Due to a bum shoulder and old age. I'm having to learn to cast left handed and It's not going so well.
Any advise would be helpful
thanks,

Practice, pratice, practice.

I've been thinking about this lately (I'm 70) and figured if my shoulder or elbow gives out I would switch. Ain't gonna be easy but maybe spend an hour every day
in the backyard casting.

The real question is-what do you do when that shoulder gives out.

There is a shoulder harness you can get (I think its made by mueller) that will isolate and support your shoulder and may give you some relief.

My question is "What type of reel are you going to use? Right hand or left?"

I think about this often. I use right handed baitcast reels and I cast with my right hand and switch over to reel with my right hand. I think about learning to cast with my left hand to be more efficient. Or switching to left handed reels, which is how I reel spinning reels anyway. Maybe one day I’ll make a decision to switch.

But it’s a good question if you’re injured like the OP. Maybe make a total switch to casting left and reeling left, since you’re hurt.

Ive got a really bad shoulder even after surgery its a sharp pain at times any time Im above shoulder level.


I have a few fx spinning rods that are mh, they are the same blank as their casting rods, that may be something for you to consider they are a good rod and I have used them for c rig and even frogging when Ive had some real pain going on..

https://www.fxcustomrods.com/

Efficient overhand cast, roll casting, and pitching took me about 6 or so years. The biggest part is mental. When in tough casting situations the mind always says use your dominate hand. As mentioned earlier practice is what’s needed to build up that confidence. It’s also a good idea to not aim for the fence at first. Lots of backlash and missed targets will be common. Start out with short cast in open water areas and over time extend your distance and shrink your target area.

Can you switch to spinning until you get the hang of it?

I fractured a bone in my right hand when I was around 50 and had to either quit fishing or learn to cast and pitch with my left. It was a big deal mostly because my non dominant arm is weaker.
After just half a dozen trips I could do most of what I did with my right arm but distance and endurance never got to the point where I would say I was even close in comparison.

If you're doing it as an old its harder to grow muscles and will take longer than if you are young.

I have always pitched left handed so I wouldn't have to switch hands to reel, but I can't cast left handed worth a flip.

I am right handed and have always used right handed casting reels until last year. I also cast spinning gear with my right hand but reel with my left. Last year I bought a good left hand Shimano casting reel to try it. I sill cast it right handed but reel it left handed like my spinning rig and like it because I can swap out during a long day. It is nice not switching hands for casting and reeling. I haven't tried casting left handed yet but would probably use a right handed reel if I try it....

My doctor told me to learn and do a variety of things with the non dominate hand to keep the brain working both sides together. which helps delay Alzheimer's.

I cast right handed but have gotten good flipping and pitching left handed and practice casting left handed some.

I shoot a compound bow left handed because with dominate left eye I see through the peep better.

I started shooting rifles and shotguns left handed when accuracy suffered from left eye dominate. That took awhile. Now it feels odd to shoulder a gun right handed. I am a better shot left handed than I was right handed now because I have always been left eye dominate.

practice practice practice and make it a fun game.

I had painful right shoulder issues and that forced me to cast from the left side or give up fishing. Start out at short distances, try and nail that down and build from there. Pick targets and don’t just fling into space. My right shoulder has since mostly recovered and I now fish from both sides.

It’s a process and not something you will nail down in an afternoon.

right right

I use a casting technique that I call Double-Up. It is a left handed cast on the left side; but using the right hand and arm to take up at least half of the force of the cast. The technique comes into play on your longer cast. I have learning to use two hands even on my short cast to bushes that are out of pitching range in Mexico. My theory is that two hands are better than one; so after years of using it every cast has become very accurate. My rods and reels are Old School and a lot heaver than the new stuff. Reels are 5500 C3's. I like the full long handle grips for this technique. Instead of the pain setting in during the first two hours; you will find that you can make it to lunch and with a short break and a couple of pain relievers, I can make it the rest of the day. I couldn't make it 6 straight days without doubling-up.

Bought a left handed reel off a guy, he was needing money. It was a really nice reel so I intended on using it for flipping. I hung into a fish and almost broke my wrist trying to figure out which way to turn the handle with my left hand. The reel is in my toolbox.