I've been wondering this for a long time, and have never gotten a good answer.

Why do right handed fishermen fish spinning tackle with their left hand reeling, but then switch to reeling with their right hand for their baitcasting?

I've always bought left-hand models for baitcasting, because that's how I'd prefer to fish - I like having my dominant hand on the rod, so I have much better control. To me, I would think everyone would want their strongest hand on the rod, but maybe I just spent too much time with spinning tackle...Anyone else ever wonder about this?

Yes I have. I do the same as you. I am dominant left eyed, born left handed. My mom made me use my right hand, or I did not eat. I quickly learned to eat with my right hand I am sure. Now I use my right for my strong arm. But if shooting a shotgun or whatever...a bow..I must use my left. I cast with my left for fly fishing. But I reel in with my right.

Side note: both my kids turned out to be left handed, my son can use either hand though...it took him forever to decide which hand would be dominant

on spinning i switch it so that its on the the right hand side...im right handed and reeling left handed is just awkward

This has absolutely zero scientific merit, but is an observation a friend of mine and I made while discussing this exact topic on the lake one day. We found that, even without a rod in our hands (both of us are right handed) that was much more comfortable and less clumsy feeling to make circular motions with your non-dominant hand if it is below your dominant hand. Like I said.. Zero merit, and it could have been an alchohol induced observation, but it still seems to hold true sitting here at the computer..

JT

I agree JTodd. I'm sure whatever you start out with and are used to really affects what you do. When I was guiding on Lake Erie I most of the new people fishing were most comfortable reeling with their left hand. The thing I still can't understand is how alot of the pros I see (I think) fish spinning tackle the way I do, but then switch hands for baitcasters. It doesnt seem to make much sense to me why they cast with their right hand, then pass the rod to their left hand and reel with the right...Eitherway, they're catching alot more fish than I am.

Might depend on what era you starting chasing fish. As a left-handed person, my dad gave me a Shakspeare Wondereel on a square steel rod (still hanging on my office wall) and naturally saw my Dad cast with his left hand and naturally decided that ws the proper way to use a casting rod.
I never found a reason to change hands after a cast, so still cast,retrieve amd fight a fish left-handed.

Delrioross- left-handed csting gear-part two.
For some reason my post decided to post itself before I finished my discourse.)

When spinning gear appeared as more than a toy,(courtesy of Lionel Company in the early 50's), I dont recall the gear was designed to be swlitched fromleft to right retreive, so began to use it as a right hander.
Since those days when I toddled out of the caves, it simply seems normal to use the csting rod and reel left handed, and the spinning gear on the other side.
Revently, my wife decided to take up sonning gear, and ordered me to switch the handled to the left side, and she does quite well, even if I can't seem to master the backward program.
Finally, I invited a pair of young men to join me in the boat over at Somerville recently and both of them claimed they used the reel handles on the left, bdcasue they were right-handed. They also outfished me, to their great pleasure.
So....How old were you when you first began casting, either spinning or casting?
Ross

Part three:
My apologies for the multiple typos. I just got a little annoyed when my computer decided it knew more than I do about when to submit the post.
Ross

Being the ripe old age of 23, I've used spinning as long as I remember (left hand retrieve), and didn't get into casting until about 4 or 5 years ago, and when I did, it didn't seem to make much sense to reel with my left hand. We usually fished walleye out on open water on boats with high sides and roofs, so most of the fishing we did was with spinning tackle - no room for casting a baitcaster.

I blame Zebco for this. You SHOULD cast with the opposite hand you reel with, there's no denying that.

Most folks learn on a Zebco (or other push button reels) and they used to come in RH retrieve only. Also most all the baitcasters in the old days were RH retrieve. It's only been since I've fished (85-now) that LH retrieve baitcasters have become common enough to even be an option.

I learned on a Mitchell 308, and ALL my fishing has been done with LH retrieve reels, no matter the style. The lack of big reels made LH is also one reason I detest big water fishing. If I can't feel what's going on, it's not fun to me.

Learning to cast left handed was difficult. It still requires a long rod handle and my right hand behind the left. Accuracy still requires right handed casting and switching hands. I tried a left handed reel once. That didn't work for me.

I agree 100% on that. I just don't know why they seem to push for a right handed person to cast right, switch, then retrieve on an awkward hand, or your less dominant hand. I cast with either hand, but for fly casting mainly left. To use a baitcaster I decided to use my left, to cast. I would not be able to fight a fish good with my left hand for retrieving. Besides I have arthritis in that thumb, and it would be murder to try and pull in a decent sized fish. (or even a small one!)

It all comes down to what you learned on. When I was a kid, all that they had was left handed spinning, at least that is all we had. Since I was right handed I used a right handed bait caster. So that is the way I learned on lefty spinning and a righty casting. These days I can fish either right or left with a spinning, but trying to fish with a left casting is totally awkward.

Same as above. Spinning reels only come left handed when I was young.

Growing up as a kid and learning to fish with a spinning reel first. It always seemed awkward to me to fish with a RH reel. We fished with a gentlemen that was LH and always seemed everything was quicker and more natural for him. So, when Shimano came out with the LH versions, I switched all right then. I have gone from the Bantam's, to the 1st Gereration Curado's, to now the Silver Curado's. All in LH.