What hand do you reel in with

[Willie Gunn]

speyducer said:

The dominant hand/arm is not significantly stronger...or at least, in scientific tests there is a only a minor difference in true maximal strength between the two sides ....<10%.

The real difference between the dominant and non-dominant sides is to do with active control and feel for whatever you are doing, some would say 'confidence'.

As the dominant side of the body has a better control, feel & confidence in that control, it is natural to use that side for the more controlling actions.

Much as a Right hander will hold a tool like a screwdriver or hammer with the Right, and hold the object to be hammered of have a screw inserted with the Left, then a Right hander (a mere 91% of the population) will feel more comfortable with the rod handle in the Right and reel handle being wound with the Left, as, there is more requirement to control the rod at most times than the reel.

Now, if it is 'customary' to teach fly fishermen to wind the reel Right handed, then it just follows that one must hold the rod, when reeling, in the Left. If such a learner/novice is told that this is the way it should be done, then it is easy for brain to adapt to these circumstances, and make the appropriate adjustments, and it later becomes 'natural' to fly fish that way.

So, apart from the natural Left handers, most of the Right handed fishermen who reel with the Right hand have been shown & taught to use the reel that way, or that reels are set up as Right hand wind, rather than come to use the most natural method of winding with the Left and holding the rod with the Right.

Be it never no mind.....fish as you are most comfortable, for there is no absolute correct way to fish, except in that comfort that you are actually fishing, and not whiling away the hours with some other less worthy pursuit.

Mike

Pseudo science, show me a deep sea angler that winds left.

[ducktip1]

Right hand for the rod, and reel in with the left always, I dont think I could change now its been to long.

[robbie]

williegunn said:

Hold the rod with the non dominant hand and reel with the dominant it is the only proper way. Reeling with the non dominant is an Americanism, have you ever watched them eat, with the fork in their right hand no idea really.

Not even an attempt at "Pseudo Science" here

[Speyducer]

And what sort of delicate control does a deep sea angler require then? Brute force with 60lb+ mono, a telegraph pole for a rod, and a reel with a multi-clutch geared action, with the rod butt in a plastic cup strapped to their waist to prevent their danglies from getting mashed! ;D

Give them your 15' DH'er with a Right hand wind Perfect and see how they get on hauling a 20lb ling from the bottom!!

Mike

[Willie Gunn]

speyducer said:

And what sort of delicate control does a deep sea angler require then? Brute force with 60lb+ mono, a telegraph pole for a rod, and a reel with a multi-clutch geared action, with the rod butt in a plastic cup strapped to their waist to prevent their danglies from getting mashed! ;D

Give them your 15' DH'er with a Right hand wind Perfect and see how they get on hauling a 20lb ling from the bottom!!

Mike

So now you agree that you can get more power reeling right.

[Speyducer]

williegunn said:

speyducer said:

The dominant hand/arm is not significantly stronger...or at least, in scientific tests there is a only a minor difference in true maximal strength between the two sides ....<10%.

The real difference between the dominant and non-dominant sides is to do with active control and feel for whatever you are doing, some would say 'confidence'.

As the dominant side of the body has a better control, feel & confidence in that control, it is natural to use that side for the more controlling actions.

Much as a Right hander will hold a tool like a screwdriver or hammer with the Right, and hold the object to be hammered of have a screw inserted with the Left, then a Right hander (a mere 91% of the population) will feel more comfortable with the rod handle in the Right and reel handle being wound with the Left, as, there is more requirement to control the rod at most times than the reel.

Now, if it is 'customary' to teach fly fishermen to wind the reel Right handed, then it just follows that one must hold the rod, when reeling, in the Left. If such a learner/novice is told that this is the way it should be done, then it is easy for brain to adapt to these circumstances, and make the appropriate adjustments, and it later becomes 'natural' to fly fish that way.

So, apart from the natural Left handers, most of the Right handed fishermen who reel with the Right hand have been shown & taught to use the reel that way, or that reels are set up as Right hand wind, rather than come to use the most natural method of winding with the Left and holding the rod with the Right.

Be it never no mind.....fish as you are most comfortable, for there is no absolute correct way to fish, except in that comfort that you are actually fishing, and not whiling away the hours with some other less worthy pursuit.

Mike

Pseudo science, show me a deep sea angler that winds left.

No guesses now, not science, just fact:

First fisherman picture on google search for "deep sea fishing" just happened to return this:



A deep sea fisherman, fighting the fish, holding the rod with the Right (presumably, as he has it tucked under his Right armpit) and just now go and tell me that he's gonna contortion himself to also wind with his Right hand.

The background is, of course, the Old Man of Hoy, can't get much more Scottish than that, but perhaps he's just an American tourist fisherman!

Mike

[Willie Gunn]

No, no a deep sea set up not a tourist boat with collection of woolies rods and reels.

[robbie]

Give up now Malcolm,
I think you are going to lose this one!!!!!!

[Speyducer]

williegunn said:

speyducer said:

And what sort of delicate control does a deep sea angler require then? Brute force with 60lb+ mono, a telegraph pole for a rod, and a reel with a multi-clutch geared action, with the rod butt in a plastic cup strapped to their waist to prevent their danglies from getting mashed! ;D

Give them your 15' DH'er with a Right hand wind Perfect and see how they get on hauling a 20lb ling from the bottom!!

Mike

So now you agree that you can get more power reeling right.

The 'power' is in the rod, the control is in your Right hand, and the reel is a mere line winder, except in the circumstance where you have a powerful fish which would break your rod and/or line, then the reel requires some form of clutch/drag mechanism to gradually subdue such a running fish at a tensile load less than the weakest point in the system.

Mike

[Willie Gunn]

Mike, so now you have never been broken by a salmon.

Robbie, you are all ouit of step.

[conwyrod]

I'm right handed and I have reeled in with my left hand for about 35 years. Reeling in with my right hand would just seem unnatural to me.

Having said that, I use a knife and fork with the knife in my left hand - I blame my mother!

[Willie Gunn]

conwyrod said:

I'm right handed and I have reeled in with my left hand for about 35 years. Reeling in with my right hand would just seem unnatural to me.

Having said that, I use a knife and fork with the knife in my left hand - I blame my mother!

QED

Is she American?

[iainjay]

I think I'm probably like most folk who's first rod as a boy was most likely a 7' spinning rod catching mackerel, with a left-hand wind spinning reel.Funny that when I moved onto beachcasting with a multiplier, I dont think I really bothered that it was right hand wind.Moving on to fly fishing it just felt natural to use left hand to reel in.

Cheers

[Speyducer]

williegunn said:

Mike, so now you have never been broken by a salmon.

Robbie, you are all ouit of step.

Never been broken by a salmon, provided that all knots were secure, no unnoticed frayed leader, and the fish didn't abrade the line around a rock.

Never knowingly been let down by a knot, but frayed leader either unnoticed before the take, or during the fight around a rock or two, yes of course.

Never been let down by my line winder, though, even though winding (when I can) with the Left. Using a double hander is not tiring for the casting all day/night or all week, even two weeks, and I have yet to tire in fight with a salmon, but no fight >25 minutes thus far!

Mike

[conwyrod]

williegunn said:

conwyrod said:

I'm right handed and I have reeled in with my left hand for about 35 years. Reeling in with my right hand would just seem unnatural to me.

Having said that, I use a knife and fork with the knife in my left hand - I blame my mother!

QED

Is she American?

No, just shortsighted!

[speyghillie]

Reel with my right and hold the rod in my left. I'm right handed.

As a youngster I was given a RHW Shakespear Beaulite reel and have wound with the Right ever since. It seems far more sensible for a right handed fisherman to hold the rod with their right and reel with the left, therefore I can't be too sensible. As far as I remember, most of the anglers back then wound the very same way therefore Turriff must have been full of unsensible folk

I even have all my trout reels spooled that way but never play fish off the reel anyway so of little consequence.


I can drink with either hand though......................

[goldshrimp]

Reel with the left,rod in the right. Have done for 40 years and i'm right handed. Just seemed the logical thing to do though my mentor said i was doing it wrong.

[conwyrod]

What if you have a landing net?

When I use one (which is not that often), I would have it slung on my back or clipped on my left side, so it didn't interfere with casting or loose line. I would find it easier to unclip and use the net with my left hand, while holding the rod with my right hand.

I would only net a fish with the net in my stronger right arm if the fish was really big, or the current was very strong.

[Willie Gunn]

conwyrod said:

What if you have a landing net?

The gillie deals with that side of the business.

conwyrod said:

When I use one (which is not that often), I would have it slung on my back or clipped on my left side, so it didn't interfere with casting or loose line. I would find it easier to unclip and use the net with my left hand, while holding the rod with my right hand.

Do you move the net when you change banks?

conwyrod said:

I would only net a fish with the net in my stronger right arm if the fish was really big, or the current was very strong.

So when you get a fish of a lifetime how do you wind him in?

[cheyenne]

Cast with my right hand, hold the rod in my right hand, change over and reel in with my right hand, much better control of the reel using my right hand. Fishing on the left bank I hold the rod in my right hand, on the right bank I hold the rod in my left hand but I always reel with my right hand. Common sense really. Right and left banks whilst facing downriver.

Cheyenne