Are YOU doing it wrong.???

[Bri The Pom]

Coming to work on Saturday morning, I always listen to nugget on the radio, He mentioned that people who are right handed and cast with there right hand, but then swap hands and wind with there right hand are fishing wrong, he also came up with a few problems of doing that etc etc.

Im right handed and wind with my left, So I cannot see the point of the swap, but I started fly fishing first and you cast with your strongest arm.

Whats yout thoughts, any advantages, apart from overheads mainly come RH wind.

[madmullet]

I recon do what feels rite to you

I am right handed, cast right handed, but pump with the left, wind with the right , I tried changing, but it feld to uncomfortable

[Luc53]

I'm a lefty, but cast with my right & wind left.

I find more natural and also I can crank faster with my left which is handy when spinning for pelagics.

Except for 2, all my baitcasters are left winders.

[AZZA]

Who's to say what's right if it feels comfortable to you that's what's right for you.

[Doobsy]

Right-handed, cast and wind with my right.

Tried the so-called 'proper' way and it feels unco.

Been doing it this way for so long, the movements of swapping hands whilst flicking the bail-arm is second nature.

Do what feels right.

[tomartomau]

I am left handed, hold a fishing rod in my left and wind with my right. Play cricket and golf right handed, shoot a gun using the trigger with my left hand. Honestly I don't know whether I am coming or going sometimes... Like others have said whatever is comfortable.

[Woggie]

Yeh i guess i am a weirdo too. I am right handed at everything but can cast a rod with either hand (that has been a really good thing though) and pass a footy left handed

[ellicat]

I'm RH. Cast with left and reel with right.

[ghendoaus]

My 2 cents....

I did the big switcheroo from right hand cast and wind to right handed cast and left handed wind last year. At first it was a bit difficult but talked to the guy at the Brisbane tinny and tackle show who does the tank demos and he said keep your elbow bent out a bit and it really helped. I loved it until I developed tennis elbow in my right arm! I couldn't even lift a rod let alone twitch or pump and wind. I had to switch back to right handed cast and right handed wind just to be able to fish. My elbow is still recovering and my right should is also still sore from the strain it was under from the switch.

I found that it was advantageous to cast right handed and reel with the left but not a game changer in terms of how many fish I caught or my ability to be a more accurate caster (something which is questionable at the best of times :woohoo: )!

As many others have said do whats comfortable and what allows you to be smooth accurate and most importantly catch fish!

[Little Grey Men]

I do it all wrong, but it feels so right.

[rinkerdink]

I'd give my right arm to be ambidextrous :woohoo:

[Gregpen]

Right handed, Cast with right & wind left, each to their own, as long as we can all catch a fish or two.

[Keen-as-fisho]

Cast with left and right but always wind with my right hand.

[neal82]

doesn't worry me. i never catch anything anyway, so my left arm is plenty strong enough to hold the rod while i wind in my untouched baits.

[Manni79]

The right way is the way you feel most comfortable and works for you

I'm sure Henry will write a 20 page post as to why you should do it the so called correct way and always lectures me on casting with my right hand instead of left

I cast right handed, wind right handed and works - tried the other way, can cast ok but if i was bass fishing i'd lose 100 lures lol

[jeff f]

i'm right handed but i fish both ways

with light spin gear its rod in the right, hand reel in the left, especially with plastics as i get a faster reaction time and better strike with the rod in the dominant hand

but with heavy gear i hold the rod in my left and wind with the right

high speed spinning i find i can get a LOT more speed winding with the dominant hand

[Terry H]

Cast right, wind right.

Unless it's very tight terrain where thumbing the spool is required at various points of the cast, I will have the reel in my left hand by the time the lure hits the water.

Much more accurate with my right. I reckon it would take too long for me to get as accurate casting left handed.

[tempest]

left/right its doesn't matter i still cant catch fish

[Do$tylz]

The right way is the way you feel most comfortable and works for you

I'm sure Henry will write a 20 page post as to why you should do it the so called correct way and always lectures me on casting with my right hand instead of left

I cast right handed, wind right handed and works - tried the other way, can cast ok but if i was bass fishing i'd lose 100 lures lol

Here goes my 20 pages...

Just kidding.

Really - its up to you how you want to cast and wind regardless of what way is usually dominant. Particularly if you're a baito. It doesn't matter.

However, for someone chucking artificials, I think you're at a disadvantage if you swap hands from casting to retrieving. Here's why:

- you lose sensitivity when you are passing the rod over.

If you're chucking plastics, sometimes the hits are straight away but you don't get the visual. You've missed the bite.

- you lose that split second of time while passing it over.

How many times have you seen a hardbody or plastic get nailed as soon as it lands on the surface?

- you don't get the reaction time to stop a lure mid flight.

How many times have you done an unko cast or you're getting into a tight spot and just get it wrong? You don't have that immediate ability to just put your hand on the spool to stop the line coming off.

- you also just don't get a rhythm while casting hundreds of times.

I find it much easier to do endless casting when I don't have to worry about changing hands.

That's just me. It's the percentage game we play. I think it increases your chances by a few percent. But each thing that you do that add a little hit here and there eventually adds up to a lot.

[bommie2]

I'm ambidextrous so it doesn't matter, fishing, playing drums, kicking and hand balling, batting and bowling/pitching in cricket or baseball, writing, golf etc.

[motu]

i guess if you practice you could use both hands my old mans a builder and can swing a hammer with both hands he told me his father made him use both . didnt work for me to many saw thumbs

[Bagless]

Firstly there is definitely no 'wrong' way. However it's surprised me since living in Australia the number of times I've been asked if I'm left handed because I wind on the left and yet cast with the right, as if that's a bit weird (I'm right handed for the record). For me the component in fishing that requires the most dexterity is casting/rod control, however with very little practise winding with the left seems relatively trivial. The bonus of fishing this way is that you don't have to swap hands and you always have maximum control of the rod from cast to retrieve. It's a really small benefit and as mentioned by everyone else you do what suits you best, but if you're being a perfectionist I think you have the most to gain in holding the rod with you're strongest hand. Each to their own .

[Surfingant]

Obviously it is whatever feels comfortable for the person, having g said that I do it the "correct" way , I'm right handed, cast with my right and wind with my left. The rod only ever leaves my hand to paddle and I find lure control is much much better with the rod in my dominant hand and the bail is engaged as the lure hits the water, I used to do it the other way when I was younger but now I simply can't go back. Baitcast I also wind left handed. I think it is a definite advantage for me as a lot of the time especially bassing a fish will hit the lure as soon as it hits the water, if I'm wasting time changing hands I may miss that fish.

[Gary_C]

With spinning reels, I always cast with my right and wind with my left. Baitcasters are harder to come by in left hand wind so I cast and wind with my right (it feels unnatural though). Big game reels I prefer to wind with my right hand because I usually have some mechanical help (gimble, chair, etc.) that helps with the pumping and winding with my right gets my shoulder into it.

Anybody on the jewel reef trip can confirm that I absolutely loathe right hand reeling.

[Damien2Rad]

Ahahaahaha, yeah Gary! I remember that.

Would have been okay if we could have a beer though, right?

[e-fish-n-sea]

cast right handed wind with my left-

[Genesis]

Im right-handed and cast/spin with my right. Tried casting with my left but it only lasted 3mins before I revert back to the right hand. Hope to overcome that mental block though because it would be advantageous casting with the left when offshore popping. Switching between the left and right on a popping rod with a long butt can be rather cumbersome...

[Seiran]

I am left handed, hold a fishing rod in my left and wind with my right. Play cricket and golf right handed, shoot a gun using the trigger with my left hand. Honestly I don't know whether I am coming or going sometimes... Like others have said whatever is comfortable.

I'm the same as you. I'm a leftie but do many things right handed. I cast with the left, but wind with the right.

[dassa]

Cast with left and right but always wind with my right hand.

DITO can can most of the time drop it onto the top of a coke cake both hands

[tomca]

All my spin reels are left wind, my light baitcasters are right wind, heavy baitcasters are left wind.

There is a reaon but explainig it would make do-boys reply look miniscule.

[fifis101]

They say the right way is to cast with your preferred hand and wind with your non-preferred.

This is only an efficiency thing and is generally only taken into consideration with the guys in the comps as they want to get as many casts in as possible in the time limit.

I have had a crack at changing over to the "correct" way but found that I move towards holding the handle in my left hand and crank the whole rod in my right!

If you want to improve on your efficiency, give it a go but if you're happy with the way it has been going (for however many years you've been fishing) then stick with it.

[Schmuck]

They say the right way is to cast with your preferred hand and wind with your non-preferred.

This is only an efficiency thing and is generally only taken into consideration with the guys in the comps as they want to get as many casts in as possible in the time limit.

I have had a crack at changing over to the "correct" way but found that I move towards holding the handle in my left hand and crank the whole rod in my right!

If you want to improve on your efficiency, give it a go but if you're happy with the way it has been going (for however many years you've been fishing) then stick with it.

All my spin gear is left hand wind and there's always a deckie moaning about having to learn to wind with their left or non-dominant hand. Quick fix is to tie on some metal slugs and chase tuna/mackerel :whistle: After the first 20 casts or first fish, whichever comes first, the moaning usually stops.

[Do$tylz]

All my spin reels are left wind, my light baitcasters are right wind, heavy baitcasters are left wind.

There is a reaon but explainig it would make do-boys reply look miniscule.

Go on.. do it

[Jimmyjack]

I'd give my right arm to be ambidextrous :woohoo:

If you did you would be...

[Bennno]

Cast right, wind left or right.

Did the switch a while back from right hand cast and wind. Glad I made the change, feels much better twitching lures with the right hand and more control as the lure hits the water after the cast. Don't miss instant hits anymore.

All my set ups are left handed except my baitrunner and jigging rod, they are still right hand. Hopefully not too many fish hit hard on the drop

[BrisVegasBretto]

I cast right and wind left on everything. It feels more comfortable.

[Terry H]

Why are heavy game reels almost all right hand wind, if that is the "wrong" way to wind?

[crazywalrus]

Why are heavy game reels almost all right hand wind, if that is the "wrong" way to wind?

I think it may be because heavy game rods use gimbals with straps. Using the right, Dominate arm gives you more strength to reel (winch) the fish in.

[Terry H]

Why are heavy game reels almost all right hand wind, if that is the "wrong" way to wind?

I think it may be because heavy game rods use gimbals with straps. Using the right, Dominate arm gives you more strength to reel (winch) the fish in.

But gimbals and straps means you should be using the harness and therefore your legs to pump. Failing a harness, you pump the rod with your arm. Now if we were to assume a "correct" method of winding etc, wouldn't it be better to pump with your stronger arm? At the end of the day they're still reels, not winches.

[crazywalrus]

hmmm I do agree that the reel is not a winch however the whole reason reels like a TLD are better than say the Tynros for big fish relates to the low down gearing. I think the ability for more torque has something to do with it. I am speaking a bit out of school as my only landed big fish of any size is a 30kg Cobia and it certainly did not require a lot of winching up.