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Old 07-08-10, 10:22 AM   #26
Jrob78
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I'm surprised how many people overlook working baits, setting hooks, and fighting fish as an advantage to powerhand baitcasting. The focus always seems to be on the switching hands aspect, which is a factor, but is probably the least important reason for a righty to use LH retrieve.

I can't even imagine working a jerkbait or walking a spook or frog all day with my weaker hand, then slamming back hooksets and fighting fish with my weaker arm...all while my stronger, more coordinated hand is doing nothing but turning a small handle. So you better believe I'm not gonna spend all my money on powerful rods, no-stretch lines, and razor sharp hooks, only to use them with the wrong hand! It's an easy decision for me, LH retrieve all the way.
That's a very good point and in any other aspect of life it would be dead on. Because my arms and hands have been trained to fish a certain way for so long my dominate hand becomes weak and uncoordinated. If I tried to palm a casting reel and work a bait with my right hand I would feel like I had never done it before. Don't overlook the importance of muscle memory.
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Old 07-08-10, 10:46 AM   #27
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I can't even imagine working a jerkbait or walking a spook or frog all day with my weaker hand, then slamming back hooksets and fighting fish with my weaker arm...all while my stronger, more coordinated hand is doing nothing but turning a small handle. So you better believe I'm not gonna spend all my money on powerful rods, no-stretch lines, and razor sharp hooks, only to use them with the wrong hand! It's an easy decision for me, LH retrieve all the way.
Very good point Bryan. I completely agree. I'll stick with my LH reels too.

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Old 07-08-10, 10:48 AM   #28
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Originally Posted by Jrob78 View Post
That's a very good point and in any other aspect of life it would be dead on. Because my arms and hands have been trained to fish a certain way for so long my dominate hand becomes weak and uncoordinated. If I tried to palm a casting reel and work a bait with my right hand I would feel like I had never done it before. Don't overlook the importance of muscle memory.
But don't you use your right hand for every other task in life? It's hard for me to imagine a right-handed person becoming weak or uncoordinated in the hand that they use for everything.

At some point you must have trained yourself to fish with your left hand. Training yourself to use your better hand couldn't be much harder, especially if you're already using spinning gear that way.
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Old 07-08-10, 11:33 AM   #29
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But don't you use your right hand for every other task in life? It's hard for me to imagine a right-handed person becoming weak or uncoordinated in the hand that they use for everything.

At some point you must have trained yourself to fish with your left hand. Training yourself to use your better hand couldn't be much harder, especially if you're already using spinning gear that way.
I am pretty worthless using my left hand for anything else. It's weird how this is different, especially since I do use spinning gear that way. My muscles are conditioned to switch hands and reel with my right, that's not to say I couldn't re-learn how to do it though.
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Old 07-10-10, 04:00 PM   #30
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Originally Posted by Bryan View Post

I can't even imagine working a jerkbait or walking a spook or frog all day with my weaker hand, then slamming back hooksets and fighting fish with my weaker arm...all while my stronger, more coordinated hand is doing nothing but turning a small handle. So you better believe I'm not gonna spend all my money on powerful rods, no-stretch lines, and razor sharp hooks, only to use them with the wrong hand! It's an easy decision for me, LH retrieve all the way.
I can appreciate why you feel the way you do. I'm going to guess that throughout your fishing experience, LH retrieve baitcasters were available & plentiful. But, had you began fishing with baitcasters over 50 years ago, as many here have, you not only would be able to imagine reeling with your right hand, you would probably be doing so yourself. Also, rather than having a weaker, less coordinated left arm, you would be, as we are, able to fight fish all day long with that left hand/arm.
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Old 07-10-10, 08:12 PM   #31
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bryan View Post
But don't you use your right hand for every other task in life? It's hard for me to imagine a right-handed person becoming weak or uncoordinated in the hand that they use for everything.

At some point you must have trained yourself to fish with your left hand. Training yourself to use your better hand couldn't be much harder, especially if you're already using spinning gear that way.
Bryan i am a lefty in only the fact that I right left handed . In everything else in life the right side of my body is dominate, never figured out way and I can't right worth a damn with my right hand but I use righty reels as reeling with my left hand just feels funny, and try as I might i can't get used to it .


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Old 07-10-10, 08:53 PM   #32
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I'll add my thoughts here... since this topic gets me riled up quite a bit...

If you are buying your first baitcaster and you are right-handed, then you MUST buy a left-hand retrieve reel.

Having fished with nothing but left-hand retrieve reels my entire life, I know the importance of reeling with the left hand and having the power and coordination on the right. Knowing what I know having fished LH reels my whole life, if I slipped through a worm hole and traveled back in time and somehow found myself conditioned to RH reels, I would toss them aside and retrain myself to fish with LH reels.

I feel for the guys who got roped in early with the RH reel traditions back in the day. But I just want to make it known that left-hand retrieve reels should be the only reels 'new right-handed anglers' should be buying. It pains me to see a young kid or novice adult who is right-handed by a RH reel because they see all the pro's fishing RH reels... or worse yet, the salesman talks them into the RH reel (I've seen this and cringed!)
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Old 07-11-10, 10:36 AM   #33
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I agree Kevin, the problem is I have lots of RH reels since I didn't really know or pay attention when I started buying them. I now use both, LH for spooks, pitching, and jerkbaits, then RH for everything else. I wish all mine were LH but the best I can do for now is cull them out when I get new ones.

For me the hardest part learning to use the other hand is when you get a big fish on. Reeling isn't very smooth with a ton of pressure on the line. Also I'll turn a reel on its side during a retrieve on a jerkbait to use my left hand to reel if using a RH reel, then switch back if you get one.
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Old 07-11-10, 10:42 AM   #34
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kevin i totatly agree with you. i too watch friends of mine who are right handed use a right retrieveing reel. i can cast 3 times (on a good run) to their 1 cast. i am left handed, cast with my left and retrieve with my right hand. it doesn't matter if i am using a baitcaster or a spinning reel. if i am using a bait that has to be retrieved as soon as it hits the water, frog, etc. i see where they may lose a hit alot too. fish hits the bait, but the person is switching hands. seen this alot of times. makes me glad i don't have that problem at lest. now if i can jst learn how to catch some big fish, hahahahaha, instead of the little ones.
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Old 07-12-10, 03:47 PM   #35
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Kevin...I don't totally agree with you. While I taught my son to use LH baitcasters (I encouraged him to make his own decision), I see no reason for me to change. There's just no reason. A person using a LH reel MAY be able to engage the spool quicker than I upon the lure hitting the water, but he'll have to make a concerted effort to do so. He certainly won't outfish me just because he's using a LH reel. If I thought there was anything to that, I would have made the transition a long time ago. Further, and most importantly, I LIKE fishing with a RH reel. So please, don't feel sorry for me. It could be that there's more than one right way to do all this.
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Old 07-12-10, 04:16 PM   #36
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Geezer... I don't feel sorry for you guys because you are at a disadvantage, I just feel sorry for those guys because at one point, they didn't have the option. Lucky for me Shimano had a few models (going way against the grain at the time) when I first got into baitcasting, and I was afforded the opportunity to start out LH. That's all.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Bryan View Post
I'm surprised how many people overlook working baits, setting hooks, and fighting fish as an advantage to powerhand baitcasting. The focus always seems to be on the switching hands aspect, which is a factor, but is probably the least important reason for a righty to use LH retrieve.

I can't even imagine working a jerkbait or walking a spook or frog all day with my weaker hand, then slamming back hooksets and fighting fish with my weaker arm...all while my stronger, more coordinated hand is doing nothing but turning a small handle. So you better believe I'm not gonna spend all my money on powerful rods, no-stretch lines, and razor sharp hooks, only to use them with the wrong hand! It's an easy decision for me, LH retrieve all the way.
Bryan hit on all the points that I argue in favor of LH reels for RH anglers. As someone who fishes frogs and flipping baits in heavy cover more often than not, I just can't imagine having to drive hooks home with my left arm. I might be able to become strong and coordinated over time, but if you're new to baitcasters, why put yourself on a needless learning curve when you can just buy a LH reel. That's all I'm trying to make as a point.

When it comes to tackle, new buyers follow the herds. The herds are still using RH reels, so if I can help the situation by speaking out in favor of LH reels, then I'd like to do just that. I don't see it as one camp vs. the other, but more clarifying the options and the history behind the use of RH reels.
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Old 07-12-10, 07:37 PM   #37
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When I was about 12 years old, I was told by a leading angler in the Houston Bass Club that I should learn to cast lefthanded and reel with my right hand instead of switching hands (same theory as learning to reel left handed). Well I did exactly that, now I am totally ambedextrous (sp?). I even cast my spinning rods left handed and reel with my right hand even though I am right handed.
My preference has become long handled rods in both my spinning and baitcasters. My carpal tunnel syndrome and Tennis Elbow forced me to make some adjustments so now I cast two handed and still palm my baitcasters and hold my spinning reels between my ring finger and pinky on my left hand. This works best for me. There is no switching hands. To this day though I am just as comfortable with left handed rigs as I am with right handed and with either I do not have to switch hands. When power fishing or spinnerbait fishing I roll cast both forward and reverse and I can dissect a dock like a carpenter. When jig, T-rig, shakey head I can pitch under just about anything with ease with either hand. I have done it all for so long that it is second nature to me.
I will say this though, if you are starting out and plan to tournament fish learn to do it like Kevin says or make sure you do not have to switch hands. You can get off many more casts and miss far fewer fish by being ready to drive the hook home the millisecond the bait hits the water, by not having to switch hands.
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Old 07-15-10, 03:52 PM   #38
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I somehow missed this thread before I made a similar one of my own. Sorry about that. However...

As far as rod sensitivity being overrated, I'd have to disagree. There are just too many ways in which A) people fish, particularly with their rod tip, and B) the way in which fish can bite on a given lure. There's also a reason rod manufacturers are offering different technique-specific rods, and the styles require different ways of fishing, feeling a bite and setting the hook. Don't get me wrong, though...I feel that the variations of specific rods could be tamed down, because some are too similar to warrant a different rod. However, that won't happen, because as long as they can lead people to believe they need all those rods they make more money. That's a topic for another thread, though.

As for holding the line between two outstretched fingers - I think it's awesome that people found a way around things. There weren't many options back then. For me, though, (having played guitar for a living for so many years) I can't imagine subjecting my fingers to that outstretched position for hours and hours in a day. I dealt with both tendonitis and carpal tunnel enough to avoid some things in everything else I do now. I don't suppose it would matter for casual fishing, but if I were fishing pro I wouldn't do it. Hell, when I go out to fish I do it for extended periods of time. It seems like that method would make it awkward for working a lure, too. The person that posted it obviously isn't affected by it, though. I guess that's all that matters. Just made me think is all.

Thanks for the great substance here on this forum. A lot of great ideas and opinions to sift through.
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Old 07-15-10, 07:55 PM   #39
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I'm right handed, and cast with my right and reel with my right when using baitcasters....Cast right and reel left with spinning gear....Just the way I learned.

But as for being under some sort of disadvantage due to using my left arm to set the hook, I dissagree......Just because its not my naturally "dominate" arm doesn't mean its not strong enough to set the hook into any fish with MORE than enough force to get a solid hookset. I'd also go so far as to say my reaction times are equally as quick with either arm so thats not an issue either. As for the time it takes to switch hands, well thats minimal and I can stand here and tell you that I've never ever missed a fish because of it.......I can also honestly say that I've caught several fish with just my thumb on the spool during that transition time.....I guess it boils down to what you get used to.......Having said that, I'd love to get my hands on a LH baitcaster to try for awhile just to see how it feels....Who knows I might switch...lol
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Old 07-16-10, 03:35 PM   #40
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Good point, 66. Unless we're talking about tarpon or heavier sportfishing setting the hook without your dominant hand most likely doesn't matter. Hell, it probably doesn't matter to most people who are fishing tuna or swordfish all day, either...I'm sure there are a gazillion people out there that have been doing it in an "unconventional" way for a long time. Those people have made it work in whatever they're doing.

I would never expect anyone to change what works for them any more than someone else. Whatever works for a person to enjoy fishing! I would definitely agree with Kevin, though....for someone doing it for the first time I hope that someone will help them learn the right way. ie: make the most of their dominant hand/arm.

Why? I once came across a kid that was fishing a spinning reel upside down and his father did nothing about it. I wanted to show the kid a couple things, but I certainly wasn't going to undermine his father that way, even if I wanted to deep down...especially when most spinning reels have reversible handles.
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