheads on the right
its all wat u get used to and feel comfortable using


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## Danw (Jul 9, 2009)

Rod in right, wind with left... ALWAYS  No swapping.

Da.


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## anselmo (Aug 26, 2008)

I can wind and cast with both arms on any outfits
(yes including fly)

but my preferences are as follows:

spinning - cast right wind left
baitcaster - cast right wind right (because I grip the rod in front of the reel, if I were a thumber I'd cast right, wind left)
fly - cast right wind left

nick


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## simond11 (Aug 29, 2005)

Since I was a kid in Italy, I have always held the rod in the right and wound with the left. All the reels were left handed. Then when I came to Oz, I found that reels, including the Alveys, were right handed. I still use Alveys, and a couple of ABU's, but find it awkward. Prefer using the left hand for winding.
Cheers


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## keza (Mar 6, 2007)

As far as i can figure the right hand wind thing is Australia only (may be wrong but i hand't seen it until i arrived here).
I started life fishing for trout and if you changed hands you would probably miss a fish. Cast right, wind left.
I have my kids winding on the left also.
I have trouble when i go on a charter and have to use an over head with the handle on the right but i gather this is because, on those heavier outfits with the rod in a gimble belt, you right hand does a lot of work cranking in the fish.

I've never looked at a bait caster because I thought all the handles were on the right.


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