left-hand or right-hand retrieve?

1

hi ppl, was talking to wkl2020 just now. he was giving me advice on getting my first baitcasting reel.

he recommended that i go for right-hand retrieve (the traditional baitcasting style) as opposed to left-hand retrieve.

he mentioned some good points as to why i should get a right-hand one (maybe u wanna mention here again for everybody’s benefit, wkl?).

this will be my first low profile baitcaster so i dun know much about comparing the two types. initially i thought getting left-hand would be more comfortable for me since i’ve been comfortable with left-hand retrieve spinning reels. but now i’m not too sure.

what do u all think? pls share your experiences n opinions on which is better… left-hand or right-hand retrieve on a baitcasting reel.

thanks.

2

Using a left hand winding reel means that you do not have to change hands when casting / retrieving - assuming that you are right handed.

I use right handed multipliers when I am lucky enough to get out to sea on a boat - with that kind of rig / equipment, you can actually use your right hand reel to wind them in - like a crane.

On land, and where the fish are much smaller - we depend on the rod doing most of the work - that is why I use my right hand for the rod, and my left is just to wind in the line after the rod has done its work.

3

Aiyah…

Same same la… just buy anything u comfortable with

Well there’re some good point bout r\traditional right hand reels la however i don’t see much research or solid proof to back it. Only thing is u r more traditional la tat’s all…

As for me ah… lefties all the way la since i edi 5++ years using lefties bc more comfy for me since i use bc also cos of the comfortable(actually is i lazy to close the spinning reel bail arm, so if use lefties bc i omit one step in each casting cycle hahahaha).

Btw i start bc on traditionaly right hander, dun like it too ma fan so i change to lefties. Since then nvr or seldom touch right hander reels except my beautiful classic Abu Ambassadeur 1600air(once awhile only since it’s classic reel la summore got 6bc only tat is right handed)

Novice angler here, any constructive advices greatly appreciated. Thank you

4

Most of us start of with a spinning outfit hence we are so used to winding with our left hand. As habits dies hard, we tend to be more prone to lefties. However when it comes to BC or Multiplier, the right hand wind is more appropriate although it will take some getting used to. BC winding handle is usually shorter making the winding circumference/cycle smaller or more difficult. As most of us are righties, winding a smaller/shorter handle would be more easier/handy with our right hand. Further to this, we need to educate our thumb to prevent backlash aka chau mai fun. As a righties, it’s much easier to educate our right hand than our left hand, thats why righties write better with right hand than left hand.
The above have no solid proof or research. Its just my personal opinion gathered thru experience and advises/discussions with various fishing boat captains and fellow fishos during my travels.</font id=“purple”>

Born To Golf
Live To Fish
Forced To Work

5

my personal experience is: try a lefty and a righty 1st b4 u decide. go borrow one from a fren, or any kaki who can let u try it out for a spin… only then decide… have a few frens who did it this way, some r using righties, most r using lefties… bottom line is: use what is most comfortable for u. my 2 sen…

cheers

[img=left]http://ultraxs.com/image-00DA_4AFBB7EC.jpg[/img=left]

6

yeah. today i went for casting with my first own bc reel for the first time (noob alert)… lefty is comfortable for me.

so even though hardcore righties get turned off when see my lefty reel, i dun be bothered.. just fish! :slight_smile: after all, lefty range of bc reels are coming up more n more nowadays.

7

allow me to explain from a right-handed angler’s point of view.

for the record, i grew up with Rt Handed baitcasters since i was a kid. casting with my right hand, then passing it to the left. pumping the rod with my left arm, tucked beneath the armpits and winding it down with the right. no problem there whatsoever. that was until i picked up lurecasting.

if ur main use of the BC is to cast lures, i’d highly suggest u get the lefty if u are right-handed.

advantage: no need to switch hands, more accurate casting(when the whole setup is kept on the right hand –> better rod control, better thumbing control of spool, better lure control, less fatigue compared to using the non-dominant hand for repeated casts. i believe that the rod is an extension of the dominant hand, thus a right-hander will benefit from having a lefty reel.

that said, it comes with some disadvantages as well.

the weaker left hand(non-dominant) is subjected to immense pressure when fighting the fish especially on standard short diameter handles, when fighting big fish. this is where a longer handle (e.g 90mm handle) will give u more leverage.

if u are using a bigger BC reel like the Calcutta 300, ABU 6500, and use it more for trolling, live-baiting, bottom fishing etc where casting is not done every few seconds, and where the fishes are more powerful, naturally a Rt handed reel would be a better choice as the right hand is more powerful than the left(for Rt handers).

u do the maths. if the reel is meant to cast lures repeatedly, i’d suggest u get a lefty. i believe lure placement, lure control & casting accuracy is more important to me. worry later when the fish strikes, hahahaha…furthermore, maneuvering & handling the hooked-on fish with a rod is better done on the right hand instead of the left, more so when u are fishing from a watercraft.

similar advice for the left handed angler, just do the opposite & get a righty.

all my BCs for lurecasting as lefties. sold all my righties long time ago. the only Rt handers are the bigger multipliers like Torium 16, Avet SX, and all older ABU 6500s, 7000s, 7500s & 9000s for non-lure applications.

[IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v324/FYRTYGR/FTlogo.jpg[/IMG]

http://longkanggang.blogspot.com/

WAR: it’s not about who’s RIGHT, it’s about who’s LEFT

8

Looks like we share the same experience - see my earlier post … but to that I will further add that I seldom if ever use a bc for bottom fishing on land.

The thing will not sit upright on a normal rod stand ( turns upside down even if you wedge it against something ) - but exception is the auto whacker that we covered in another thread. This device allows me to strap the rod / reel down - but be careful of the drag setting and how you set up the trigger - the auto whackers are normally designed for spinning reels.

9

yup, we do.

but its tough when we’re talking to ‘old birds’ (lau jiao in hokkien)… they still think a lefty BC reel is a rejected product! hahahahhaha…

on the topic of ‘unable to sit upright’, i currently use the spiral wrap for those rods. i find it more stable & suitable as the torque is eliminated when the line is ‘hanging’ from below the rod like a spinning rod configuration. one small drawback would be that the line tends to stack on the same side of the spool as the side of the spiral.

[IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v324/FYRTYGR/FTlogo.jpg[/IMG]

http://longkanggang.blogspot.com/

WAR: it’s not about who’s RIGHT, it’s about who’s LEFT

10

" but its tough when we’re talking to ‘old birds’ (lau jiao in hokkien)… they still think a lefty BC reel is a rejected product! hahahahhaha…"

Aiyoh ! … I am also one of them lah … except that I am right handed [:D][:D][:D]

11
quote:
Originally posted by FiR3 TiG3R
allow me to explain from a right-handed angler's point of view.

for the record, i grew up with Rt Handed baitcasters since i was a kid. casting with my right hand, then passing it to the left. pumping the rod with my left arm, tucked beneath the armpits and winding it down with the right. no problem there whatsoever. that was until i picked up lurecasting.

if ur main use of the BC is to cast lures, i’d highly suggest u get the lefty if u are right-handed.

advantage: no need to switch hands, more accurate casting(when the whole setup is kept on the right hand –> better rod control, better thumbing control of spool, better lure control, less fatigue compared to using the non-dominant hand for repeated casts. i believe that the rod is an extension of the dominant hand, thus a right-hander will benefit from having a lefty reel.

that said, it comes with some disadvantages as well.

the weaker left hand(non-dominant) is subjected to immense pressure when fighting the fish especially on standard short diameter handles, when fighting big fish. this is where a longer handle (e.g 90mm handle) will give u more leverage.

if u are using a bigger BC reel like the Calcutta 300, ABU 6500, and use it more for trolling, live-baiting, bottom fishing etc where casting is not done every few seconds, and where the fishes are more powerful, naturally a Rt handed reel would be a better choice as the right hand is more powerful than the left(for Rt handers).

u do the maths. if the reel is meant to cast lures repeatedly, i’d suggest u get a lefty. i believe lure placement, lure control & casting accuracy is more important to me. worry later when the fish strikes, hahahaha…furthermore, maneuvering & handling the hooked-on fish with a rod is better done on the right hand instead of the left, more so when u are fishing from a watercraft.

similar advice for the left handed angler, just do the opposite & get a righty.

all my BCs for lurecasting as lefties. sold all my righties long time ago. the only Rt handers are the bigger multipliers like Torium 16, Avet SX, and all older ABU 6500s, 7000s, 7500s & 9000s for non-lure applications.

[IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v324/FYRTYGR/FTlogo.jpg[/IMG]

http://longkanggang.blogspot.com/

WAR: it’s not about who’s RIGHT, it’s about who’s LEFT

Hi All. This explanation is correct and accurate.
I use both sides. As I am a right hander, Twitching is easier with the left hand reel as I have better rod control with my right.
You can also use a right handed bait caster if you are a right hander. Twitching will need some practice though.

Rgds,
MrT

12

i decided to get a left-hand low profile reel for my first bc, because of the same reason. i
felt that it’ll be easier for me to provide action for lures (e.g. twitching) if i used my right-hand to hold the rod. if i got a right-hand-retrieve reel, then i’d have to learn how to use the rod almost all over again for my left-hand.

but i see that most opinions have their own backing la. at the end of the day, i think it’s a personal preference kinda thing. i do wanna learn to reel with my right-hand in the future too when i go out to sea more. so, to each his own la.

13

TQ MrT. Boss, i believe u are my senior when it comes to these stuffs. [:D]

to add, there are a few more subtle things to mention in regards to left or right-handedness.

crankbait fishing requires less active involvement of the right hand to play the rod as compared to jerkbait/topwater fishing. a right hander would do here. same goes for trolling cranks, the left hand would suffice to hold the rod while the right hand cranks it up.

a lefty for jerkbaits & topwaters which require more hand control & precise movements, so a lefty reel would be better off.

but with all that being said, getting the ‘right’ feel is more important than being theoretically correct. if u feel comfortable with what u are using now, then why change, right?

that is why i sometimes have 2 or 3 sets pre-rigged when i fish for sebarau/toman. one for cranks, one for jerks, one for pencils. most of the time, i stick to 1 setup that is working.

[IMG]http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v324/FYRTYGR/FTlogo.jpg[/IMG]

http://longkanggang.blogspot.com/

WAR: it’s not about who’s RIGHT, it’s about who’s LEFT