Fish right, reel right

[Gene L 0]

My first fly reel was a Bronson, I believe.  Cheap, but that was back in the day where RH retrieve was the default.  Pflueger reels came right hand retrieve, and 1492s still are.  I never caught many fish that went to the reel, but when I do, I'm fighting with my left hand, which I've never found inconvenient.  My fishing buddy is left handed, which means we can swap rod/reels when fishing.  

[Capt Bob LeMay 0]

One of the advantages of longevity for me is that I actually have two reels for every size rod in my gear.  One that winds right handed the other left handed, each one ready to go…. For every fly booking it’s a simple matter to set up the way my anglers prefer in advance.  These days that’s mostly left handed… Me, I still prefer right handed reels since that’s how I was taught from the beginning, almost fifty years ago now… Each to his own.  Modern reels are easily converted from one side to the other.  Not so for some of my old classics like FinNor or Billy Pate reels (and they’re still my personal favorites).

[niveker 0]

I'm old school too, with my reels and how I wind.  Most of the reels I use are the classis Pfluegers or the older knock offs.  I didn't realize the whole LH/RH  was much of an issue until I started taking my nephew fly fishing a few years ago.  I almost never put a fish on the reel, but at this point I wouldn't change in any case.  

[flyflinger 0]

As old as I am (born in the early 1950s), I have to admit, I've never understood the traditional right hand retrieve . . . If you're right-handed, after hooking a fish, you must switch the rod to your left hand to use the right hand retrieve.  I know some folks favor it, and that is certainly your right.  I stubbornly started out all those years ago with left hand retrieve so I would not have to switch hands, and my dominant right hand (always) holds the rod.  Back then, it was sometimes a challenge to buy reels where I could switch the retrieve.   

To each his own! . . .

Regards,

 

[flytire 0]

i cast/fish right handed, reel left handed

no switching required

[Mark Knapp 0]

4 hours ago, flytire said:

i cast/fish right handed, reel left handed

no switching required

Me too. And, I feel so fortunate that I didn't know any better when I started. It's comfortable, convenient and it just makes sense to me.

[Capt Bob LeMay 0]

Here’s the way that strong hand (mostly right hand) reeling was explained to me, all those years ago -and it’s particularly appropriate for saltwater, big fish, situations…  

If I handed you a nice big new fly reel and a big spool of backing to load it with… which hand would you prefer?  Strong hand or weak hand…?  That reel needs 300 yards of backing minimum by the way, then you’ll be adding the fly line on top.

If you’re going to be fighting a big fish with the reel for more than thirty minutes, sometimes a lot more,  which hand would you want to use?

 

 

[SilverCreek 0]

I asked Gary Borger whether I should buy a right hand wind/retrieve reel for saltwater although I all I have ever used is a left hand retrieve reel for freshwater fly fishing.

His advice was to stay with whatever you are normally used to using. Then your natural reflexes for controlling the rod and reel will come to you naturally.

In fact that is also what Jason and Gary do whenever they fish saltwater. They are right handed and they cast right handed and reel left handed whether they are fishing fresh or saltwater.

I was a spin fisher before I became a fly fisher and so I cast right handed and reel left handed for both.

[Philly 0]

Some of my early reels were right hand retrieve, but the fly shop I frequented was able to switch them to left hand retrieve for me.  I grew up fishing with spinning reels and they were all left hand retrieve.  So left hand retrieve is "natural" for me.  I'm right handed so I cast with my right and reel with my left.  I prefer to fight fish with the rod in my dominant hand. The only reels I had problems with were the Penn Internationals I used  for in-shore and off-shore fishing.  They were right hand retrieve and there was no way they could be switched to left hand retrieve.  My left arm was very sore many times after fighting a large fish.

[RickZieger 0]

Since I fish warmwater ponds, I rarely put a fish on the reel.

 

Rick 

[flytire 0]

thank god i dont need 300 yards of backing for bluegills 🐟🐟

[Gene L 0]

After years, it feels natural to me, R/R.  I don't put a whole lot of fish on the reel, but I do some.  My personal best is a 28" Rainbow on a 3X tippet.  I immediately put him on my CFO III.  I used to bait cast, that's the same thing: reel right,  spool right. I've fished with spin-cast rods, same thing.  Traditional open face spinning reels, reel left, rod in the right hand.  Either way, only takes a moment to get used to it.

[Mark Knapp 0]

3 hours ago, Capt Bob LeMay said:

Here’s the way that strong hand (mostly right hand) reeling was explained to me, all those years ago -and it’s particularly appropriate for saltwater, big fish, situations…  

If I handed you a nice big new fly reel and a big spool of backing to load it with… which hand would you prefer?  Strong hand or weak hand…?  That reel needs 300 yards of backing minimum by the way, then you’ll be adding the fly line on top.

If you’re going to be fighting a big fish with the reel for more than thirty minutes, sometimes a lot more,  which hand would you want to use?

 

 

I've heard this before and I understand where you are coming from but, I, personally would rather fight the fish, (work the rod, etc.) with my strong (right) arm.

When I'm fighting a big fish on conventional gear I can use my body to hold the bottom end of the rod, and hold and pull up on the upper end of the rod with my two hands to fight the fish and real with my right hand. Not so with a fly rod. I must keep one hand on my reel handle. It works much better for me to hold the rod in my right hand, never switch, and reel with my left hand.

To each his own.

Me fighting a halibut on a fly rod.

[Mark Knapp 0]

1 hour ago, SilverCreek said:

I asked Gary Borger whether I should buy a right hand wind/retrieve reel for saltwater although I all I have ever used is a left hand retrieve reel for freshwater fly fishing.

His advice was to stay with whatever you are normally used to using. Then your natural reflexes for controlling the rod and reel will come to you naturally.

In fact that is also what Jason and Gary do whenever they fish saltwater. They are right handed and they cast right handed and reel left handed whether they are fishing fresh or saltwater.

I was a spin fisher before I became a fly fisher and so I cast right handed and reel left handed for both.

Me too.

[Mark Knapp 0]

1 hour ago, Philly said:

Some of my early reels were right hand retrieve, but the fly shop I frequented was able to switch them to left hand retrieve for me.  I grew up fishing with spinning reels and they were all left hand retrieve.  So left hand retrieve is "natural" for me.  I'm right handed so I cast with my right and reel with my left.  I prefer to fight fish with the rod in my dominant hand. The only reels I had problems with were the Penn Internationals I used  for in-shore and off-shore fishing.  They were right hand retrieve and there was no way they could be switched to left hand retrieve.  My left arm was very sore many times after fighting a large fish.

Me too.