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
Printable View
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
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....
Darian - Thank you, and Dad’s are so very special! Best, Bob
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.Quote:
Originally Posted by Larry S
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.
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.......
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.
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?
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.
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?