Left or right hand winders?

 Hi everyone,

 

went for for a light lines flick yesterday and all of my reels are right hand wind as that is what me and the boys have always used. It got me wondering though how many of the other fishwrecked members are also right hand wind? 

 

Is is the whole light tackle left hand wind thing more of an East Coast thing? U seem to see a lot of the East Coast based magazines or even tv shows wth left hand wind reels (in particular light duty reels)

 

is is there any real main advantage to either other than what you are normally comfortable with?

 

scano

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 I switched my jigging gear

Mon, 2014-12-08 18:53

 I switched my jigging gear to left handed winding because I stand on the starboard side of the boat to fish and cast out in front of the drift.  When they were right handed I was casting back  handed.  (and its my boat so I get to stand where I want...)

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carnarvonite's picture

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Reasons

Mon, 2014-12-08 18:53

The reason for left hand wind is most people are right handed and that is the stronger arm to control the rod with the weaker one to do the winding.
Myself, I cast over the left shoulder and wind with the right hand, that way I don't have to swap hands after casting even though I am right handed at most things except using an axe or anything that involves both hands.

hezzy's picture

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im the same carnarvonite,

Mon, 2014-12-08 19:48

im the same carnarvonite,

used to be called a khak hander
everything is right handed except , casting , chopping wood and cricket

hezzy

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lachieH's picture

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 Same here. And for my part

Mon, 2014-12-08 22:35

 Same here. And for my part of this thread im starting to wind left handed because it's easier to twitch lures around with your dominant hand when fishing for the smaller species

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crasny1's picture

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Im a Left hander with

Tue, 2014-12-09 08:04

Pen and spoon, but R with tennis, cricket etc etc. Kick R and couldnt even contemplate a L kick (not needed in Rugby to kick both ways). Havent figured out which side I shoot better with, depends on the cartridge ejection hitting my face when I shoot left.

So you might say totally confused.

I have tried winding L but have decided that my left arm is certainly stronger than my right so switched back. I dont think it make any difference whatsoever. Some off the best tennis players are left handers, some right. It is the perfection that count so no side is better than the other. There seem a trend that L wind is "cool" but if you are used to fishing R and have perfected that, I would never change.

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TorquenFish's picture

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 +1 for this!

Tue, 2014-12-09 16:26

 +1 for this!

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 from what i gathered they

Mon, 2014-12-08 19:12

 from what i gathered they use left hand wind so they dont have to change hands once finished casting

Ben85's picture

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 yep thats what I was taught

Mon, 2014-12-08 21:01

 yep thats what I was taught and the reasoning behind it. Problem I could never get used to it so cast and wind with right hand. Dont think it makes much difference 

sea-kem's picture

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 I need to build my left arm

Mon, 2014-12-08 19:19

 I need to build my left arm up anyway 

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carnarvonite's picture

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Other hand

Mon, 2014-12-08 21:13

Just give your right hand a rest and swap over early instead of waiting till you get to 99

scano's picture

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Why is that sea kem

Mon, 2014-12-08 19:24

 Have you worn your right arm out due to rsi ?

 

haha

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sea-kem's picture

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 Too many Pinkies lol

Mon, 2014-12-08 19:32

 Too many Pinkies lol

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Left hand wind

Mon, 2014-12-08 19:37

Always been a left hand wind, seems to be the usual in the uk where I come from. Was just brought up using you preferred arm to cast/hold the rod and wind using the left. Certainly helps for fly fishing too with the rod in the preferred/strongest arm.
Really seams odd to cast and then change hands to wind?

crasny1's picture

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Didnt think about that above

Tue, 2014-12-09 08:08

As Merv Hughes once called Derek Randall "Amphibian" (instead off ambidextrous) because he could ping the stumps with both arms equally Im one too with fly fishing. Depending on the wind I cast L or R, but still strip/wind Right. Probably learned to cast both ways to avoid wearing fluffy earings!!!!

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Me too, I'm from UK and all

Mon, 2014-12-08 19:45

Me too, I'm from UK and all right handed people there use left hand wind, whereas over in WA right hand wind dominates

It appears more practical to do it this way but probably more so what you were taught to do.

Does make it harder to get overhead reels though as most in Australia are right hand wind

Agree with the flyfshing comment, right hand cast and left for winding /stripping.

 

 

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yeah

Mon, 2014-12-08 19:51

Yeah the whole OH right hand wind was very alien coming here, though getting used to it with the game reels now but could never change for the spinning reels or fly gear!

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Spinning I can use either,

Mon, 2014-12-08 19:52

Spinning I can use either, but am more comfortable left hand wind. The main advantage I see is not having to switch hands after a cast. Across the country and a big ocean (over in the USA) the majority of right handers seem to setup for left hand wind when spinning 

Convention for overheads/baitcasters is different--right handers use right hand wind.  I don't know why.

Winding with the other hand doesn't seem that hard to get used to, but casting seems to be more difficult.

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Have recently been trying to

Mon, 2014-12-08 19:55

Have recently been trying to use left hand after lifetime of right... it takes some getting used to!

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I tried swapping to left hand

Mon, 2014-12-08 20:43

I tried swapping to left hand wind but it just didnt feel natural so I only do right now. Im the opposite to Irp1 in that I find it easier to cast left handed than wind left handed and that includes fly casting. Being able to cast both right or left handed is probably more useful than being able to wind both ways.

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 I cast over the right

Mon, 2014-12-08 21:44

 I cast over the right shoulder and use the right to wind, did try a mates reel to wind left handed and it felt weird to say it nicely hah.

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Hutch's picture

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 Rightey It is a pain casting

Mon, 2014-12-08 23:06

 Rightey 

It is a pain casting and then switching hands I'll admit, and have thought about switching but winding with my right is what I was brought up with and will probably continue to do.

carnarvonite's picture

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Son is weird

Tue, 2014-12-09 05:54

Son Deepwater [Jeff] is weird, his right arm may get tired cranking an eggbeater or overhead so he turns the reel over and winds backwards with his left hand. Casting isn't a problem either, casts over each shoulder depending on what obstruction is in his way.

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i cast over right and reel in

Tue, 2014-12-09 07:31

i cast over right and reel in right

but i do have a habbit of holding the rod with the right hand when waiting for a bite.

 

spent many years winding from the left but now seems very off to me. ( dad uses the left so when having to wind his in feels so unco.)

devhay's picture

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 I keep telling myself I

Tue, 2014-12-09 08:25

 I keep telling myself I should learn left hand wind, but everytime I try I get sick of it and give up pretty quickly haha

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Lefty

Tue, 2014-12-09 10:23

Im a lefty and wind with my right. Used to wind with my left when i was younger but it drove my grandad crazy constantly changing the arm over to the other side for me so i taught myself to wind right handed. It now feels wierd winding with my left.

I still cast over my left shoulder though so i dont need to swap hands after the cast.