Why left hand wind on spinners and right hand wind on casters?

[BrokeLoser]

I just know this has been discussed here before....but anyhoo; I'm right handed grew up fishing spinners and have been fishing casters for 10+ years. I have often thought about this but never to much to really care. The other day while fishing calico's with my right hand wind Luna I kept getting hit either right at the surface while my rod was still in my right hand or on the drop just off bottom while thumbing my spool with my right thumb while my rod is still in my right hand. Obviously this has happened to me many times before....(throwing a surface jig and getting hit right when it hits water)...blah, blah, blah...I can't get use to it...there's always that awkward half second where I feel like I got caught with pants down while I'm hurrying to get the rod to my left hand and get the reel in gear with my right. Anyway, I happened to be fishing with my father in law who happens to be left handed...I look over at him while in one of the aforementioned awkward moments and say; "Man, I almost wish I had a left hand wind reel right now!" He just laughs at me...I look down at his hands and notice he's fishing a right hand wind Sealine. I quickly think...hold on he's left handed...so I ask; "Why do you wind with your right hand?' He looks at me and laughs and says; "I grew up casting with my left and winding with my right, why would the style of reel change what hand I wind with? I've always laughed at you idiots that go back and forth and fumble the rod between hands during crucial moments." I laugh and think to myself; Is he right?
Soooo, why do we hassle with passing the rod from one hand to the other? Why not just keep it in our right hand and reel with our left just as we always have? Are we somehow programmed to think we must wind a caster with our right hand and a spinner with our left? How? Who set these defaults and why? How many of you rightys have even tried a left hand wind caster? I know I haven't...my default hasn't allowed it...haha

[StinkyMatt]

Funny, I fished spinners for 2o+ years when I went to casters I was told to go right handed. Did it for a few years than I got a lefty. Night and day!

I am now only buying lefts. Your selection is a little more limited but your fishing might feel more natural.






P.s. check out some of my right handed reels for sale.

[JeffB]

The majority of bait casters are righties and that's what you learn on, so it just feels natural. But technically speaking, a right handed person should use a left handed reel and vise versa for a lefty. If you think about it, which arm would you rather set a hook with, your stronger dominate arm, or your weaker arm? Everyone I know that uses a right handed bait cast uses a left hand spinner, why, because that's what the side they grew up fishing on. It's funny bc I use righties for all my reels. I never used a spinner growing when I grew up, so once I bought my first one it only felt natural to move it to the right. All it is is that most bait shops only carry right handed reels for the most part. Usually what you learn with is what you stick too. I've tried switching, but doesn't feel right. It's like jerking it with the other hand, doesn't feel natural to the other arm and your buddy feels like he found a new friend! I can't think of any other way to put it?

[Necron 99]

I'm a lefty and have always reeled with my right hand. I switch my spinning reels to right handed ones. I never could figure out what you weird right handers were doing reeling with your dominant hand.

[mrJB]

Right handed but fish left handed conventional reels. There is a limited selection of left handed reels however - Avet, Calcutta's, etc. Makes it a little more difficult on the gaffing, but I get by...

[CheapPelican]

Originally Posted by JeffB

I've tried switching, but doesn't feel right. It's like jerking it with the other hand, doesn't feel natural to the other arm and your buddy feels like he found a new friend! I can't think of any other way to put it?

Wow. Never thought of it that way but

[YakMedic]

I'm right handed and only fish lefty conventional and baitcasters. After I had shoulder surgery on my left shoulder I was fighting a bigger model fish on a right handed reel and noticed how stupid it was that I was using my dominant arm to reel while all the rod fight was with my weak arm and bad shoulder.

I switched everything to left handed and love it. There isn't as much selection for lefty reels but I liked Avet in the first place.

[Amish Ed]

I'm sorta ambidextrous and fish with right handed baitcasters. I cast with either arm depending on my mood. I cast with both arms together a lot too, so I just automatically pass the rod to my left hand as I cast. Usually, when I cast with my right hand... as the rod hits the apex of its arc I switch it to my left hand, right hand goes to the handle. No fiddling with switching hands vwhen the bait is in the water. Tried a lefty reel and it just feels weird. On the rare occasions where I use a spinning reel (read trout fishing every 10yrs or so) I cast with my right arm and wind with my left, tried it the other way and just can't do that either. I learned it that way and that's it.

Same with scissors though. I was forced in school to use my right hand even though it felt wrong, now I can never cut with my left. When I played soccer, either foot worked as well as the other. I write with my left hand and draw, but I paint with both. Why all this background you ask? Just to say, do what feels natural and adjust from there.

[roadx]

right handed but will only buy left handed bait casters from here on out.
stops the jugging from hand to hand, and after awhile it just seems natural and the rights feel wrong.

[RockyRaab]

Yup, long time way back ago when I fished bass tournaments, there were no left-wind casting reels. So to avoid that hand switch, I taught myself to cast left-handed. For most casts, it was accurate enough, and soon became almost natural feeling.

Casting reels were invented long before spinning, and I suppose nobody thought it out as well as they might have so they put the handles on the right side. Kinda bassackward, as we now know.

[Jimmyz123]

When I was a kid I was given one of those Zebco rods with the spincast reels, setup much like a baitcaster. Then at about 7 I picked up a spinning rod and it was setup as you are mentioning. This did not seem right so I reeled it just like the zebco, I know that wasn't the correct way to do it. Eventually I learned how to reel them both the correct way. However thinking as you are I remember watching a Bass Pro Shops tip and the guy said that he trained himself to cast left handed so that he never has to transfer rod from one hand to the other. You can either pick up left handed reels and then that way you're using your right hand to pull and left to reel. It's all in the training. Do what's comfortable for yourself.

I have the fun of being able to get left handed reels because my son is left handed so I'm going to see if I can retrain myself. Should be fun.

[JeffB]

I grabbed one of my short crappie rods last night and started fishing in the living. Caught a 2yr old repeatedly. Sure was fun, lol. I noticed I'm right handed, use right handed bait cast but cast with both my left and right arms. My left hand never leaves the rod when I cast, nor does my right and leave the reel.


Never put any thought into it until now.

[Iceman]

a good explanation, having tried to reel in a fish with a lefty conventional.

Conventional reels traditionally had the handles on the right side due to the shorter throw, or turning radius of the handle.. which requires much more dexterity of hand and wrist.. especially at hi speed..and as most find this easier to do with their dominant hand

[BrokeLoser]

Originally Posted by JeffB

It's like jerking it with the other hand, doesn't feel natural to the other arm and your buddy feels like he found a new friend! I can't think of any other way to put it?

I have no idea what you're talking about...I would never try such a despicable act! hahaha

[BrokeLoser]

Seems to me their is no real science to it either way. Now that I'm thinking about it; it does seem more reasonable to think that you would want to use your dominate or most coordinate hand to control the rod more so than the reel. Teaching your least coordinated hand to wind a reel seems more brainless than teaching it to hook set, jig a rod, pump a rod, thumb a spool and possibly cast.

[Biggameaddict]

Im right hand in baitcast and left in spinning. Thats how i always used them growing up and thats how im used to it.

[maui jim]

Originally Posted by Biggameaddict

Im right hand in baitcast and left in spinning. Thats how i always used them growing up and thats how im used to it.

X-2.... I also surf goofey foot, but love lefts on those surf breaks

Tried the other methods, but just dont feel right.

[taggermike]

I have wondered about this as well. I am right handed and reel a baitcaster with my right and a spinner with my left. Thats just how I learned. To have to switch the rod from right to left after the cast is just rediculuous though. I can cast with my left hand but it looks like the special olympics. When my dad retired and started to do mostly bass fishing he taught himself to cast with the left. Maybe I should work at it too. Mike

[fishsouthcounty]

Originally Posted by taggermike

I have wondered about this as well. I am right handed and reel a baitcaster with my right and a spinner with my left. Thats just how I learned.

same shit here....after i started fishing only saltwater though i stopped using spinners. When i was 21 and living in Monterey i decided to buy a big spinning outfit to fish off the rocks locally. Literally got confused at the store seeing the left handed retrieve on the spinners and had to consult with an attendant if a right hander cranks lefty. Good topic.

[JarrodMc]

A lefty made the first fishing reel just to piss all you rightys off.