TexasKayakFisherman.com est. 2000

[razz25]

I am right handed and decided to purchase a couple of baitcaster reels. Which side of the baitcaster is your handle on?

[Ron Mc]

I am so crazy ambidextrous, bat right handed, throw left handed, tennis left, ping-pong right - I like having tackle that works both ways. So I cast a fly rod and bait rod southpaw, wind right; and like spinning reels with LHW.

[Neumie]

I'm right handed and I cast and reel right handed.

[karstopo]

I Typically cast bait-casting reels right handed and reel right handed. My stepson and buddy cast mostly left handed, one reels right handed, the other left side. One old fishing buddy cast right handed bait-casting reels, but like the left handed reels. I’ve right hand cast the left hand reel bait-caster, but it feels a little strange doing it that way with decades of accumulated muscle memory going the other way.

The relatively little I’ve used spinning reels has been right hand casting/ left handed retrieving.

My fly set ups, I cast both right and left handed, but leave the reel retrieval to the left side. Many of those fly reels are retrieve side reversible, but I have just stuck with leaving them all as left handed retrieve.

In a perfect world, it might be nice to pick up any set up no matter which side the reel handle is on and be comfortable and proficient casting and reeling with either hand.

[imaoldmanyoungsalt]

I cast right, retrieve left with baitcast/spincast and I cast right, retrieve left with spinning gear. When I started fishing with spinning reels as a youngster, the ones I had did not have reversible handles like almost all, if not all, do now, and they were all left hand retrieve, so I just got used to reeling them left handed. Now it feels strange to use them the other way. Basically, if the reel sits under the rod handle such as spinning and fly reels, I reel left handed. If it sits above the rod handle, as in baitcast/spincast reels, I reel right handed.

[impulse]

Lefty.

Rod stays in my strong hand, and I never have to swap hands after the cast. That's fly rods, spinning rods, casting rods and a few trolling and surf rods.

I grew up on spinning reels where that was the operating theory, and never saw a good reason to change once lefty baitcasters became readily available. My first baitcasters were Shimano Bantam BMP251 SG's from the mid '80s.

Okuma makes some nice and reasonably priced lefty trolling reels (Magda line and others) some with line counters. Penn has made lefties up to 4/0 size for many decades now. I'm told Penn turned their Long Beach factory over to making lefties one day a year back when they made stuff in the USA. Sounds like an urban legend to me, but that's back when I worked in Long Beach in the '90s.

[SteveRetrieve]

Right handed here.

I grew up throwing spinners so I’m used to throwing, working the lure and fighting the fish with my right hand, and winding with my left. Especially since your winding hand is really just to pick up the slack... it’s not like we’re winching in big bottom fish.

But with baitcasters I like the typical right hand wind. It’s nice, especially on the kayak after paddling a couple miles and throwing the spinner a few times, it gives my right wrist a rest. I still usually cast with my right hand, but switch over and hold the rod with my left to work it.

[Dandydon]

I think it's clever how the spinning reel manufacturers invented that left OR right retrieve system achieved in seconds by inserting & screwing down your handle. You can pick your weapon.

Genius.

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[Ron Mc]

I think it's clever how the spinning reel manufacturers invented that left OR right retrieve system achieved in seconds by inserting & screwing down your handle. You can pick your weapon....

it took awhile, though - they all began with only LHW, and just up to the 80s, most all were separate models for LH and RH wind.
Penn 716, 717 (Mitchell 300, 301, etc.) - the green Penns and the black -Z model spinfishers were 1966 to '78 before Penn offered reversible-wind spinfishers.

And of course, Penn recently re-introduced the -Z models set up just like the originals, even without skirted spools.

[Dandydon]

Very cool Penn spinning reels, Ron. Funny how I started fishing with small Penn reels like that and never (horrors!) backlashing. But I did grow tired of constantly fingering my fishing line and cranking that damn bail.

As I grew up and started fishing with guides, I learned the manly advantages of level-wind baitcasters in Abu-Garcia, then Shimano, then Lews, now back to Shimano... it's enough to make your head and wallet spin.

As a mature man who casts less often (ha ha), I now carry a good baitcaster and spinning outfit. If I ever crows-nest the baitcaster, my trusty Shimano spinning reel is ready. Of course my ultimate back-up is one of Shoffer's five pre-rigged rods. Isn't modern technology the nuts?!

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[Ron Mc]

I always carry a rigged baitcaster and spinning rod, spare baitcasting reel and spare spinning spool both in my lap hatch, have a 3-pc bait rod in my bow hold for backup, and usually have a 3-pc fly rod also, that I can break out for opportunity. And can add a 3rd rod holder out of the way especially for the fly rod (or spinning rod).

[saltykat]

Right handed here.

I grew up throwing spinners so I’m used to throwing, working the lure and fighting the fish with my right hand, and winding with my left. Especially since your winding hand is really just to pick up the slack... it’s not like we’re winching in big bottom fish.

But with baitcasters I like the typical right hand wind. It’s nice, especially on the kayak after paddling a couple miles and throwing the spinner a few times, it gives my right wrist a rest. I still usually cast with my right hand, but switch over and hold the rod with my left to work it.

Same for me and it is beneficial to be able to switch hands when one gets tired