Right or left retrieve?

[McManus]

Lefty Kreh, had a demo at a seminar I attended: Proving that if you're right handed, you will reel in that LUNKER better if you're reeling with your right hand.

I'm left handed and reel right, but it's true, I'd have better control reeling if I did it the other way.

[jjtroutbum]

Thought I'd add that I never actually use the handle when retriving loose line or geting a fish on my reel while flyfishing. I palm or slap the open rim on my reel that seems to take up slack much faster than tryin to take hold of a little wooden bead while watching your prey..

JJ

[LostMyWife]

I fall into that right handed person that casts left handed. I can't seem to get my right hand to cast.

I shoot left handed as well. That was always fun with a bolt ation target rifle

[Guest flyfishBDS]

Naturally I cast with my right and reel with my right hand too.

Yeh I know that means I switch rod hands but it works for me.

Using everyone else's "normal equipment" has meant Ive got used to doing it the other way too, but I do it better when my right is on the reel.

I used to have a boss too who insisted I was wrong and should do it the other way _ very adamant about it to the point of argument

Do what works for you,

Now thinking about this I actually use both hands a lot, I'll generally strip line with my left rod in my right,

If I need to reel you know what happens but often playing decent fish I'll actually switch hands to change the angle of pull on the fish not to let it settle.

I see a lot of fish lost by clients and so on when they pull too hard to early _ syptoms of the "wind it in" training.

Often I think we roll small flies out of fish with a straight upward lift with too much force, i see the fish pulled up and rolled over onto its back and the hook comes free.

I try and teach "soft hands" (not easy) that when you get tight to the fish, don't keep pulling, just maintain a steady pressure.

This "pull" is often the cause of a trout splashing across the top (not leaping) another great time to lose a trout.

I like a trout swimming nice and even and naturally, it definately holds barbless hooks better. BUT I don't want them too comfortable so its why I change direction of the pull on better fish, either by using the rod tip or indeed changing arms

Just when you change direction don't roll the fish over, just steer the fish.

Cheers

Steve

[Snow Fly]

flyfishBDS:

Excellent piece of advice! I have also noticed when you keep changing the angle of the pull it indeed keeps the "fish from becoming too comfortable", my brother-in-law seems to have trouble with large fish, to quick on the reel to wind them in and also straight upward pull as you mentioned.

[Greg]

When I first started fly fishing in my teens many years ago - I retrieved with my right hand (I'm left handed). I did it that way because I read somewhere that this was the correct way. I think I read that from Lefty Kreh. When I took the sport back up about 5 years ago I went to a left hand retrieve and it seems much more natural to me. I never liked switching hands after the hookup.

Greg

[MTM]

Many years ago I use to use my left hand to fight the fish with the rod. But I asked myself "WHY" when my right hand is the stronger of the two? So I switched and have been right handed for the rod and reel with the left hand.

I was Salmon fishing many years ago and we got into a big run of 12 to 15 pound King's and I can say that if you use your week hand in fighting those types of fish you will get tired very fast. I would guess that if you used your left it would in time get stronger but again Wht? Do what comes natural. Ron

[3wt]

hold your rod with your strong hand, reel with the other hand.

switching rod hands is absurd...ever.

i mean, do what works for you, but there is a right way for some things. by all means, don't teach anybody to juggle their rod in the middle of landing a fish.

ask a short stop why he doesn't catch and throw with the same hand.

[Guest flyfishBDS]

hold your rod with your strong hand, reel with the other hand.

switching rod hands is absurd...ever.

i mean, do what works for you, but there is a right way for some things. by all means, don't teach anybody to juggle their rod in the middle of landing a fish.

ask a short stop why he doesn't catch and throw with the same hand.

Cos its hard to throw with a glove on your hand???? The only thing that is absurd is thinking it can only be done one way Like if your right handed you can't cast with your left. I played a bit of another game with a small hard ball and we didn't use gloves, learnt to catch either hand a darn site closer to the bat than a shortstop and spent quite a bit of time working at short accurate underarm pitches off my left. Similarly in our football you had to be 2-sided, funnily enough I ended up more accurate at short range with my left foot

There is no right and wrong here. What I teach depends on the person, fact is most are more comfortable casting with their right and reeling left. Practice enough work on your skills and you can do it anyway you choose, my grandfather lost his right hand in WWII and learnt to everything with his offhand. And he was a immaculate and dedicated diarist.

But in the interests of friendly debate _ my logic is that if I need to reel, I need to reel fast to maintain tension etc, I have better control on the reel with my right _ my strong hand. My left is strong enough to maintain pressure on 40lb king salmon on a 10wt, and certainly not going to collapse under the strain of a trout. There's no great mystery to landing most trout.

Cheers

Steve

[Danoinark]

Being a right had caster and reeling with my right, I have never thought about it when I switch the rod to my left to fight a fish. To me that is the natural way so I have to agree with Mr. Tally. No right, No wrong way. Its all relative.

Dano