For those right handed people

[bassfshin24]

How many of you guys use left handed baitcasters or how many of you guys started casting/pitching left handed? I don't think I will ever switch to left handed baitcasters but just tried pitching left handed in my basement and it actually wasn't too bad and it felt way more comfortable not having to switching hands after pitching. I think I am really going to start working on my left handed pitching and see how that goes. 

I probably spent a total of over an hour yesterday pitching in the basement haha. It was awesome. A lot of things to pitch at and things to pitch underneath. Even managed to pitch a couple in to the side hole of the foosball table that holds the balls. Spring can't come soon enough. 

 

 

Edited February 14, 2016 by bassfshin24

[Bobby Bass]

Always have used left handed gear, sometimes hard to fin decent reels in lefthanded version and trying to teach my daughter to switch hands so she can have my rods and reels is almost impossible... Kids these days ! hahah  but it always kept my sons from bothering my good rods.

[Nick Kuhn]

I just use left handed gear. I just like my stronger arm on the rod at all times.

[pikestabber]

It's hard to find left-hand retrieve baitcasters, around here anyhow, so I always order them from Cabela's or wherever. I just can't get used to right-hand retrieve...casting, then switching hands over...it gets really annoying.

Edited February 15, 2016 by pikestabber

[bassfshin24]

Yeah it's really not that big of deal for me anymore since I've been doing it since I was probably 10 years old haha. Pitching on the other hand is definitely where I can see the advantage of pitching with the left arm since I retrieve right handed. 

[BTL]

I'm right handed and use only left hand retrieve reels. To me it never made sense to work baits, set hooks, and fight fish with my weaker arm, let alone switch hands after casting. Thankfully left handed reels are becoming much easier to find these days.

[CCGinMN]

The nice thing about switching to left-handed reels is that you can now do both.  I'll pitch right-handed for a few hours and then switch rods to left-handed just to give one side of my body a break.  Some people claim that you can pick up speed pitching because you don't have to switch hands after the pitch.  That is talk.  The real advantage is the good deals at T.W. on left-handed reels at the end of the year, lol.

Edit: it switched my "That is B.   S."  to "That is talk."  hahahaha.

 

Edited February 15, 2016 by CCGinMN

[delmuts]

Bass! I'm jealous, since we don't the ceiling  clearance to practice! I taught myself to cast with both hands. Mainly so when one arm gets tired I can switch, but also very handy when working from one side of the boat or the other.

[bassfshin24]

My ceiling is really low but I'm not too tall. I'm getting the left handed pitching down awesome now. Feels pretty comfortable too. 

[rascal23]

What BTL said!  35 years of finding left hand baitcasters. 

  rascal

[bassfshin24]

I still don't understand why the left handed baitcasters feel weird especially since I reel with my left hand on spinning reels. I know a lot of people do that but just seems strange. 

[lookincalifornia]

Made the switch 10 years ago. Still use a right handed for deep cranking. I've heard every excuse in the book for right handers using  a right handed reel. I think it comes down to the old spin cast reels we all started on. If they had been lefties, there would be no debate. Took about half an afternoon with my first spinning reel to switch the handle over. 

[delmuts]

"I still don't understand why the left handed baitcasters feel weird especially since I reel with my left hand on spinning reels."

 Bass. If you ever figure that out; let us know!

[Juan Grande]

When I made the switch from spinning to baitcaster, I thought "why fight it?" and just started using left handed baitcasters. 

[MN BassFisher]

Before buying my first baitcasting reel a while back I spoke with my buddy who used Left Handed models. At that time LH reels weren't offered in every model and weren't always easy to find. He said that if he could do it over again he would have forced himself to learn on a right handed baitcaster. So I went ahead and forced myself to learn a RH even thought I'm right hand dominant and use my Spinning reels LH.

[RuddyDuck]

On 2/18/2016 at 7:39 AM, bassfshin24 said:

I still don't understand why the left handed baitcasters feel weird especially since I reel with my left hand on spinning reels. I know a lot of people do that but just seems strange. 

I agree and even stranger, if I try to reel a spinning reel with my right hand, that works about as good as reeling a left handed BC reel! Like others have said, I think it is because all the cheap zebco 202's and 33's that we were given as kids all had right hand retrieve. 

Switching hands is so automatic, that I will probably stick with right handed reels. I figure you can't teach this old dog any new tricks.

 

Edited February 23, 2016 by RuddyDuck

[Bigguyone]

DITTO: I'm right handed and use only left hand retrieve reels. To me it never made sense to work baits, set hooks, and fight fish with my weaker arm, let alone switch hands after casting. Thankfully left handed reels are becoming much easier to find these days.

[TurnUpTheFishing]

When I learned to pitch I learned it by holding the rod in my left hand even though I normally cast and reel with my dominant right hand. Someone recommended I learn it that way and I took their advice. Its nice being ready immediately in pitching situations but I dont feel its as necessary in long cast situations so have no plan on dumping money into switching all my reels over.

[RK]

I will switch hands depending on what side of the boat I'm on, but all my reels are right-hand retrieve. If I'm pitching left-handed I just wrap my thumb up over the reel's palming plate and thumb the top of the spool. Doesn't work with all reels - kind of depends on how they sit on the rod, and probably how big your hands are (I have long fingers). I can do it with my Curado E7s, and my old Fuegos, and hopefully the Tatula CT Type-R I almost have myself talked into picking up for a pitching reel. It's a little tougher with Revos and Lews because the top of the spool sits a little deeper in the reel frame, but it's manageable.

I can switch retrieve hands too, and do have a couple left hand retrieve reels, but use them almost exclusively for pure reel engaged flipping, which I don't do a ton these days. 

[RuddyDuck]

So I did something silly and bought a left-handed BC reel. They were blowing out some left-handed Shimano Caenans cheap at Cabelas, so I figured what the heck.

After using it for about 30 mins, I am ready to sell it!! Cranking with my lefthand isn't so bad, but just holding it with my right hand feels awkward. Since the handle and gearcase are on the left side now, my wrist always wants to turn down and that feels very uncomfortable. Even adjusting the brakes and drag is awkward. I also noticed even though I don't have to switch hands to reel, I still have to move my hand on the reel after the cast to palm it. So that reason to switch, seems like a mute point to me.  I know I have to give it more time, but it is pretty awkward right now. So far the old dog isn't learning to well.

For those that always reeled right handed and went to a lefty, how long did it take to get use to it? I do like the idea of using my right arm to fight fish once in awhile, to give my left arm a break when I'm catching all those 2 pounders that I get! Guess we will see how it goes when actually fighting a fish. I've just been casting in the pond with it for now.

[bklimek]

I tried making the switch a few years back.  I returned the reel after one use.  I didn't see the value in spending the time and money to make the switch.  I just don't see the benefit in switching.  My off hand (left arm) is about as stupid and weak as they come.  If you can't curl 5 pounds then perhaps you should switch but I have yet to play tug of war with a 100lb bass.  And if I happen to get bit during that split second I'm switching hands and I miss an occasional bass before I can set the hook, hats off to the fish, I'll get you next time!

[Nick Kuhn]

11 hours ago, bklimek said:

I tried making the switch a few years back.  I returned the reel after one use.  I didn't see the value in spending the time and money to make the switch.  I just don't see the benefit in switching.  My off hand (left arm) is about as stupid and weak as they come.  If you can't curl 5 pounds then perhaps you should switch but I have yet to play tug of war with a 100lb bass.  And if I happen to get bit during that split second I'm switching hands and I miss an occasional bass before I can set the hook, hats off to the fish, I'll get you next time!

A little different story when muskie fishing. A 6 ounce jerkbait on a 25 ounce rod/reel combo gets to be quite a workout after a few hours. That's the primary reason I went left-handed for baitcasters.

[RK]

9 hours ago, Nick Kuhn said:

A little different story when muskie fishing. A 6 ounce jerkbait on a 25 ounce rod/reel combo gets to be quite a workout after a few hours. That's the primary reason I went left-handed for baitcasters.

That's why most of my muskie rods have slightly different handles. I don't switch hands when I cast (always hold the foregrip in front of the reel and don't switch to my right hand to cast - just pick the bait up and fire it out), so the foregrips on my rods are all slightly different shapes and diameters, even though most of them are custom rods so I could make them the same if I wanted to. Different shape gives your hand a break.

As for bass fishing, as I think I said earlier I do have a couple lefty reels I use flipping. Takes a few trips to get used to the feel, but once you get the hand of it you won't even notice when you switch sides.

 

[RuddyDuck]

So I put in another hour yesterday casting with the left hand reel. Actually started getting use to it. Can even switch to the palming position in the air now. Only thing that I'm not use to yet is how it twists my right hand down when holding it without my hand on the handle. Still feels a bit odd just holding it. My buddy just called me 'limp-risted'. 

Gonna use it on one of my squarebill/spinnerbait rods, which I throw quite a bit.  I definately won't be switching all my set ups to Leftys, but it will be nice to change up a little bit when casting alot. I know sometimes I will get a cramp in my left hand.  If you're use to a righty, I don't really think there is any good reason to switch completely over to all lefties, but using one or two might have some advantages.