JD, I am new to bass fishing and and ready to purchase my first baitcaster reel (I know I’ve got some tangles in my future!). My question is, should I go with a left-handed reel or a right-handed? Great site, by the way!
–Alex S.
Hey Alex, you didn’t say if you’re a righty or a southpaw, but since the vast majority of the word is made up of righthanders, we’ll assume you are too.
I’m a righty and prefer all my baitcasters to have a left-hand retrieve. My dominant hand (right) does the casting and my left cranks the reel…all without me having to switch hands.
For reasons that escape me, most righties like right-hand cranks, but it seems silly to me to cast with the right hand and then have to move the rod to the left hand so you can crank with your right. I’m especially mystified by pro bassers who do it that way…when time is money, you’d think those guys wouldn’t want to waste the time it takes to switch hands after each cast.
Over the course of a day during a tournament, that probably translates into a few extra casts if they did the other way. And when ounces separate guys from tens of thousands of dollars, you’d think…
Jim Del Bono says
I don’t like left handed baitcasters (nor do most people) I fish with guides a lot and I take my own tackle just in case they have left handed reels. I don’t know why but it feels uncomfortable to reel with my left hand. It is no big deal to cast with your right hand and switch it once the lure hits the water.
Gary Klement says
The first baitcasting reel I bought ten years ago was a right handed reel. I didn’t know any better, and since I am right handed, I would cast with my right hand, and then reach over with my left hand to click the reel to stop the free spool. I caught a few salmon and steelhead that way, but after a year or two of that, I switched all my baitcasters to left hand retrieve and will never go back. Most fishermen that are right handed start with spinning and fly reels that are left hand
retrieve so its a normal transition to using a left hand retrieve on a bait caster.
Thanks for the excellent summary of this topic.
JD says
Way to go, my son! Can I get a big “RA-MEN!” Wait, those are noodles. Guess I’m hungry….ah, nevermind!!
Ryan Sabalow says
Preach on, Rev. JD. Just bought a bait caster and was baffled when the bait shop guy tried to give me an allegedly “right-handed” reel. He looked at me funny when I gave it back and asked for a “left-handed” one instead.
JD says
Yep, I think you’re right about the fact that all baitcaster reels started out as righties and how people just got used to doing it that way.
It’s funny — most righties are very used to cranking spinning reels with their left hands, but feel like a
goof ball if they try to operate a baitcaster with the left hand.
I once tried to “educate” the angling public on the advantages of going with left-handed baitcasters by using them on my guide trips. Damn near had a mutiny on my hands!! People just couldn’t handle it and I switched back to right-handed reels in a few days.
In the interest of full disclosure, I do have to admit that I feel like a one-armed drunken monkey whenever I’ve tried to turn a spinning reel handle with my right hand…
Jack says
Righty vs Lefty was a conversation I had almost a year ago. My Bass partner, Gary Musick, knew I was heading to purchase my first of three Shimano Chronarch’s I now own. He is quite a bass pro, in my opinion. He suggested that all baitcasting reels originally were right handed built. Old guys grew up casting and switching the rod to alow the right hand to reel in. I don’t know if that’s true, but fortunately for me, all my reels are left handed reels. Being a right hander, it feels right. Now if I can figure out how to catch bass, I will be happy.
Jack M.