I think the point being made here is one of terminology and avoiding confusion when a customer orders a new fly reel, and especially so if the new reel is going to be preloaded with backing and line. PIA and waste of time for the seller to get it wrong. The “which is best debate” is akin to discussing which hand should be used to …………… I’ll leave it to the reader to fill in the blank. To the original question, the best logical answer might be - the configuration which is most comfortable and efficient for the individual angler to accomplish the task at hand. The history and back story are interesting but they don’t subtract from the preceding statement. On that note, let’s all try to spend a few more days on the water this year. Thanks Kelly, I’ve been confused more than once on this terminology.
Right all the way for me. I still have the same hair cut I have from the 70's, so not much chance of me changing the way I walk and talk at this point. More seriously I have seen (but never caught) the 4' Atlantics in Scotland running, so I can see where the left for brute strength [up/down] with the more coordinated hand for line control evolved from, These days I am more in the Saltwater of Sydney Harbour and couldn't imagine cranking with my weaker hand. Even a left handed eggbeater seems weird for me to use. Small trout etc you could use a pole and wrap the line around the butt since the reel is just for tidying up (old school) so it is almost irrelevant. (Although some of the reels do look gorgeous) But..live and let live, people should do what they are most comfortable with and stop worrying about what others are doing.
I agree, can't imagine reeling with the left hand. I cast all rods except fly rods with my left hand. Was forced to write with my right hand as was common back then, left hand strong right hand skill. Just do what you do and be happy. Fishing should be fun and relaxing.
I am right-handed. I started out with fly reels that were all right-hand retrieve. I cast with my right hand, strip line (streamers etc) with my left. I reel in line right handed, and fight fish with my left hand. I change the rod to my right hand while landing fish with my left. If I am fighting a fish with the line only, I fight with my right hand and strip in line with my left. While spinfishing, I cast with my right hand and retrieve with my left .... go figure🙃 It seems that having to hold the flyline only with my left hand is what makes the difference. Anyway .... I have never skipped a beat having to change the flyrod from one hand to another .... it is split second muscle memory, and I have no desire to change it now.🐟🐟🐟
So interesting to hear. I have grown up in BC and my dad taught that it was most effective to reel and to cast with your dominant hand. So that's what I learned and what I saw others doing on the rivers too. It wasn't until the 90s and the advent of the Internet that I learned most trout men in the US didn't follow this old British custom; we were actually the minority. I am too old and fixed in my ways to change now ... but it always seemed 'natural' to use the dominant hand for both casting and reeling the trout.
Not just a British condition. All trout fishermen in the US fished right hand reel before the 1970’s. Lee Wulff, Dan Bailey, Corey Ford, Marinaro, Fox, etc. Look at any American fishing book before 1970 and you’ll see right hand wind was universal.
I guess I've always reeled with my left hand so that's the way I did my fly rods. I'll have to think about the right hand stuff for my bigger rods. Thanks Kelley. Keep the good stuff coming.
As a lefty, I grew up with a spinning rod in my hand and always had to cast with my left arm, switch the rod to my right and, and reel with my left hand. That's the way spinning reels were set up, for the right handed world. It got to be second nature. Thank goodness for fly reels that can be set up for us lefties to cast left armed and reel right handed.
Do it however way you’re comfortable . I’ve been flyfishing for close to 40 yr and being left handed from day 1 I cast lefty reel righty for steelhead also. I just feel more comfortable fighting a fish with my strong arm on the rod . Never really thought about it just automatically did it the way I felt it was easier for me.
Works great although it ruclips.net/user/postUgkxLoZpKHn4w7dtzXk1eygBlOhbLxuVe3uD took a while to figure out how to reverse it. Nearly disassembled the entire thing. Looks better than my Redington Rise 5/6 reel too.
Wow! I’ve been noticing some videos with a person casting on the right hand, but the reel was also a right hand retrieve…. I watch further and notice after they catch a fish, they move the rod to their left hand so they can retrieve with their right hand reel…. Now I know the mystery! Thank you Kelly!
I am RH and cast RH. On trout I prefer to use one of my Hardy Uniqua like the one you are showing with LH retrieve. For small fish, I strip with my left as well as the dip net. With my Lamson reels I use both LH and RH depending on the model. Personal preference. On salmon I was taught more than 50 years ago by experienced fishermen on the river to cast my normal RH and switch hands in order to control the retrieve and play the fish. My RH is much more sensitive for that purpose, the left just holds the rod. As I said, personal preference.
Both, always both, the older you get, as "Aurther Itis" becomes a close friend, being able to comfortably switch back and forth, the better off you are if you are versatile ...
I'm right hand dominant. My fly and spin cast reels are all reel left. I just purchased a few new baitcasting reels as reel left as it is natural to me now. Why should you need to change hands after casting with your dominant hand?
It’s funny how the bait cast reels are all right handed. Over the years I learned to cast the short rods left handed. Reaction time when throwing a Tx rigged worm in a tree top or brush pile was to short sometimes. I took the same philosophy to fly fishing latter in life. Being right handed I cast a fly rod with my right hand. Putting the wind lever on the left just made since. I just learned to real left handed. Works great! Love the sound of my fly reels, nothing better!!
Great video! I cast with borh hands, and retrieve with my right hand. My wife retrieves with her left hand. Whenever I grab her rod I'm lost. Don't know if I could change
I am right handed and I reel left. I fish trout, bass and salt. I prefer left hand retrieve in the salt because I use my strong hand for playing the fish on the rod. This started with Texas Bass where you don't put them on the reel, if you give them an inch or a second, they will wrap you around something so you end up casting right handed and striping left handed and skipping the reel altogether
Thanks! But in one thing I would like to correct you Kelly - right hand retrieve for a righty is not European, it's British! These guys always wanted to be different and still ride their cars on the wrong side of the road as well as in some of their remaining colonies 😜...ironie off, love and peace!
I do both .. when I was a kid my dad was right and my uncle was left.. got use to it handing me thier reels 😂 only time I really want to do right hand reel is when catching tuna 80+ pounds 😂
I've always cast right hand and switched hand holding the rod to reel right handed. Just have more control reeling and speed with my right hand. Been made fun of for it but that's just what feels right to me.
I’m very strongly right hand dominant. If I try to reel with my left hand, it looks like I’m retrieving a jerk bait. I cast with my right hand and also reel right handed. All of my reels are set up with a right hand retrieve. It’s the only way I’ve ever known.
Well apparently i am the red headed step child. After further research it appears that most spinner fishers use a left hand retrieve as well. Which would tell me fly fishers in the 70s-80s adopted the spinner fisher retrieve. I have always cast with my right and retrieved with my right by changing hands after casting and have done that with all types of fishing, bait, lures/spinners, flies, trolling, salt water. 100% consistent. Maybe not the most efficient but switching the reeling hand would be as uncomfortable as hell. It would be like questioning my gender. I reckon if you are taught something when you are young a certain way it would feel comfortable even if your opposing your dominant hand. Hence why basketball players can dribble easily with both hands.
I manage my line and reel with my left. As a right-handed caster, this feels natural and makes the most sense to me. I actually feel uncomfortable watching people switch hands to fight a fish. It's a bit like watching someone who ties flies and wind their bobbin toward themselves. Holy panic attack, Batman!
Uncomfortable? It’s not like your throwing the rod in the air and catching it in the other hand. You have two hands on the rod and let go with one. Which hand makes no difference. As a person gets older(I’m 70 and have fly fished for 60 of them) arthritis, muscle damage, etc., it’s a lot easier to fight left and move my dominant hand from reel to rod butt for extra leverage.
It shouldn't matter what type of fishing you are pursuing. It simply depends on whether you are right or left handed. It makes sense to to hold the rod in the strongest arm, left or right and wind the reel with the opposite hand. You need the strongest arm to control the rod when playing a fish. You don't need your stronger arm to operate the reel. All you are doing is retrieving line. I grew up in the UK and always held the rod in my right hand and wound with my left. I now live in Australia and have never been able to understand why Australian anglers, those who are right handed, cast with the right arm then change hands in order to wind the reel. Doesn't make sense. It has been the subject of some heated debates in the past. I don't unfortunately fly fish, but if I did I would still cast with my right arm and control the line with my left and reel in with my left.
Had never made sense to me why fly fishers left hand retrieve. All other fishing is right hand retrieve. I learned to retrieve/reel right and i cast right. Im 57 learned to fly fish from my Grand Father in Western Colorado. He just used one of those worthless automatic reels and so when i bought my first standard reel i set it up just like if i were spinner/ lure fishing. Which is a right hand cast and a right hand retrieve. I switch the pole to my left hand, fight with my left arm if the fish warrants using the reel. I know all you new traditionalists dont like it but i dont give a fuk. If i cast a spinner rod and reel i cast with my right and reel with my right and so do all right handed people. Why it should be any different for fly fishing makes no sense to me. Feels completely wrong for me to turn a reel with my left hand.
The better question in my mind isnt why spey and Euros were right hand retrieve. Its why did Americans apparently in the 70s and 80s time frame decide they were going to start retrieving with the left hand? Why didnt you ask and address that question because American Fly fishing is the bast*rd child of fishing in terms of which arm you fight with/rod arm and which arm you retrieve with. You said it yourself trout fishers are the only one who set up right handed fishers with left handed retrieves. No other type of fishing does it that way. Why would you want to left hand retrieve is a better question.
The reason you would want to reel left as a righty is it allows for better line management. Less fumbling around. You go from hookset to line on reel to net in left hand to fish in net to release.
I think the point being made here is one of terminology and avoiding confusion when a customer orders a new fly reel, and especially so if the new reel is going to be preloaded with backing and line. PIA and waste of time for the seller to get it wrong.
The “which is best debate” is akin to discussing which hand should be used to …………… I’ll leave it to the reader to fill in the blank. To the original question, the best logical answer might be - the configuration which is most comfortable and efficient for the individual angler to accomplish the task at hand. The history and back story are interesting but they don’t subtract from the preceding statement.
On that note, let’s all try to spend a few more days on the water this year.
Thanks Kelly, I’ve been confused more than once on this terminology.
One of the mysteries of the universe unraveled. Thanks for sharing
Right all the way for me. I still have the same hair cut I have from the 70's, so not much chance of me changing the way I walk and talk at this point. More seriously I have seen (but never caught) the 4' Atlantics in Scotland running, so I can see where the left for brute strength [up/down] with the more coordinated hand for line control evolved from, These days I am more in the Saltwater of Sydney Harbour and couldn't imagine cranking with my weaker hand. Even a left handed eggbeater seems weird for me to use. Small trout etc you could use a pole and wrap the line around the butt since the reel is just for tidying up (old school) so it is almost irrelevant. (Although some of the reels do look gorgeous) But..live and let live, people should do what they are most comfortable with and stop worrying about what others are doing.
I agree, can't imagine reeling with the left hand. I cast all rods except fly rods with my left hand. Was forced to write with my right hand as was common back then, left hand strong right hand skill. Just do what you do and be happy.
Fishing should be fun and relaxing.
I am right-handed. I started out with fly reels that were all right-hand retrieve. I cast with my right hand, strip line (streamers etc) with my left. I reel in line right handed, and fight fish with my left hand. I change the rod to my right hand while landing fish with my left. If I am fighting a fish with the line only, I fight with my right hand and strip in line with my left. While spinfishing, I cast with my right hand and retrieve with my left .... go figure🙃 It seems that having to hold the flyline only with my left hand is what makes the difference. Anyway .... I have never skipped a beat having to change the flyrod from one hand to another .... it is split second muscle memory, and I have no desire to change it now.🐟🐟🐟
So interesting to hear. I have grown up in BC and my dad taught that it was most effective to reel and to cast with your dominant hand. So that's what I learned and what I saw others doing on the rivers too. It wasn't until the 90s and the advent of the Internet that I learned most trout men in the US didn't follow this old British custom; we were actually the minority. I am too old and fixed in my ways to change now ... but it always seemed 'natural' to use the dominant hand for both casting and reeling the trout.
Not just a British condition. All trout fishermen in the US fished right hand reel before the 1970’s. Lee Wulff, Dan Bailey, Corey Ford, Marinaro, Fox, etc. Look at any American fishing book before 1970 and you’ll see right hand wind was universal.
I'm right/right, always have been, it's how I learned.
I guess I've always reeled with my left hand so that's the way I did my fly rods. I'll have to think about the right hand stuff for my bigger rods. Thanks Kelley. Keep the good stuff coming.
As a lefty, I grew up with a spinning rod in my hand and always had to cast with my left arm, switch the rod to my right and, and reel with my left hand. That's the way spinning reels were set up, for the right handed world. It got to be second nature. Thank goodness for fly reels that can be set up for us lefties to cast left armed and reel right handed.
Do it however way you’re comfortable . I’ve been flyfishing for close to 40 yr and being left handed from day 1 I cast lefty reel righty for steelhead also. I just feel more comfortable fighting a fish with my strong arm on the rod . Never really thought about it just automatically did it the way I felt it was easier for me.
Works great although it ruclips.net/user/postUgkxLoZpKHn4w7dtzXk1eygBlOhbLxuVe3uD took a while to figure out how to reverse it. Nearly disassembled the entire thing. Looks better than my Redington Rise 5/6 reel too.
I'd say whatever feels more natural, it's a confidence boost while out for beginners, and if it feels right, why not.
Wow! I’ve been noticing some videos with a person casting on the right hand, but the reel was also a right hand retrieve…. I watch further and notice after they catch a fish, they move the rod to their left hand so they can retrieve with their right hand reel…. Now I know the mystery! Thank you Kelly!
ruclips.net/video/3-_rtJfL-Zk/видео.html
I am RH and cast RH. On trout I prefer to use one of my Hardy Uniqua like the one you are showing with LH retrieve. For small fish, I strip with my left as well as the dip net. With my Lamson reels I use both LH and RH depending on the model. Personal preference. On salmon I was taught more than 50 years ago by experienced fishermen on the river to cast my normal RH and switch hands in order to control the retrieve and play the fish. My RH is much more sensitive for that purpose, the left just holds the rod. As I said, personal preference.
Very good. I never understood that with the steelhead. Thank you.
Both, always both, the older you get, as "Aurther Itis" becomes a close friend, being able to comfortably switch back and forth, the better off you are if you are versatile ...
I'm right hand dominant. My fly and spin cast reels are all reel left. I just purchased a few new baitcasting reels as reel left as it is natural to me now.
Why should you need to change hands after casting with your dominant hand?
It’s funny how the bait cast reels are all right handed. Over the years I learned to cast the short rods left handed. Reaction time when throwing a Tx rigged worm in a tree top or brush pile was to short sometimes. I took the same philosophy to fly fishing latter in life. Being right handed I cast a fly rod with my right hand. Putting the wind lever on the left just made since. I just learned to real left handed. Works great! Love the sound of my fly reels, nothing better!!
Great video! I cast with borh hands, and retrieve with my right hand. My wife retrieves with her left hand. Whenever I grab her rod I'm lost.
Don't know if I could change
Thanks, enjoy your educational videos.
I am right handed and I reel left. I fish trout, bass and salt. I prefer left hand retrieve in the salt because I use my strong hand for playing the fish on the rod. This started with Texas Bass where you don't put them on the reel, if you give them an inch or a second, they will wrap you around something so you end up casting right handed and striping left handed and skipping the reel altogether
Doesn’t make any difference to me..as long as I’m fighting a fish! 😂👍🎣👌Thanks Kelly and crew
Thanks! But in one thing I would like to correct you Kelly - right hand retrieve for a righty is not European, it's British! These guys always wanted to be different and still ride their cars on the wrong side of the road as well as in some of their remaining colonies 😜...ironie off, love and peace!
Cast with my right AND reel with my right for the last 62 years. Fly reels and spin cast.
I do both .. when I was a kid my dad was right and my uncle was left.. got use to it handing me thier reels 😂 only time I really want to do right hand reel is when catching tuna 80+ pounds 😂
The one your grandpa taught you to use. Oh and don't try to change after 50 years or a totally f'ed reel will result! Good video!
I've always cast right hand and switched hand holding the rod to reel right handed. Just have more control reeling and speed with my right hand. Been made fun of for it but that's just what feels right to me.
It also keeps people from asking to use your rods😂
The trout reel is best fished inside. Game fishing is completely different all together.
depends on which hand you hold the rod with +)
I’m very strongly right hand dominant. If I try to reel with my left hand, it looks like I’m retrieving a jerk bait. I cast with my right hand and also reel right handed. All of my reels are set up with a right hand retrieve. It’s the only way I’ve ever known.
Unless of course you don't mind reeling backwards. Regardless, you'll only make that mistake once. Or if you're my brother, twice.
I’m like a southpaw switch hitter 🥊
I’m left handed but I cast with my right and reel with my dominant hand but I can switch lol
lets keep is simple... right is right....😁
God dang you can gab....cast with my right and reel with my right cause it feels right all right! 😮
Well apparently i am the red headed step child. After further research it appears that most spinner fishers use a left hand retrieve as well. Which would tell me fly fishers in the 70s-80s adopted the spinner fisher retrieve. I have always cast with my right and retrieved with my right by changing hands after casting and have done that with all types of fishing, bait, lures/spinners, flies, trolling, salt water. 100% consistent. Maybe not the most efficient but switching the reeling hand would be as uncomfortable as hell. It would be like questioning my gender. I reckon if you are taught something when you are young a certain way it would feel comfortable even if your opposing your dominant hand. Hence why basketball players can dribble easily with both hands.
I manage my line and reel with my left. As a right-handed caster, this feels natural and makes the most sense to me. I actually feel uncomfortable watching people switch hands to fight a fish. It's a bit like watching someone who ties flies and wind their bobbin toward themselves. Holy panic attack, Batman!
Uncomfortable? It’s not like your throwing the rod in the air and catching it in the other hand. You have two hands on the rod and let go with one. Which hand makes no difference. As a person gets older(I’m 70 and have fly fished for 60 of them) arthritis, muscle damage, etc., it’s a lot easier to fight left and move my dominant hand from reel to rod butt for extra leverage.
Thanks👍
All my reels is right winded
It shouldn't matter what type of fishing you are pursuing. It simply depends on whether you are right or left handed. It makes sense to to hold the rod in the strongest arm, left or right and wind the reel with the opposite hand. You need the strongest arm to control the rod when playing a fish. You don't need your stronger arm to operate the reel. All you are doing is retrieving line. I grew up in the UK and always held the rod in my right hand and wound with my left. I now live in Australia and have never been able to understand why Australian anglers, those who are right handed, cast with the right arm then change hands in order to wind the reel. Doesn't make sense. It has been the subject of some heated debates in the past. I don't unfortunately fly fish, but if I did I would still cast with my right arm and control the line with my left and reel in with my left.
I am amphibious 😂
People who left hand reel/retrieve largely also all sit down to pee.
Love this comment
Or are left handed
@@anatomicallycorrectmuppets8180 same thing though
Had never made sense to me why fly fishers left hand retrieve. All other fishing is right hand retrieve. I learned to retrieve/reel right and i cast right. Im 57 learned to fly fish from my Grand Father in Western Colorado. He just used one of those worthless automatic reels and so when i bought my first standard reel i set it up just like if i were spinner/ lure fishing. Which is a right hand cast and a right hand retrieve. I switch the pole to my left hand, fight with my left arm if the fish warrants using the reel. I know all you new traditionalists dont like it but i dont give a fuk. If i cast a spinner rod and reel i cast with my right and reel with my right and so do all right handed people. Why it should be any different for fly fishing makes no sense to me. Feels completely wrong for me to turn a reel with my left hand.
The better question in my mind isnt why spey and Euros were right hand retrieve. Its why did Americans apparently in the 70s and 80s time frame decide they were going to start retrieving with the left hand? Why didnt you ask and address that question because American Fly fishing is the bast*rd child of fishing in terms of which arm you fight with/rod arm and which arm you retrieve with. You said it yourself trout fishers are the only one who set up right handed fishers with left handed retrieves. No other type of fishing does it that way. Why would you want to left hand retrieve is a better question.
The reason you would want to reel left as a righty is it allows for better line management. Less fumbling around. You go from hookset to line on reel to net in left hand to fish in net to release.
You like to hear yourself talk.