Cast right-handed? Psst...You can use right hand retrieve It's OK

skyriver

skyriver

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Ok, old guy rant/advice for all the newbies out there. I think this was covered in the old forum, but a search tells me not here yet.

Your local fly shop, Insta and YouTube are all going to tell you that you should use left hand retrieve if you cast right-handed. There's one main reason for it. It's a decent reason, but I'm not sure I'd call it a good reason. That main reason is so you don't have to switch hands when it comes time to fight the fish on the reel.

I'm here to tell you it's OK not to do that. In fact, if you are more coordinated and can reel faster with your right hand then you should use right hand retrieve.

"But what about the switch? You'll lose so many fish switching hands!" No you won't. You'll lose more fish fumbling the reel with your un-coordinated, very JV left hand. The "switch" to the other hand upon getting a fish onto the reel is no big deal. In 45 years of fly fishing with right-handed reels I've never lost a fish because of the switch. I've lost them every other way, but not once for that reason. You know what the biggest reason is? The fish coming right at me faster than I can strip or reel. And that number would be even more if I reeled with my left hand.
So in my experience...the switch is not a reason that can be used in the argument, but bad or slow reeling definitely is. Oh shit, we're arguing now? Sorry, in the discussion.
I've also seen right-handed dudes lose fish because their line got caught on their left hand retrieve reel handles. That rarely happens to me. You know why? Because the handle is on the other side (outside) and WAY less likely to snag your fly line.

If you are better reeling with your left hand then great! Do that. I get it. My spinning setup is left hand retrieve and I got used to that as a kid and never questioned it. Of course, my spinning reel has like 5:1 ratio. So my left hand isn't terrible at reeling, but my right hand is still better. Meaning faster and more feel. More general coordination. Important since my fly reel, like yours, only has 1:1 ratio.

"But your strongest & fastest arm should be controlling the rod while you fight the fish!" I don't find that "argument" valid. Maybe some do, but I find it a silly reason for most. Like, hit the gym man.

So anyway...my point is do it how you want to do it! And if that means casting and reeling with your right hand... do it! Don't let the industry and/or social media geeks tell you how you should do it.

Also, another big perk of reeling right-handed? Vintage reels that will make you look and feel cooler than you really are. 😁
 
skyriver said:
Ok, old guy rant/advice for all the newbies out there. I think this was covered in the old forum, but a search tells me not here yet.

Your local fly shop, Insta and YouTube are all going to tell you that you should use left hand retrieve if you cast right-handed. There's one main reason for it. It's a decent reason, but I'm not sure I'd call it a good reason. That main reason is so you don't have to switch hands when it comes time to fight the fish on the reel.

I'm here to tell you it's OK not to do that. In fact, if you are more coordinated and can reel faster with your right hand then you should use right hand retrieve.

"But what about the switch? You'll lose so many fish switching hands!" No you won't. You'll lose more fish fumbling the reel with your un-coordinated, very JV left hand. The "switch" to the other hand upon getting a fish onto the reel is no big deal. In 45 years of fly fishing with right-handed reels I've never lost a fish because of the switch. I've lost them every other way, but not once for that reason. You know what the biggest reason is? The fish coming right at me faster than I can strip or reel. And that number would be even more if I reeled with my left hand.
So in my experience...the switch is not a reason that can be used in the argument, but bad or slow reeling definitely is. Oh shit, we're arguing now? Sorry, in the discussion.
I've also seen right-handed dudes lose fish because their line got caught on their left hand retrieve reel handles. That rarely happens to me. You know why? Because the handle is on the other side (outside) and WAY less likely to snag your fly line.

If you are better reeling with your left hand then great! Do that. I get it. My spinning setup is left hand retrieve and I got used to that as a kid and never questioned it. Of course, my spinning reel has like 5:1 ratio. So my left hand isn't terrible at reeling, but my right hand is still better. Meaning faster and more feel. More general coordination. Important since my fly reel, like yours, only has 1:1 ratio.

"But your strongest & fastest arm should be controlling the rod while you fight the fish!" I don't find that "argument" valid. Maybe some do, but I find it a silly reason for most. Like, hit the gym man.

So anyway...my point is do it how you want to do it! And if that means casting and reeling with your right hand... do it! Don't let the industry and/or social media geeks tell you how you should do it.

Also, another big perk of reeling right-handed? Vintage reels that will make you look and feel cooler than you really are. 😁
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I'm going to keep my right hand on the rod, but I am definitely on board with this:
"do it how you want to do it!"
 
I'm odd. I like reeling with both sides, but only with certain types of setups. Light tackle and fly rods: reel left hand only. Feels super weird to reel with right. Heavy trolling rods and stuff; basically anything with a power handle, then right hand is my preference.
 
I'm too left hand ingrained to reel right handed. My wife's spin rod messes with my spastic brain and I flip the reel upside down to use my left hand. Too late, this old dog can't be retrained. But whatever works is fine. My granddaughter is truly ambidextrous, writing and all, it’s amazing, she can just go back and forth without even thinking.
 
I generally like dominant hand on reel with top-oriented reels; non-dominant on reels that orient below the rod (fly and spin, e.g.), but I can go either way. Actually, I take that back; I hate fishing spin reels any way other than non-dominant hand on reel anymore. The faster gear ratios make up for my clumsy left hand, and it's much more efficient not having to switch hands to start fishing after every cast.

It messed with me a bit when I was tarpon fishing recently and my guide had his reels set up right-hand retrieve. I asked if he was left-handed, and he explained that when you're fighting big tarpon, you want your best hand on the reel to keep maximum pressure on them (and pick up line faster when they run at the boat). Once I got it through my head that it was just like fishing left hand retrieve until a fish earns the reel, making the switch became smoother.

Never thought about the reel handle being less likely to catch fly line while casting on the dominant hand side, but that's a good point. Particularly when Spey fishing, that little bastard can get in the way sometimes.
 
I am right handed in all ways except turning a reel. Probably a holdover from learning on spinning rods, but i legitimately cannot reel with my right hand. I have one reel that's right hand retrieve and it's on my bluegill rod. So it doesnt get use fighting fish, but just trying to reel my line back up is a struggle.
 
I am a switcher with fly reels set up both ways and have never had an issue either way. However, thinking back to yesterday pulling on those tuna, and thinking what it’d probably be like to pull on a giant tarpon (having never done so myself), I can help but think I want my dominant arm holding the rod and doing the lift/pump. Maybe I do need to hit the gym but since I am not Hans and Franzing it up, I am working with what I got and that’s a dominant right arm and hand. Once the fish is on the reel, there usually isn’t a hell of a lot of fast reeling left to do. Usually it’s cranking them in at that point. They may run, but you only need to take up a bunch of line quickly if they run toward you. The thing to do then is keep tension as best you can, which is best done by lifting the rod and stripping like mad. I strip left handed and think it is harder to do that move holding the rod in my left hand (as a righty).
 
The only thing I buy in your rant, Stacy, is this: "Because the handle is on the other side (outside) and WAY less likely to snag your fly line". My first two days fishing bonefish I broke off maybe a dozen fish because the line got hung up on the reel handle. One of the guides taught me to simply turn the reel down (twist my right hand to the left) on the strike to eliminate the snag. It's second nature to me now.

Your comment about "hit the gym": I buy that too and I should as my right arm is stronger than my left.

I can reel with my undominant hand just as well as my dominant hand. I really don't buy this argument. @Rob Allen - I accept your comment: "is just weird" ;-)
 
I grew up with spinning reels and then fly reels reeling left and casting with my right hand....so that's the right way to do it. Ain't no one gonna change my mind.
 
If you have ever used an antique fly reel you will see that they are (always?) set up for right hand wind and not reversible. The standard in the days of bamboo rods was to cast and wind with your right hand. I remember reading in an old article that the logic was simple. The two most tiring things you do while fishing are casting and playing fish. The argument was that it did not make sense to overtax your right arm with both jobs. So use your right arm for casting and your left for fighting fish. Logical - I guess so. True - who knows. I do know that having spent a day swinging a heavy rod and catching a boat load of pinks, my dominant arm was very pleasantly tired.
David
 
Tom Butler said:
I'm too left hand ingrained to reel right handed. My wife's spin rod messes with my spastic brain and I flip the reel upside down to use my left hand. Too late, this old dog can't be retrained. But whatever works is fine. My granddaughter is truly ambidextrous, writing and all, it’s amazing, she can just go back and forth without even thinking.
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I too am pretty ingrained being left handed , but there is two things, one is I reel right handed . It just seems natural to cast left handed being left handed , and wanting the rod in my left hand fight a fish . But what does feel awkward is stripping in line with my right hand , I do it , but I much prefer to get the fish on the reel . The other thing scissors , can't use my left with regular scissors , won't cut right . Had to learn to use my right hand .
 
Pink Squirrel said:
If you have ever used an antique fly reel you will see that they are (always?) set up for right hand wind and not reversible. The standard in the days of bamboo rods was to cast and wind with your right hand. I remember reading in an old article that the logic was simple. The two most tiring things you do while fishing are casting and playing fish. The argument was that it did not make sense to overtax your right arm with both jobs. So use your right arm for casting and your left for fighting fish. Logical - I guess so. True - who knows. I do know that having spent a day swinging a heavy rod and catching a boat load of pinks, my dominant arm was very pleasantly tired.
David
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Although it feels pretty unnatural , after awhile doing a lot of casting ,I'll switch hands casting, I can cast with my right , give my left a rest.
 
I'm a switch hitter on reels fishing conventional too. I'm set up RHR on fly reels but can do either. There is an advantage for right hand casters to RHR especially as mentioned above with Spey and even more so with lots of mono shooting line out.
 
Paige said:
If you cant wind a reel with either hand with any kind of reel, well, you're just a Neanderthal and lame!

It is the same direction after all.
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guilty as charged.... :LOL:
 
Ambidextrous I am not, unless it comes to using reels of all kinds. As someone said above it's an advantage when seeking out, and fishing with antique reels.

Plus, as the OP mentioned it makes me feel as cool as James Dean while doing so. :ROFLMAO:
 
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