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

[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.......

[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