Left or Right Hand Retrieve

[Coiloil37]

Originally Posted by AK47

Agree. So weird. You would think left hand reel and holding heavy rods with dominant right hand would make most sense?

I’ll have a crack at your assessment of overheads in a second.


Spinning reels I hold the rod in my dominant hand and wind with my left. I can cast more accurately, manipulate the lure, feel taps and react quicker with my dominant hand driving. I don’t have to switch after the cast and due to the lack of torque with a spinning reel I pump the rod with my dominant arm and then crank the line as I drop the rod toward the fish which requires the coordination and strength that my right provides.

Conventional’s from experience make more sense being right hand crank. Most overheads are trolled or we are soaking a live bait - usually from the rod holder. You’re not manipulating the rod. They’re also fishing heavy drag and capable of being used as a winch. I don’t pump and wind with an overhead, I winch the fish in. Often as I’m driving the boat towards it.
The right arm is doing almost all the work. I also have to manipulate the drag lever, the clicker, switch between low and high gear and due to the shorter cranking radius it takes more dexterity to crank an overhead then a spinning reel as you can’t engage your forearm. Being as I’m ALWAYS cranking against the drag to keep pressure on the fish it’s fatiguing and I can’t see doing it with my dumb arm.

A lot of fishermen also use a harness and don’t actually “hold” the rod. Strap the rod into a black magic belt and all your left is doing is using your thumb to lay the line down evenly. I don’t use a harness but my left arm just has to stay straight and hold on, very little technical work being done although the amount of drag takes its toll.

Baitcasters??? Someone else probably knows. If I had to guess it’s rooted in bass fishing and they probably know why they’re doing it. If I had to guess it’s because they can make those little tiny circles faster with their dominant hand and that’s more of an advantage then what switching hands during or after the cast is.


This is what I consider normal for both types.





Slow pitch jigging reels are right hand wind as well for a plethora of reasons.



As always, most of us do what we were shown by our fathers or whoever taught us to fish. I think there are technical reasons for doing it certain ways but it can be done however you want. As long as you’re not holding the reel upside down, who cares.

[CNP]

Hold a nail with the left and hammer it with the right.
Catch a ball with the left and throw with the right.
Hold a hockey stick with the left and power it with the right.
Hold a rifle or shotgun with the left and operate it with the right.

Some of these thing could be managed by a person with one arm and much practice.

I'm blessed with having two arms so I use them both.

The left hand operates the reel and the right hand powers the rod.

Does it matter if you cast with the right and switch hands to reel with the right? It may look odd (not an efficient flow) to me but it won't mean you'll catch more or less fish in the end.

A spinning reel is designed to be operated hanging down from the rod, a fly reel the same, a level wind/spin cast reel is designed to operate on top of the rod. It looks real reel odd to me when I see someone deviating from that operation.

"Rules are mostly made to be broken and are too often for the lazy to hide behind."

[-JR-]

Spinning rods - if you are right handed .You cast with your right and reel with your left . End of story !
If you don't you are spending to much time moving the rod from one hand to the other .
I see to many people holding on to the rod with their weaker arm (left ) and they can't hold on when they get a big fish on !

[Dewey Cox]

Originally Posted by -JR-

If you don't you are spending to much time moving the rod from one hand to the other .

What are you doing with all that free time?
Catching up on your paperwork?

[Smoky buck]

Originally Posted by -JR-

Spinning rods - if you are right handed .You cast with your right and reel with your left . End of story !
If you don't you are spending to much time moving the rod from one hand to the other .
I see to many people holding on to the rod with their weaker arm (left ) and they can't hold on when they get a big fish on !

Same thing with a bait caster yet many still switch hands

[AK47]

Originally Posted by Coiloil37

I’ll have a crack at your assessment of overheads in a second.


Spinning reels I hold the rod in my dominant hand and wind with my left. I can cast more accurately, manipulate the lure, feel taps and react quicker with my dominant hand driving. I don’t have to switch after the cast and due to the lack of torque with a spinning reel I pump the rod with my dominant arm and then crank the line as I drop the rod toward the fish which requires the coordination and strength that my right provides.

Conventional’s from experience make more sense being right hand crank. Most overheads are trolled or we are soaking a live bait - usually from the rod holder. You’re not manipulating the rod. They’re also fishing heavy drag and capable of being used as a winch. I don’t pump and wind with an overhead, I winch the fish in. Often as I’m driving the boat towards it.
The right arm is doing almost all the work. I also have to manipulate the drag lever, the clicker, switch between low and high gear and due to the shorter cranking radius it takes more dexterity to crank an overhead then a spinning reel as you can’t engage your forearm. Being as I’m ALWAYS cranking against the drag to keep pressure on the fish it’s fatiguing and I can’t see doing it with my dumb arm.

A lot of fishermen also use a harness and don’t actually “hold” the rod. Strap the rod into a black magic belt and all your left is doing is using your thumb to lay the line down evenly. I don’t use a harness but my left arm just has to stay straight and hold on, very little technical work being done although the amount of drag takes its toll.

Baitcasters??? Someone else probably knows. If I had to guess it’s rooted in bass fishing and they probably know why they’re doing it. If I had to guess it’s because they can make those little tiny circles faster with their dominant hand and that’s more of an advantage then what switching hands during or after the cast is.


This is what I consider normal for both types.





Slow pitch jigging reels are right hand wind as well for a plethora of reasons.



As always, most of us do what we were shown by our fathers or whoever taught us to fish. I think there are technical reasons for doing it certain ways but it can be done however you want. As long as you’re not holding the reel upside down, who cares.

This all makes sense on paper... but when I went sturgeon fishing in Fraser and all reels where set up to reel with right I just flipped rod upside down and still reeled with my left but backwards . Super awkward but still felt better than reeling with right