[James Laraway]

So, until recently i hadn't given this much thought but having read Sandy's article in the 'floating fly' and looking at the pictures i feel duty bound to bring this up.....

If you are right handed and therefore cast with your rod in your right hand then why on earth would you have a right hand fly reel ?

Surely all it means is that if you hook a fish using your strongest arm ( right hand) you then need to pass the rod over to your weaker arm to try and fight the fish ! What sort of madness is this ????

I can get why you would maybe want to do it with a double handed salmon rod as you may want a salmon to pull some line from your reel before hooking it , and you dont want the rotating handle catching on your clothing - but for trout fishing?

I only realised that right hand casters using right hand reels was a 'thing' a few weeks ago when a right hand caster gifted me a right hand reel leading me to say " did you buy it my mistake?" - but maybe its more common than I thought ?

The world is going mad. Mad I tell you.....

[Sandy Nelson]

  

Some folk like being weird. Others have no choice 
Most reels are easy to change anyway.

[Eddie Sinclair]

I am right handed and wind right handed. I do this with both double handed and single handed rods. I have been told many times by my son that this is far from right. I have tried left hand wind and just can’t do it.

Eddie

[Terry Coging]

You will never fly a helicopter Eddie 
I also, like James,  find it odd. Why change hands? My pal is ambidextrous and even he can't wind with his left hand?
Nowt queerer than folk - as they say down here.

[James Laraway]

I wonder if it's because I started of course fishing and most course reels are left hand wind 🤔

[Duncan Inglis]

I’m right handed and wind my reel with my right hand. I think this came from learning to fish with my dad who was left handed and wound his reel with his left hand. I once tried changing to a left hand wind but found it really awkward so changed back.
I also read an article on the subject written I think by Lefty Kerf where the writer demonstrated the benefit of winding with your dominant hand, in my case right, by taking a piece of card and a pencil. If you hold the pencil in your dominant hand and the card in your other hand, as if you’re holding a reel, then draw a series of circles very quickly, like you’re winding a reel, the circles with the pencil or pen in the dominant are far more regular and concentric - try it!!

[Duncan McRae]

I'm right handed with the fly reel and left handed with the spinning reel.
It always felt natural to me but it is a bit strange when I think about it.

Duncan

[James Laraway]

now that is strange 

I'm right handed with the fly reel and left handed with the spinning reel.
It always felt natural to me but it is a bit strange when I think about it.

Duncan

[Eddie Sinclair]

I'm right handed with the fly reel and left handed with the spinning reel.
It always felt natural to me but it is a bit strange when I think about it.

Duncan,

I do exactly the same.

Eddie

[James Laraway]

I'll maybe start some sort of clinic to help some of you as there are clearly a lot of people on this forum who need some sort of help...

I do exactly the same.

Eddie

[Eddie Sinclair]

I'll maybe start some sort of clinic to help some of you as there are clearly a lot of people on this forum who need some sort of help...

James,

I definitely need help. The winding hands are the leat of my worries

[Sandy Nelson]

I'm right handed with the fly reel and left handed with the spinning reel.
It always felt natural to me but it is a bit strange when I think about it.

Duncan

Me too.

I don’t think it’s that daft, the rod does most of the work while playing a fish so might as well be in the left hand. It leaves the dominant side which has more dexterity to control the line, palm the spool and have more control on the net.
My grandad and my mum taught me to fly fish and they are both lefties so everything was set up that way and I’ve used it like that ever since. I’m lucky I’m pretty much ambidextrous and can cast with both hands. You may have noticed I take almost all my photos left handed too.

[Mike Barrio]

Interesting one, there really isn't a right way or a wrong way, but that's one of the beauties of our hobby 

I have always fished left hand wind - but don't worry, I have my quirks!  Knives & forks, I eat with the knife in my right hand and the fork in my left, but as soon as I put the knife down the fork mysteriously ends up in my right hand 

[Ivor Duffus]

Interesting thread.

I am a left hand for winding the fly reel.


However i am right handed with my fly rods but cast left handed with a spinning rod. weird eh. but i am right handed playing pool and left handed playing darts 

Ivor

[James Laraway]

when i started this thread I thought there would be maybe one person who wound with the right and cast with the right.....how wrong was I ?

To Sandy's point about wanting the more dextrous / stronger arm to wind, control the line ......once on the upper don i was fishing a #10 single hander and hooked a bit of a 'croc' in the fast water at the head of a pool. A tree downstream of me meant I could not head down the pool to play/land the fish so when it ran downstream i have to 'entice' it up stream to try and land it.
I think it took over 10 mins to land with me fighting it really hard and with a strong #10 9ft rod.

My arm ached for a day or two after - there is not way i could have done that with my weaker arm ! I'll try and find a photo