I need help solving an argument I had with a Bass fisherman. I told him I use a left-handed reel even though I'm right handed. My fellow steelheading buddies also do. He said we were a few very misguided folks and left-handed reels are strictly for left-handed anglers. Please help me let this guy know it's not as rare as he thinks.

As i grew up (yesterday) I learned to fish with right handed reels.(Being right haned) Fished this way for years. After really getting into river fishing I choose to try a left handed reel and liked it. I got comfortable with it so much when I would downrigger fish in the salt with my right handed reels it just didn't seem right anymore to the point where I can 't fish right haned at all. Good thing is that I got to buy all new reels. Bad thing is no one ever seems to have a spare for ya.

I have 2 lefty Browning Aggressor baitcasters and I am right handed

I've got a couple of Shimano's and one Diawa that are lefties and I'm right handed. The advantage is you don't have to switch hands to reel after casting with a left handed reel.

I'm right handed but all my reels are left.Including my halibut & ling cod reels.My reasoning is the power is in the right hand to fight the fish while my weaker left hand just sits and turns the crank.This also helps while drift fishing on a river,you don't have to switch hands every cast.It's hard to find a right hand reel in any of my boats.But I have them around for special guest like my wife / daughters.Good luck,
STRIKE ZONE

I'm a righty and use left hand reels while river fishing, use right hand reels on the salt

All left handed reels here! I am right handed and prefer to use my right hand as it seems to be more sensitive to the subtle nipples, bumps and takes...

Arguing with a bass fisherman? The beauty of it is between all of the double-negatives and mis-pronunciation, you win either way! "I aint gonna fish with no lefty-handed reel" See, it's easy! (apologies to those of you that don't get it)
I fish lefty with baitcasters because I was brought up on spinning gear. Cast with my right and real with my left.
Also, my right arm is my stronger arm and would want to fight stronger fish holding the rod in my stronger hand.

What are some good models of left handed reels? I have a calcutta 251, which I dont care for. I think they are over-rated. I have had to replace the drag an the end of each season.... It usually starts getting sticky about early september and is shot before november. The last time cost me $51.00. I have nearly paid for the reel twice now. I really would like to find a decent halibut reel.

I guess you could put me in the same category as AKKing all steelheading,salmon, flyfishing trout in rivers done with left hand retrieve but, in the salt it's done right handed.

Tell BassBoy he has not seen the light--thats obvious if he's fishing for BASS

Just curious . Have any of the right handers perfected casting left handed and retrieving right handed?

Its all just a matter of personal comfort.

I use either.

`MATT

I am a lefty on the rivers but use righty's when using downriggers I just have a problem free spooling down with my left and then reaching over the reel to flip the handle. Just something I should work on so everything I own is lefthanded. Oh I am righthanded.
KFM

Yep, grew up with spinning reels, so casting with my right but reeling with my left is totally natural. I do for bass also, because I have been nailed as soon as the bait hit the water, no time to switch hands to reel.

Wish all models came with lefty option.

Elkrun,

I bought a Calcutta 251 about 5 years ago because it looked cool. I prefer my 3 Ambassadeur 5501 c3 reels. And they're about $100.00 cheaper!!!

Good question missingaddi.

Since someone sat me down and made me reel a lefthander for an evening while watching the tube, I've never gone back, never regretted it and never bought another right handed reel. I used to keep a couple righthanded reels for boat guests but now I have them reel a lefthander on the way to the river and before they know it they are convinced as well. I've known a lot of steelheaders (river casters) who have switched from righthanded casting reels to left, but never back to right again. And come to think of it, I can't recall one righthanded steelheader who started with a lefthanded reel that switched over to right. Amazing when you consider lefthanded reels are still not as popular as right. It just goes to show how insignificant the steelheader market is compared to the bass market. I even remember a time when manufacturers were actually considering reducing the number of lefthanded reels models they would offer. Could the very vocal, but very regional, outcry of the northwest fisherman have had anything to do with the amount of lefthanded casting reels we have today? I know I've cast my ballot with my pocketbook more than a few times:D

just never made sense to me to keep switching hands all day...

got me one o dem lefty-handed thangs too

I'm a right handed person, and learned to spin fish with my right hand, reeling with my left. When I started steelhead and salmon fishing almost 20 years ago, I had to learn to hold the rod in my left hand and reel with my right. I wanted to use a baitcaster but they seemed to be only available with right hand retrieve. So I learned to fish with my left hand. Now, I can only drif fish with my left hand, and spin fish with my right! My brother went through the same process.

I can remember attending a steelhead fishing clinic, and the speaker was talking about the advantages of level wind reels. Since most of the reels came in only right hand retrive, the audience complained they couldn't fish this way because they were right handed. The speaker simply responded, "So, learn to fish left handed!"

Bottom line is, fish whichever hand you want and enjoy the fishing. Who cares what someone else thinks is right or wrong handed.

Tell him he's nuts. LOL. Actually, when I was in Europe during the 80's, I actually met a man who had worked for ABU. And from what he had told me, lefties were originally made mostly for the Pacific Northwest, since we used them so much. I guess there is a high demand for lefties back then from us (he had worked for them during the early 70's). It was nice BS'n with him, I heard alot about different reels. But it's actually common sense. In a spinning rod, you don't reverse crank do you? same difference actually, just one reel is on top, one on bottom. I've always had lefties (even had a left handed penn 209). It's all I use now too.