Fishing a LEFT-HANDED REEL | Is it Worth it?
- The Finatic Blogger
- Sep 18
- 7 min read
For the past 3 to 4 years, I have pondered whether it would be better to fish with my fishing rod in my dominant hand – for me that is my right hand. For one reason or another, it seems to be the norm that fishermen hold their fishing rod in their right hand and wind with their left hand. Why is that the case? With roughly 90% of the world’s population being right-handed, roughly 10% left-handed, and only a select lucky few gifted with the ability of being ambidextrous (both hands equally well). Why then, is it the norm to always fish with the fishing rod in your less dominant hand?
Recently, I decided to mix things up and see for myself if the grass is really greener on the other side of the fence. That’s right, I decided to fish a left-handed reel, and the results might surprise you.
For one reason or another, it seems to be the norm that fishermen hold their fishing rod in their right hand and wind with their left hand. Why is that the case?
Why did I decide to shift to a left-handed reel?
During one recent session, I headed out for a fish with one of my fishing buddies and he absolutely outfished me. We were chasing trevally on surface, and we were both fishing topwater “walk the dog” presentations. I was fishing a setup which I knew was probably too heavy for the type of lures I was trying to cast. My fishing buddy on the other hand, was able to cast his lures a long way and his walk the dog action was so much better than mine. It started with my fishing buddy catching one fish off the top, then it was two and then he quickly started nearing double digits for the session. All the while, I was fishless! Watching someone have the “walk the dog" technique so fine-tuned that it seemed like he could do nothing wrong, made me start to question why my presentation was not getting the same love from the fish.
After quite a lot of internalised frustration and questioning why my lure was just not getting eaten, I could only come up with two reasons why. Those two reasons being:
My walk the dog action was not anywhere near as consistent as my fishing buddies. My left hand just could not do the tweaking action with enough finesse required for the walk the dog to get the side-to-side consistent action; and
I was fishing gear which was too heavy and so I could not cast the light-weight pencil lures anywhere near as far as I should have been able.
This left me contemplating all the ways I could change what I was doing in order to see the same success as my friend. I really wanted to catch consistent fish on surface. I then had the epiphany, “what if I buy a left-handed reel and have the fishing rod in my dominant hand? Would I be able to impart more action into the lure using my dominant hand?”
I then had the epiphany, “what if I buy a left-handed reel and have the fishing rod in my dominant hand? Would I be able to impart more action into the lure using my dominant hand?”
That very night, I purchased my first ever left-handed fishing reel! I opted for a super light outfit which I could use as a finesse outfit – the Shimano Miravel 1000. This is not the bees’ knees when it comes to fishing reels, but I soon realised it was more than up to the task of taming some excellent quality fish.
Was fishing a left-handed fishing reel worth it?
Over the next couple of sessions, I quickly realised that fishing a left-handed reel for a topwater “walk the dog" presentation was just what I was missing. I paired my 1000 Shimano Miravel with 6lb braid to allow for some extra-long casts which definitely saw an improvement. But the thing that improved the most, was my ability to impart action into my topwater pencils. With the fishing rod in my dominant hand, I was able to twitch and tweak my lure to get my topwater pencil dancing across the surface. These sessions saw lots of action, and I was catching fish after fish.
Fishing a left-handed reel saw my topwater “walk the dog" presentation improve drastically and it seemed to make all the difference because my presentation did not fail to get eaten. I had some ridiculously hot sessions, hitting double digits during the one session multiple times. With the biggest capture being an 82cm flathead which was fooled by an 85mm Duo Realis Pencil. With those types of results, I was kicking myself I did not make the move to a left-handed reel sooner. The proof was in the pudding and having the fishing rod in my dominant hand made all the difference.
With the fishing rod in my dominant hand, I was able to twitch and tweak my lure to get my topwater pencil dancing across the surface.
Positives of fishing a left-handed reel:
Fishing with the fishing rod in your dominant hand allows the angler to impart more action into the lure through the rod tip – with tweaks, twitches, and shakes. Your dominant hand is so much better at the finesse actions than your non-dominant hand, and so this was the biggest positive to come out of the switch.
Reaction times on the strike (hook set) is improved. My dominant hand seems to have much quicker reflex’s which decreased missed hooksets due to not being able to react quick enough on the strike.
Fishing with the fishing rod in your dominant hand allows the angler to impart more action into the lure through the rod tip – with tweaks, twitches, and shakes.
There was no longer a need to switch the rod between hands before and after casting. This was a habit I did not know I had before I fished the left-handed reel. It was certainly a smoother experience to cast with my right hand and not have to switch the rod back to my left hand each time I cast my lure. The process of switching your hands over could make you miss an eat, or even worse, be the reason you get your lure snagged.
You have more control when fighting a fish. With the rod in your dominant hand, you are able to control the rod better during the course of the fight.
Negatives of fishing a left-handed reel:
It goes against your muscle memory. When you switch things up and change something you have done for so long, it can wreak havoc on your muscle memory. For example, when fighting a good fish, I always found myself wanting to switch back and put my rod in my left hand, so I could reel with my left hand. It sure took some getting used to.
Reeling with your less dominant hand. This is a big draw back! Getting the first one to three winds on a fish, as it smashes your lure and takes off in another direction, was difficult! Your less dominant hand has a slower reflex time and so I found getting the first wind on a fish was substantially delayed than if my dominant hand had been on the reel. This is a problem you would get better at with time, but I think your dominant hand would always be slightly ahead when considering ‘winding response times’.
Getting the first one to three winds on a fish, as it smashes your lure and takes off in another direction, was difficult!
Summing up:
Fishing a left-handed reel is definitely worthwhile. I caught plenty of fish using a left-handed reel, so the proof is in the pudding! In the future, I will be fishing a left-handed reel as a technique specific “walk the dog" setup. I found that having my dominant hand on the rod to tweak, twitch and shake my topwater pencil, gave my lure just the right side to side action that the fish could not resist. So, from here on out, I will be fishing left-handed reels for all my “walk the dog" fishing with pencils, or any other techniques that require the subtle responsiveness of a dominant hand.
If you are yet to try fishing a left-handed reel, I urge you to give it a go. If you are reading this and are new to fishing altogether or are early into your fishing journey – make the switch now! The only major drawback of fishing a left-handed reel is not being quick enough to get a wind on a fish once it hits and does its initial run, so if you can master winding the reel with your left hand from the start, you will be well on your way to mastering the art of using a left-handed reel. This, I firmly believe, will help you catch more fish when used in just the right scenario.
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