Reeling Demographics... are you a righty or lefty

Reels are the hottest topic for TackleTour. Everyone wants to know what the latest and greatest is and how they compare to the old guard. What's the best for light stuff, or what's your suggestion for heavy cover. Do we really need different retrieve ratios? It's all in here.

Speaking of casting reels only... do you reel with your right or left hand?

I reel with my right hand
451
43%
I reel with my left hand
597
57%
 
Total votes: 1048

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Re: Reeling Demographics... are you a righty or lefty

Post by Fishingelbow » Sun Mar 13, 2011 2:43 pm

Righty for one handed activities like writing, throwing a ball, etc. but lefty for two-handed stuff like hockey, hitting a ball. Two hands for power, one hand for precision.
When it comes to fishing, I cast heavy stuff using both hands on my left side and use right-handle reels, cast light stuff single-handed with my right hand and a lefty reel. Again, two hands for power, one hand for precision!
So, there IS some logic in my weirdness :mrgreen:
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Re: Reeling Demographics... are you a righty or lefty

Post by JDLaman » Sun Mar 13, 2011 5:07 pm

Cast right reel left. No switcheroo for me.

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Re: Reeling Demographics... are you a righty or lefty

Post by bassbandit » Sun Mar 13, 2011 7:24 pm

Pretty interesting results so far. Almost 90 votes cast and more lefties than righties.

As for me, I'm a lefty, who reels right handed.

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Re: Reeling Demographics... are you a righty or lefty

Post by Buck2thPerch » Mon Mar 14, 2011 12:32 am

I see alot of people are not making the correct correlation or it could be they are just confused between thier right and left - LOL! But, if you hold your rod on your right had then you reel with your Left Hand - Therefore all your reels should be Lefty's or you are a Left Hand Retrieve person. Samething applies to holding your rod on your Left Hand, Arm, Leg, Thighs, Manbreasts, etc., - you reel with your right hand. Therefore all your reels will be right handed reels or you are a right handed retrieve person. Most people will hold thier rod with thier dominant arm/hand and reel with thier not so dominant hand. But there are few that far that are in between such as myself.

My right arm/hand is dominant. I would cast holding the rod on my right hand but when I go to retrieve, I put the rod in my left hand and thus reel with my right hand. I use both but feel better and have just gotten used to doing it this way through out the years. Also back in the 90's (especially early 90's), you would not be able to find a good Left Hand Retrive Baitcasting Reel. Eventually I gave in and started using right hand retrieving reels to the point where now I fish this way. But I can do both.

For those long fishing days where the fish is just not biting, its nice to switch from one side to the other to lessen the fatigue in your arms/shoulders.
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Re: Reeling Demographics... are you a righty or lefty

Post by rp346 » Mon Mar 14, 2011 2:30 am

Baitcasters Righty, Spinning Lefty..............

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Re: Reeling Demographics... are you a righty or lefty

Post by v3n0m » Mon Mar 14, 2011 2:40 am

Right handed but reel lefty.
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Re: Reeling Demographics... are you a righty or lefty

Post by bladerunner » Mon Mar 14, 2011 8:54 am

Right handed people should control their rod with their right hand. Period. That means reeling with your left hand unless you are a moron that like to switch hands right after you cast. Its like someone having a righty set of golf clubs - but a lefty putter.

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Re: Reeling Demographics... are you a righty or lefty

Post by lpquick » Mon Mar 14, 2011 11:18 am

I am left handed and reel lefty. I throw lefty but bat righty. I guess my folks dropped me numerous times when I was a baby. ](*,)
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Re: Reeling Demographics... are you a righty or lefty

Post by jtrotter » Mon Mar 14, 2011 1:04 pm

Bait Casting - Right
Spinning - left

Flippin / Pitching - left and Right.... in FL... we flip n pitch all day...you better learn to use both left and right or you get real tired real fast.

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Re: Reeling Demographics... are you a righty or lefty

Post by bladerunner » Mon Mar 14, 2011 2:10 pm

Toadslayer72 wrote:I guess I fall in line with most of the posters here. I'm right handed but I reel with my left hand, it, just makes more sense to me that if you are right handed, you'd want your dominant hand for casting, pitching, hook setting and playing fish. Casting with the right then switching over to reel with the right seems like a wasted move. I remember when I first stared using baitcasters (late 80's), I bought that old school Daiwa that had the 7:1 gear ratio from BPS. Coming from a spinning background I couldn't adjust and sent it back for a lefty Shimano bantam. Years later I got used to the right handed baitcasters but always preferred lefties. I will say that manufacturers offer a lot more lefties now than when I first got into baitcasters. Lefties is all I own now and I'll never buy another righty.
CORRECT.

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Re: Reeling Demographics... are you a righty or lefty

Post by bladerunner » Mon Mar 14, 2011 2:15 pm

bassbandit wrote:Pretty interesting results so far. Almost 90 votes cast and more lefties than righties.

As for me, I'm a lefty, who reels right handed.
EXACTLY - you're a lefty - and control your rod with your dominant hand. Why people flip-flop this is beyond me.
My son is a lefty. I gave him one of my old spincasters twith the crank on the left. He cast with it 2 times, looked at me and said "This is backwards" (He's 8) I promptly switched the handle. Even he got it right.

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Re: Reeling Demographics... are you a righty or lefty

Post by mhood » Mon Mar 14, 2011 2:34 pm

I always crank my b8casters properly. :big grin:
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Re: Reeling Demographics... are you a righty or lefty

Post by bassbandit » Mon Mar 14, 2011 2:41 pm

bladerunner wrote:
bassbandit wrote:Pretty interesting results so far. Almost 90 votes cast and more lefties than righties.

As for me, I'm a lefty, who reels right handed.
EXACTLY - you're a lefty - and control your rod with your dominant hand. Why people flip-flop this is beyond me.
My son is a lefty. I gave him one of my old spincasters twith the crank on the left. He cast with it 2 times, looked at me and said "This is backwards" (He's 8) I promptly switched the handle. Even he got it right.
I understand what you are saying and agree that switching hands when casting isn't the best way to do things, but you are missing a couple of points. The first is that there is no "right" way. Everyone should fish the way they feel comfortable. YOU do what you feel is "right". Let everyone else do the same. The second point was illustrated in Cal's intial post if you took the time to read it. Companies like Shimano are constantly saying that there isn't enough demand to produce every reel in left handed retrieve. So far, this poll isn't consistent with what they say. I was merely pointing out that currently, more people have replied that they reel with their left hand. Whether everyone is doing what you think is "right" is beyond the point. .

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Re: Reeling Demographics... are you a righty or lefty

Post by Buck2thPerch » Mon Mar 14, 2011 3:14 pm

bladerunner wrote:Right handed people should control their rod with their right hand. Period. That means reeling with your left hand unless you are a moron that like to switch hands right after you cast. Its like someone having a righty set of golf clubs - but a lefty putter.
Aww, come on, no need to call anyone a moron. I reel and fish as you described - a moron. I don't take offense to it as I understand what you are saying but it was the way I had to learn how to use baitcasters. Like I said back when I was growing up in my teenage years in the late 80's and early 90's, they didn't make good and affordable left hand retreive reels, nor was there any good left hand retreive reels. All the good ones were basically right hand retrieve and still very expensive. I am pretty sure alot of the older guys on here understand the scenario. Heck, you guys should go and try some of the older "Knuckle Breakers" as they used to call them. Cal and the others should do a review of retro Knuckle Breakers - no breaking system of any sort, no drag, heavy, round reels. Imagine a 20lb striper taking off on that type of reel.

As what some have said, everyone fishes differently and do what they are comfortable in doing. But I do agree with Cal in his original statement in regards to Reel Manufacturers not making enough left hand retrieve reels.
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Re: Reeling Demographics... are you a righty or lefty

Post by froteur » Mon Mar 14, 2011 5:51 pm

More lefty reels!!! More lefty reels!!! In other words ..... give us a lefty Shimano E5!!! ](*,) ](*,)

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