I finally figured Ive held out long enough. I consider myself a Bass fisherman, but am one of the only people I know who uses a spinning reel for the job. I decided to buy a nice reel but am curious about whether I should get a right or left hand reel...

Most people Ive ever seen with baitcasters have the reel on the right side. Alot of them cast with the right hand, then switch the rod to their left hand and reel with the right hand. Is there a reasoning behind doing this? Are there any right handed people on here that get the lefty reels so they can cast with their right and reel with their left? It seems more efficient to me to cast with one hand and reel with the opposite.

I bought a righty reel and have taken it out twice. While I wouldnt say its hard to cast then switch I find it mildy annoying. Should I get used to that or return it and buy a lefty? Thanks!

all of mine are left handed reels. Idk if it's just because i got used to the spinning reel when i was a kid or what, but i just prefer left handed cause i dont have to switch hands after casting.

Yeah I got used to reeling left handed from using spinning reels.

I'm right handed and reel with the left. converted from spinning reels. i did what you did, bought first reel that was a righty but took me a whole 15 minutes to know that was not happening for me. since then have all lefties here.

I would like to say first Do what feels good to you . I grew up fishing from the bank ( cat fish ) with Zebco 33 and until I got on my own did I get to start fishing for Bass . I have never used a spinning reel so casting and switching is to me as natural as reaching for a drink. I have tried a Left hand Retrieve reel after about 5 Min's I put it away that felt weird
( or I am just uncoordinated )

I grew up useing a spinning reel however i still prefer to use aright hand bait caster and switch.i am just use to it.i think a guy would be better off if he didn't have to switch hands...rick

All my spinning reels are left handed. My bait casters are righ handed...call me stupid cuz i keep buying them right handed BUT I prefer the left hand feel.

I find myself on the boat transferring the rod from my left to my right hand to bounce a slab off bottom...problem presents itself when its time to reel in. Check em out in store...and choose what fits your hand and style the best.

Thanks for the advice guys. While I can reel with my right hand no problem, I think I am going to return the reel and get a lefty one. It seems like everywhere I go that %90 of the reels are righty ones and the lefty ones are either really cheap or really expensive. Nothing in the middle which is what Im looking for lol.

I with u, just got my 1st baitcater a couple weeks ago. I went with the left handed reel eventhough I'm righthanded. I want to cast and set the hook with my right arm, settting with my left feels odd. Took it out for the 1st time last weekend and glad I did the left handed reel.

As far as finding a left handed one. I found none at Academy but I did find that Dicks had quite a few rod/reel combos that were left handed. I got a Revo S with allstar rod left handed at Dicks.

I'm weird I guess. I grew up with Zebco 33's and the like. When I went to baitcasters, I naturally (and lefties weren't real common in the early 90's) went with right-handed retrieves. What's REALLY strange, is that if I'm using a spinning reel, I HAVE to set it up as a left-hand retrieve. I've tried using left-handed baitcasters, and I've tried right-handed spinning reels, and both feel weird and awkward. Even stranger is that I can't set the hook for [censored] with my left hand if it's a spinning reel (e.g. catfishing), nor with my right hand if it's a baitcaster. I'm VERY set in my ways when it comes to which hand does what.

I'm a spinning addict and use a lefty baitcaster. Tried a right hand and it felt weird so I switched back to lefty. Truth is if you feel comfortable using your feet go for it. Whatever works.

Catfish----I am with you. Baitcasters right handed and spinning rigs left feel right. Must be a South Plains thing since I grew up in Brownfield. Probably after you have consumed so much dust/sand you get set in your ways----LOL.

Nah, I grew up north of D/FW and have always been that way.

I was helping a friend learn to throw his new baitcaster this weekend. He throws left-handed, and reels with the right. No problem there, but on one of his first casts he birdnests it so bad it took me 30 minutes to get it untangled.

I told him to use my left handed spincast in the meantime. First thing he does is ask me to move the handle to the right side, but since it had been left-handed for 15 years, I couldn't get it apart. Back to working on his mess.

I look up a few minutes later and he is holding my spincast left-handed and upside down with the reel on top, and reeling in the handle backwards!

BTW I throw right-handed, reel right-handed with a baitcast, but reel left-handed with a spincast too. Guess I'm to some, apparently not all.