Crank your reel with your left hand or your right hand?

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

This is a highly debated subject........and confusing.

Most don't realize that everyone is different....................physiologically.


My uncle Dean is 100% ambidextrous and I can't do anything with my left hand.


This is a serious subject........do you crank with your left hand or your right hand? (Let's assume for now that we are dealing with only right handed anglers).



Stan Hellickson, owner of Fly fishing Specialties, said that many of his customers change from left hand wind to right hand wind after they went on a good saltwater fly fishing trip.




Everyone, take a fly rod and put a fly reel on it with a light drag.


Now crank the reel as fast as you can with your left hand.

Then switch the reel around to the right and crank as fast as you can with your right hand.

If you can crank as fast and as smoothly with your left hand as you can with your right hand then go left hand wind.

If you can not crank fast and smooth with your left hand you might consider going right if you are ever going after big, fast fish.



Please read this slowly so you understand what I am trying to say.


Today 90% of right handed fly fishers cast right hand and reel left hand an fish mostly with indicators......LOL.


70 years ago most fly reels and baitcasting reels came setup with a right hand crank only.


Spinning reels (and monofilament) became popular after World War II and were set up to crank with your left hand.


Now spinning reels can be instantly converted from right to left or left to right.


Today baitcasting reels come either right hand crank or left hand crank but not interchangeable.

[Woodman]

This is a highly debated subject........and confusing.

Most don't realize that everyone is different....................physiologically.


My uncle Dean is 100% ambidextrous and I can't do anything with my left hand.


This is a serious subject........do you crank with your left hand or your right hand? (Let's assume for now that we are dealing with only right handed anglers).



Stan Hellickson, owner of Fly fishing Specialties, said that many of his customers change from left hand wind to right hand wind after they went on a good saltwater fly fishing trip.




Everyone, take a fly rod and put a fly reel on it with a light drag.


Now crank the reel as fast as you can with your left hand.

Then switch the reel around to the right and crank as fast as you can with your right hand.

If you can crank as fast and as smoothly with your left hand as you can with your right hand then go left hand wind.

If you can not crank fast and smooth with your left hand you might consider going right if you are ever going after big, fast fish.



Please read this slowly so you understand what I am trying to say.


Today 90% of right handed fly fishers cast right hand and reel left hand an fish mostly with indicators......LOL.


70 years ago most fly reels and baitcasting reels came setup with a right hand crank only.


Spinning reels (and monofilament) became popular after World War II and were set up to crank with your left hand.


Now spinning reels can be instantly converted from right to left or left to right.


Today baitcasting reels come either right hand crank or left hand crank but not interchangeable.

Cast right, reel right

[mogaru]

the issue it's not just about reeling but also casting and the ability to quickly fight a fish with your rod while reeling and also casting. My dominant hand is the right one and I want it handling the rod and will reel with my left hand. We don't realize but most people being right handed, reel with the left one...........but if you reel with the right one you are real "classy" and traditional and applies both to fly fishing and baitcasting.

[Larry S]

Didn't Lefty Kreh say to reel with your dominant hand?
Works for me.
A guide in Alaska was fond of saying "whatever turns your crank."

Best to all,
Larry S
Sun Diego

[Carl Blackledge]

Bill, I reel with the hand that I am the most comfortable with. Carl

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

Bill, I reel with the hand that I am the most comfortable with. Carl

That is a good answer......well done Carl.



I put fly lines on fly reels for over 50 years so I dealt with this more than most who are still alive today.


We would actually let people try it both ways for a while so they could decide for themselves.

Many "tackle jockeys" like to decide for the customer and just get it done so most cast right and reel left.

If that feels very awkward to you then try cranking right.


If you go to a good fly shop they will help you decide which hand to crank with and then put all together with the right amount of backing and the latest knots/connections.

.

[Sonoman]

Hi Bill, I have both. Most of my reels are configured for LH crank because that's what feels right to me. I have some old Hardy Perfects and some saltwater reels that do not convert and that's OK, but I prefer holding the rod in my dominant hand when fighting fish. Of course, there is the argument for holding the rod in the non-casting hand to balance out muscle fatigue, but it still feels odd to me. I fished RHW bait casters and trolling reels when I was a kid, and right-hand crank still feels right on those. With fly reels I still prefer left and can crank a LHW reel faster than a RHW reel after years of practice. Also, I can often take up slack running line very quickly by spinning the spool from the palm rim.

I will find out my preference in salt water when I go to Loreto later this month with both RHW and LHW reels.


Bob

[DLJeff]

People have successfully reeled with which ever hand they prefer for many many years - so in a way this is useless debate. Fishing history indicates there is no right or wrong answer.

However, a bigger question is do you completely release the line when you make your presentation cast - or do you form a loop with your finger and thumb that lets the line slide through during the cast but still allows you to maintain control of the line throughout the cast? If you release the line completely, you often have to flounder around and find the line with your non-rod hand before you can remove slack and start stripping. For some fish, especially salt water, it's important to be able to control the line and immediately remove any slack as soon as the fly hits the water. This valuable technique is followed closely by keeping the tip of your rod in the water when you start stripping. This prevents a sagging loop from forming between your rod tip and the water and keeps slack from forming in your line. I see too many anglers strip with the rod tip a foot or more above the water and their fly moves half the distance they want it to and when they strip strike, they are 50% effective because they have to remove that sagging loop of line first before they move the fly.

[Carl Blackledge]

That is a good answer......well done Carl.



I put fly lines on fly reels for over 50 years so I dealt with this more than most who are still alive today.


We would actually let people try it both ways for a while so they could decide for themselves.

Many "tackle jockeys" like to decide for the customer and just get it done so most cast right and reel left.

If that feels very awkward to you then try cranking right.


If you go to a good fly shop they will help you decide which hand to crank with and then put all together with the right amount of backing and the latest knots/connections.

.
Bill,

Lefty would claim you should always reel with your dominate hand and he would bet you a steak diner he could retrieve his line faster than you could if you didn't use your dominate hand. One man's opinion.

Carl

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

People have successfully reeled with which ever hand they prefer for many many years - so in a way this is useless debate. Fishing history indicates there is no right or wrong answer.

However, a bigger question is do you completely release the line when you make your presentation cast - or do you form a loop with your finger and thumb that lets the line slide through during the cast but still allows you to maintain control of the line throughout the cast? If you release the line completely, you often have to flounder around and find the line with your non-rod hand before you can remove slack and start stripping. For some fish, especially salt water, it's important to be able to control the line and immediately remove any slack as soon as the fly hits the water. This valuable technique is followed closely by keeping the tip of your rod in the water when you start stripping. This prevents a sagging loop from forming between your rod tip and the water and keeps slack from forming in your line. I see too many anglers strip with the rod tip a foot or more above the water and their fly moves half the distance they want it to and when they strip strike, they are 50% effective because they have to remove that sagging loop of line first before they move the fly.

Excellent point about letting your running line go or not. It is a good idea to learn how to keep control of the running line.

Another thing I see is some looking at their back cast while fishing. I guess it is necessary with brush and trees behind you but not out in open water on a skiff. If you are sight casting you need to keep control of your running line.

[Mr T]

If you fish conventional gear you will need to learn how to reel with both hands.

I don't know why but the majority of spinning reels are left hand, while most baitcaster and off shore reels are right hand.

[Tony Buzolich]

Sometimes you have to retrieve line as quickly as possible, especially with saltwater and big or fast fish. Getting the line back onto the reel allows for the use of your drag.

The key here is SMOOTHNESS of retrieve as well as SPEED.
If you try winding a reel as fast as you can,( with your less dominant hand) you will be shaking the rod around violently and run the risk of shaking the fish loose because of your erratic movements.

Winding with your dominant hand will always be smoother and much faster.
Tony

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

If you fish conventional gear you will need to learn how to reel with both hands.

I don't know why but the majority of spinning reels are left hand, while most baitcaster and off shore reels are right hand.



Mr T

Most all new spinning reels can be made right hand or left hand crank in a matter of minutes right out in the field now.

All you do is put the handle on the right or on the left.


Now most baitcasting level wind reels come either right hand or left hand crank but are not switchable.

Big offshore conventional reels are not convertible.


Most fly reels today are convertible but you have to change all the backing and fly lines.

[Mr T]

Mr T

Most all new spinning reels can be made right hand or left hand crank in a matter of minutes right out in the field now.

All you do is put the handle on the right or on the left.


Now most baitcasting level wind reels come either right hand or left hand crank but are not switchable.

Big offshore conventional reels are not convertible.


Most fly reels today are convertible but you have to change all the backing and fly lines.


good point- spinning reels have been easy to convert for a long time, conventional not so much. That took a lot longer to get manufacturers to build, since you cant just swap a handle from one side to the other on those.

[Carl Blackledge]

Tony,

Not true, My right is my dominant hand, and I retrieve left handed. My left hand is very well educated and is just as fast as my right hand is if not faster, after all it has 50 years worth of experience. And when it comes to striping in my line I haven't ever seen any difference in actually catching a fish with a smooth retrieve as opposed to a radical retrieve, If their are any differences I am sure the radical retrieves is better, fish on the feed usually don't swim all calm and collective, and by the way if you really want to retrieve fast and smooth put your rod under your arm and use both hands-LOLO

My 2 cents

Carl Blackledge

[Darian]

From my own experiences conventional/fly and listening to others over the last 70 years, using one hand or the other when reeling in line is a matter of personal comfort/choice. Carl's example of reeling with his non-dominant hand is a matter of comfort/muscle memory learned over time. I cast with my right (dominant) hand, change the rod to the left and reel with the right (also, muscle memory/comfort). If you're not comfortable with your casting/retrieves, go get some advice or a lesson.

The problem in trying to discuss this in this Forum is that not all of the posters may be fishing in salt water or for fish that require long casts/retrieves, are large/speedy and don't require getting them on the reel to land.

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

From my own experiences conventional/fly and listening to others over the last 70 years, using one hand or the other when reeling in line is a matter of personal comfort/choice. Carl's example of reeling with his non-dominant hand is a matter of comfort/muscle memory learned over time. I cast with my right (dominant) hand, change the rod to the left and reel with the right (also, muscle memory/comfort). If you're not comfortable with your casting/retrieves, go get some advice or a lesson.

The problem in trying to discuss this in this Forum is that not all of the posters may be fishing in salt water or for fish that require long casts/retrieves, are large/speedy and don't require getting them on the reel to land.

Well done......as usual. Saltwater is different.....especially blue water.


I just want people to be thinking about this. Maybe try it both ways?



Thanks for all the interesting posts.

[Carl Blackledge]

Darian, Your 100% right, It's a matter of comfort and an individuals taste or what he's used too, I personally don't think their is a right way or wrong way, Look at my first post on this subject :)

Carl Blackledge

[Bob G]

Hi Billy and Others -

FWIW, I agree with personal preference to a point. However, a new fly fisher doesn’t know what they don’t know. I personally and professionally believe that a beginning fly fisher with a dominant right hand should reel/crank left-handed. I can still remember back to the early 1970s when I switched to my left hand...everything just seemed so synchronized, and after the next few days of fishing and casting my left hand was as competent at cranking as my right hand had been. Most importantly, line hand coordination is enhanced for all aspects...fighting fish, casting, line control, etc. In 1978 when I was appointed as Director of Fenwick’s Montana Fly Fishing Schools I switched most of the School’s 40 fly reels to left hand wind. With 10 to 12 weekly Schools each summer with many hundreds of students, over my many years at the Schools reeling with the left hand was never an issue for students with a dominant right hand. I maintained a few right hand crank reels for left handed students. I also maintained this approach for the years I was Director of the Kiene Fly Fishing Schools for Billy during the 1980s through the 1990s.

Please don’t take my post as an attempt to convince experienced fly fishers to switch. Instead, I write this for beginner fly fishers as food for thought.

Best, Bob

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

Bob Giannoni made a very positive impact on my fly shop when he started teaching an abbreviated "Fenwick Fly Fishing School" as a one day event on Saturdays for us.


Because Bob was/is really "somebody" in the fly fishing world, when he started our "one day schools" he told Sage about it.

In a week we received a very large box from Sage with 12 brand new Sage 590 LL fly rods for Bob's schools.

We also received a couple of big boxes from Scientific Angler/3M full of fly reels, fly line, backing and a 'plethora' of tapered leaders.


When fly fishing Reps came to our shop they would comment on what good fly caster we all were.

I attributed it to the fact that we had people like Al Perryman and Walt Bennett who worked for Bob at the Fenwick Fly

Fishing Schools outside West Yellowstone in the summers. Another reason was the fact that we all fly fished for Steelhead.

We also had Jeff Putnam at the shop for many years. Even though he is modest, he is one of the very best casting instructors.


Today with the popularity of indicator fishing in moving water and stillwater you don't have to become a great fly caster but you do

need to learn how to manipulate the line to get a long, drag free drift.


I would bet that today, without indicator fishing there would be way less fly fishers.



If you go to British Columbia for Steelhead, or to the tropical clear shallow SW flats for Bonefish, or to New Zealand to sight cast to big

wild trout in clear rivers you will want to learn how to fly cast very well.


20-30 years ago I was a pretty good fly caster myself for all those same reasons. I did work as an instructor for Bob in the 'Mel

Krieger Fly Fishing Schools' in Nor Cal. I also worked for Al Perryman when he ran the Nor Cal 'Orvis Fly Fishing Schools'.

Today, at 77, I am kind of back to just an OK caster because I don't have the physical ability that I once had.

In Florida I fish almost every day because it is so exciting.....I have a small river with Tarpon, Snook and LMB in it, year round.


Every so often we all need to work on our fly casting skills......

.

[Bob G]

Billy -

As always you are way too modest and way too generous! Thank you for the memories. I can’t wait for the run-off to finish up here in Northern Colorado.

Best Regards, Bob

[Darian]

Bob G,.... Not a lot to disagree with in your post. The time to get 'em is before they develop habits.

I'm a self taught fly fisher, having been introduced to fishing by my Dad who was a conventional tackle fisherman (not a lot of fly fishing done in SoCal while I was growing up). We both started spin casting and when Dad passed away, I graduated to fly fishing. I'm still very competent with revolving spool reels, thanks to him....

[Bob G]

Darian - Thank you, and Dad’s are so very special! Best, Bob

[amoeba]

Didn't Lefty Kreh say to reel with your dominant hand?
Works for me.
A guide in Alaska was fond of saying "whatever turns your crank."

Best to all,
Larry S
Sun Diego

Yes, Lefty did, and he was right handed, but could cast either hand...watched him cast all the way across the Cow Palace and out the exit with a 6wt TFO pro he picked up off a demo rack.

[Richard Marnhout]

Having grown up in the South, ie. bass fishing, I cast with my left hand and retrieved with my right. I did the same thing spin fishing in salt water. I believe that you have better sensitivity, especially with the long rod, in your dominant hand. as well, it is far more coordinated than your non dominant hand. Just my two cents. And by the way, I saw Lefty cast a fly line, NO ROD, in each hand, AT THE SAME TIME, at the Miami Sportsman Expo, way back in the day. That guy could cast a length of ship's chain in his sleep.

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

Who is Jerry Siem?

Jerry has been the head rod designer for Sage for many years now.

____________________________

Walt Bennett and Al Perryman told me a story are young Jerry Siem.

They met him at a big fly fishing show some years ago.

After chatting with Jerry he asked them if they could cast a fly line without a fly rod?

Walt and Al are very good fly casters, working for the Fenwick Fly Fishing Schools back in the day.

Jerry challenged them both to a contest to see who could cast the furthest with only a fly line.

I think the winner got a free beer or a free dinner.

Walt and Al both gave it a shot and cast some distance but not too far.

Jerry gets up on the casting pond and cast the entire 100' of fly line with only his two hands.

Walt and Al were both in shock and said you had to be there.


Jerry then told them "the rest of the story".

While work at a remote outcamp all summer in Alaska Jerry would practice this in his days of down time with no clients.

He told them one of the secrets is that you cast off the middle of tip of you first finger on both hands.

He also ended up using a double taper 7 floating fly line that was greased up after much experimentation.




I was told this a long time ago so I hope it is still pretty correct.......

[Sonoman]

I have been fishing for decades, mostly with left-hand wind reels except for some old Perfects. I just returned from Loreto with my son where half our reels were LHW and half were RHW and I couldn't tell the difference. Seriously, it didn't matter. I was thinking about it throughout the trip because of this thread and we each caught over 100 dorado, roosters, and sailfish. At times I was happy to switch between LHW and RHW to give my rod arm a break. Other than that, we could wind the reels as fast and smoothly with either hand so I am convinced it doesn't matter one bit. A far bigger issue for me was remembering which direction to turn the drag to add more or less pressure during the fight.

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

Sonoman..........you are ambidextrous............many are not.


If everyone on this forum worked in a fly shop for one year it would change many things you thought you knew about fly fishing.

I have discussed this with some of my staff who told me that it's not like it seems after you have been working in a shop for a while.

After a while we only hired successful retired folks who really fly fished and that had to be better anglers than myself. They dressed

well, always showed up and loved to talk about fly fishing. All I had to do was keep the store "well stocked" with the "right stuff".




Our job as a fly shop staff member is to try to improve each customer's experience in the sport no mater how different their needs can

be from each others. Sometimes all you do is add some backing to their reel. Sometime all you do is turn their reel and line around so

they can try cranking the other way. Sometime all you do is talk about leaders, tippets and knots a little so they have a basic idea

what to do. You have to do something for each customer to make it worth their while to returning to your shop.


If I had not done a good job I would not have lasted for 30 years in the small business climate that prevails in America and

particularly in California. Small business is going away in your lifetime. Everything you buy will be with Amazon Prime because you

won't be able to afford the gas to go to the retail shops.

If the fisheries keep on declining you will all be playing video games or watching old videos on YouTube of how it use to be.

I had this weird thought....If the water overlords in CA can get rid of the fish then there will be no more complaining fisher folks?

[vicrider]

Somehow I seem to have lost sight of this forum and I'm the one who complains about not enough old style boards and too much of this Facebook stuff. Anyway, the reel left or reel right is one that has always amused me since youth. I am not truly ambidetrous but can do many things from either side. Since I'm 78 you know I've grown up with every style of fishing tackle that is out there and which hand to reel with has primarily come down to "Is the reel on top of the rod or underneath?". I began with old Pflueger knucklebuster bait casting and black line. I became fairly good and quite good when I saved up enough money to buy a Pflueger Supreme or Shakespeare President casting reel. For the most part I cast right handed and switched to left hand without thinking about it or seeming to even pause. Then I'd reel right fight fish with my left hand.

As spinning was just getting started way back then I began to reel the spinners with my left hand even if they were switchable. Casting right again but not making the switch to reel just felt right with the reel hanging down there. In certain situations I'd cast left handed and then switch back to right to reel but that was rare.

Then in early years, maybe 10 or so, I got to fly fishing with my dad and uncle. To begin I used automatic reels and cast right handed. When I made the switch to better quality (?) single action reels I just automatically either bought or converted them to LHW. I even modified internally the Medalist 1492 so it was a true LHW that still only exists with internal modification.

Now bring on the new technique some years back when I tourney fished bass with standard tackle and began to do a lot of Flipping and Pitching with jig & pig. For this I found using a left hand wind baitcasting reel with flippin' switch was ideal since strikes often came on the drop of the jig into small pocket and hitting that pocket was much easier for me right handed and with flippin' giving instant handle lock and left hand doing the handle work my catch rate went way up with no hand switching. I still cast the modern free spool reels with lures right hand, switch and reel right.

I guess it comes down to type of fishing, type of tackle, and whether reel is located above or below rod. Works for me and has for something like 70 years.

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

Hi Vic,

That sounded like something I wrote? but I am only 77.

You were probably born in 1944 right near the end of World War II.

Our fishing experiences growing up in the 1950s on where so different that what younger folks see today.

American GIs brought home a lot of European spinning reels after the war ended.

Nylon monofilament was invented during World War II.

Fishing and hunting was so good when we were teenagers.


Where were you born and where did you grow up?

[vicrider]

Bill, I was born in western Chicago suburbs. I grew up in a small unincorporated town and had fields and empty lots to play ball in all year. I spent a good amount of time with friends and my brother riding our bikes to local farm ponds to catch mostly bullheads and some decent sunfish which were brought home and cleaned and part of the weekly food budget. Started on a fly around 12 or so and our family had relatives we visited a lot in WI. I still have a Shakespeare Wonderod and Garcia automatic reel from those days. Lived up in northern MN for many years and had the streams and Lake Superior at my back door. Wonderful summers and fall, not so much winters or springs.

Something that always struck me as funny was when I got into spinning I tried to talk my Dad and uncle into using mono because it was so much less visible than there black lines and steel leaders. Years later when I got into bass tourneys and braided line came into the market one of the things encouraged then was to mark the lines with a black marker to make them less visible. Funny world of fishing we live in.

I have you bookmarked and will make sure to take time to go through your forum and enjoy all the aspects of it. I'm happy to see someone still supports the bulletin board type of forum.

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

Vic, Our childhoods were similar......we were riding our bikes down south of Sacramento in the farmland with sloughs, ponds and creeks. We put our fishing rods and pellet guns on our bikes and our dogs ran alone with us.

When I was about 8 my grandmother took me to Sears and bought me a spinning rod and fly reel with some line. She took me down South Land Park to one of the three "duck ponds" where I would fish and she would read the paper.

I am excited you are on our forum.

[RoosterHunter]

Since I did a lot of conventional bass fishing, I got into the habit of blacking out my mono or florocarbon 12" from the lures or soft bait. they say floro is invisible in the water. I did an experiment with mono and floro. I tied the two together and put a weight on each end and hung it over my diving board. I dove in and looked at each line and you could see the sunlight reflecting through both. Although the floro didn't have a lot of light refracting down through the line, it did have some.

[Bill Kiene semi-retired]

I guess that FC is supposed to sink a little faster than mono.


I think chironomid lake fly fishers use hand tied FC leaders on their floating lines to sink their midge emergers a little faster.



Like mono, FC comes in all different consistencies with some limper and some stiffer.



In Florida they use harder, stiffer SW FC for bite or shock tippet, 20 to 40# for inshore.



**Luckily in America you can use what ever, when ever, for now anyway.