The comments section has done nothing but PROVE my points haha! EVERYONE is SURE that their reasoning is right, and there's NO counter argument possible! Just use whatever you want folks, and get good at being efficient with it. Switching hands has never cost me a fish, that's why I'm sticking with it

I'm right-handed but use left hand retrieve on baitcasters and spinning reels. My strength is in my right arm for rod control.. Great video with good input by the way

I'm right handed but grew up fishing spinning rods with left hand retrieve. I started to use a baitcaster less than a year ago and a right-hand-retrieve reel and to me it felt pointless to not just reel in with my left hand as it just made more sense to use my strong arm to set the hook and skip the switching step, plus it was how I grew up fishing. So i switched to a left-hand-retrieve baitcast reel and just prefer it that way as it feels better in every way for me. Good video btw, loving your content!

Baseball is the reason why as a right-handed individual, I use left-handed fishing reels. Because in baseball when an individual throws a baseball with his right hand, they don't then switch their glove to the right hand to catch the ball.

Grew up in Minnesota, spinning rods are king for panfish and walleye, right handed spinning handle on left. I got into bass fishing as an adult, first bait caster was right hand retrieve, and I just never got over the hump. It always felt so awkward controlling the rod with the “wrong” hand or the opposite hand I had been using for 25 years. So now I have 6 left retrieve casters and have sent the right hand down the road. Maybe I’m wrong but it could be more of a regional thing too, I know other guys “up here” that were spinning rod guys from birth, have now gotten into baitcast and it has to be left hand reel like the spinning rods we grew up with. Down south you guys are born with a bait caster in your crib 😂 and just get the feel for it right away, most often right hand retrieve.

Left handed fishing, right handed everything else 🎣🙂

I grew up using left-handed spinning reels. When I started learning to use a baitcaster, I was awful with it. But i decided to try a left-handed baitcaster I have more control. Plus, the reaction I get from my dad every time he tries to use my baitcaster is humorous.

"We are getting into hand sanitizer numbers." 😂 I dang near spit my drink out.

Tyler, you’ve nailed it with this video! I started RH retrieve, moved to all LH for the past 2 years simply due to my best friend and wife preferring it. This year I’ve decided to buy some Lews RH retrieve again because I just miss it in certain scenarios. It’s what you prefer! I’ll now own a few of both and probably grab one based on what I’m fishing that day.

Love that you actually said its about what feels right for you. Im in that first group getting my first BC soon and i definitely know that i would prefer a left hand over a right. Thanks again Tyler!

Excellent video. I'm 64 years old and right hand dominant. I've fished baitcasters for about 35 years. I started out using the right hand crank because that's all that was available at the time. For many years I could never manage to effectively work a bait that required more than a straight retrieve when holding the rod in my left hand and reeling with my right. I bought my first left hand crank and used it for baits that required more action and I loved it. Switching hands to reel never cost me a fish that I know of, because I had the rod switched within a second of the bait hitting the water. That said, I fished both styles for years until my older reels needed replacing. As I replaced them, i did so with left hand retrieve reels. I say the answer to this question is to use what you like best. Done deal. For my money, using the rod in your dominant hand gives the ability to better handle the rod and make the baits do what you want them to. Bottom line is use what you like best, even if it means having both styles in the boat for different baits. You said most of this in your video so I guess I'm agreeing with you. Once again. Nice video

I mostly fish inshore, more often than not the fish bites the lure right when is hitting the water. Because I don’t change hands I am able to set the hook at that precise moment. I firmly believe that your dominant hand should hold the rod. But at the end of the day it all comes down to user preferences.

If you need strength in bass fishing you have other issues. The real benefit of left hand reel is having your dominant hand on the pole so you can have better PRECISION with twitch movements and retrieve styles. And science shows you have more nerve endings in your dominant hand which causes faster reaction times. Which none of which matters for your reeling... There are so many benefits to left hand retrieve and so far i have heard absolutely zero arguments for right besides salt water applications. And this is coming from someone who used right abd switched to left because im not stubborn. Now i can use both if needed but left is bar none way better.

I am right hand dominant. I reel casting, spinning and fly reels with my left hand. I'm in the camp of the rod should always be in your dominant hand for sensitivity, hook setting and controlling the fish. We aren't offshore fishing. Reeling in a musky with your off hand isn't even difficult. If you've always reeled righty, whatever who am I to say it's wrong? After discovering left handed bait casters I will never go back. I will also never own a DC reel. Completely agree dude. Awesome video.

I find it unnatural to cast with one arm then switch real quick to the other. Im left handed on all my reels.I throw with my right and my hand is always ready to go on the handle.I find its quicy

I'm right-handed but every reel I have is left-handed. For me it's better and I've convinced a couple of my friends to make the switch. One doesn't like it at all. You're right though, whatever works best for the individual.

My grandpa also taught me to fish a lhr spinner and a rhr baitcaster, but I finally got around to trying lhr baitcasters and I prefer it. Took a bit of getting used to but testing it out on a $30 reel is a good idea for anyone wanting to try something different without "wasting money."

Great video! Left-handed here on all reels - been doing it the correct way forever. In the name of all that is sane, I don't understand why use both hands. It's a great approach as most of my buddies are righ-handed anglers so I don't have to share reels. 😅😂😅😂

Every action has an equal and opposite reaction!

100% correct it’s all about comfort! I can only cast RH but I like both RH & LH retrieve bait casters for my jig & Texas rig set ups based on which way I’m casting up/down the bank. But I only use RH retrieve for reaction rigs of any kind. Spinning rods only LH retrieve because I can’t cast left handed.

I loved this video Tyler and your grandpa sounds like a legend. How cool that your grandpa, dad and you are bass anglers and some day hopefully your baby boy will also be an angler.

I started out with the right hand retrieve baitcaster 30 years ago, and 25 years ago, I discovered a Diawa left hand retrieve real and never went back. For a lot of years, it was hard to find much verity to choose from (price points and plain stock availability) . The deciding factor for me was it was far easier to walk a top water with my right arm .

I’m a little weird. I’m a right hander for most things but I hit a baseball and golf ball lefty. I ended up getting left hand retrieve because I wanted my right hand to tether the line. It took some getting used to but I figured it out. Tough party about it is, it’s just like shopping for golf clubs, lerty’s are few and far between! Good video Tyler!

I am right handed. I use left hand retrieve reels when I need to hold my rod to impart action to lures. I use right hand reels on all other retrieves. This goes for both spinning and bait cast reels. I am 76 and have been doing this for as long as I can remember.

As a fisherman that has just started to use a baitcaster this year, I would definitely recommend to use a left hand retrieval. I wanted to buy a baitcaster for a couple years now and over the winter, I finally pulled the trigger. All the sale associates told me that since I was right handed and had never used one before, to go with a left hand retrieve. As much as I HATED using my left hand to reel in, I forced myself to purchase it, realizing that I’d rather throw with my dominant hand and NOT SWITCH over to my left. Honestly, after practicing, and now using for about two months, I’m so happy I listened to them. I got used to reeling in left handed, and I like the fact that the rod is ALWAYS in my strong hand. I won’t lie, it still feels more comfortable to reel a right hand retrieve (for fun in stores), but when I’m fishing, I’m left hand retrieve all day. Hope this helps someone else. *For the record, no I didn’t go with a digital reel. I wanted to LEARN how to work and control one. I ended up getting the new Johnny Morris CarbonLite R&R set. Love it.

Great video. I grew up with a right-handed reel but transitioned to a left-hand spinning reel. This spring I decided to change everything to left-hand reels, I like the thought of casting with my right and not changing over to reel. I also prefer to reach for the fish with my left hand when approaching the boat.

I’m 50, When using a baitcaster I cast with my right, then switch the rod to my left and retrieve with my right. With a spinning reel I cast maybe 60% of the time right, and 40% with my left but always retrieve with my right! I have tried retrieving with my left on a spinner reel, (borrowed rod and reel) it’s just way to awkward for me, to the point I don’t enjoy fishing and put the rod down after a short while. Bottom line is whatever works for YOU is the way you should fish. There is no wrong way, there’s no right way, there’s only “your way”! If you find casting with your feet and reeling with your mouth works for you, have at it. As long as the lure/bait goes where you kinda want it to go, you can reel it in and catch a fish, and are enjoying yourself, go for it!

I'm left hand dominant with hand strength and dexterity (writing, shooting), and right hand dominant with arm strength (throwing a ball or punch) but I chose left hand baitcaster simply because its on the same side as my spinning reels. I don't think too much into it. I just catch fish. Great video!

This year was the first year that I bought a left handed baitcaster. Im 38 and Ive fished a long time but I had never even thought about it. Honestly I enjoy it equally since baitcasting is newer to me than spinning gear. Its all about enjoying fishing to me.

I'm right-hand dominant. My first baitcaster was right-hand retrieve but I'm thinking of getting left-hand reels from now on, and this is my reasoning: Which hand of yours is dominant is to say which hand tends to provide better fine control. If you write and draw with your right hand, then that's probably the one that gives you better control over a pen or pencil. For the same reason, this is probably the hand you want holding the rod while casting AND while working a lure, not for the sake of casting distance but for precision and control, so there's not really a point to switching hands. Simply reeling in line does not require fine motor control so it's okay to let the non-dominant hand do that. The question of physical strength and fatigue in one arm or another is another matter and it's kind of a red herring, because the muscles in your non-dominant hand and arm get stronger with exercise just like those of your dominant hand and arm. When you're just getting started fishing, NONE of these muscles are specifically developed in either arm. You have to train them either way. This doesn't change which hand is dominant and thus which hand provides better fine control; it just means you need to train your muscles and nervous system to accommodate the action you want to do. A little practice in martial arts, particularly a school of aikido that includes practicing with a wooden sword and staff, can be pretty enlightening in this respect.

I use both! It only takes a couple sessions on the water to learn your non dominant way. Also its nice to learn to cast both sides especially in bank fishing scenarios when you have to cast parallel to the bank.

I started fishing little over 40 years ago and I'm right-handed. My first combo was spinning reel with left hand retrieve, reeling with left hand. Since I've always reeled with left hand, it just feels natural when i switched to baitcasters. My opinion is simple though, use what feels right and don't listen to naysayers. The right way is the way that suits you best, the wrong way is the way someone else tells you to reel.

I switched to lefty reels for bottom contact techniques this year and absolutely love it and am mad at myself I didn't until now. Handling a rod I my left hand for bottom contact after all the years and 8+ hour minimum out on the water it's taken a toll on my left hand. I still use right hand reels for moving baits but definitely prefer lefty now for bottom baits

You’re one of the first people I’ve heard say they don’t like the DC noise! And I’ve watched a lot of fishing content

I'm here for the movie clips. LOL I love your sense of humor, Tyler

As a lefty, I've always been more comfortable casting with my left, reeling with my right... my older son is the same but opposite, while my younger son is the exact same... not sure if it's "right" but that's what comes natural for us.

I use left handed for both spinning and bait casting. I feel more confident using my dominant hand holding the rod and using my left hand for reeling in. I think because I used a reach truck for the majority of 3 years (steer with the left, drive, raise forks, extend with the right.) I think if I had to do it the other way around I wouldn’t have been able to do it.

I actually seem to fall into that same category as you. Spinning reels I have to have set up in left-handed. I have lost so many fish from the smallest to what could have been my PB with the right-handed rigs it isn't funny. But in the last month or so after purchasing and learning my first baitcaster, I have found right-handed to be more comfortable and just switching hands. I will, however, say after buying a left-handed baitcaster reel, it definitely felt more natural to me because I only used spinning reels in left-handed, but it sorta felt awkward to me at the same time. I also landed the same amount of fish with both right and left-handed baitcaster reels, unlike the spinning reels.

The rod is a long lever, providing lots of mechanical advantage to whatever is on the line. On the other hand, heavy-lifting with the rod allows me to use more of my body to do the work. It is slightly more advantageous to me, with my equipment, to have the rod on my dominant side. The dominant arm and hand provide me the best strength and dexterity for fine or or repetitive work of the rod. The dexterity of my dominant hand does a far better job of managing the spool during a cast than does my off hand. The strength and endurance of my dominant arm is handy for doing lots of casting. The only time I find myself happy to use my dominant arm to reel is when I'm repeatedly retrieving a multi-lb lead weight from the depths with the rod braced on a rail. Having the dominant hand do the reeling makes sense to me when the rod doesn't flex much and the reel is an old low-ratio direct-drive model. Modern equipment though? Most of us aren't using bamboo or steel poles anymore, and our single-speed reels are mostly geared for retrieval speed rather than raw winching power, so it becomes advantageous to reel with the off hand, freeing up the dominant limb to provide strength to hold and lift the rod when fighting a fish. Shuffling the rod between my hands really annoys me, to the point that I've begun learning how to cast with my off hand.

Grew up using spinning reels with left hand retrieve. Been using bait casters for almost a year or 2 and always been used to the left hand retrieve. Tried switching to a right hand retrieve and was not comfortable at all. Was kinda surprising but I honestly don’t mind the switching hands as I do before my lure even hits the water

I get both sides but as a right handed person I prefer casting with right and setting the hook with my right hand since reeling is very easy and that way I don’t have to switch my baitcaster in between hands and can reel right away

Right hand dominant and do left hand retrieve when fishing. Never liked switching back and forth after casting. But I'm able to do both if I use someone else's set up. It's always someone's preference, there's no right or wrong tbh in my opinion. Great Vid.

As a kid I only used spinning reels the way my dad showed me...right hand rod, left hand retrieve. Last year I started fishing for the first time since I was a kid. I picked up a light spinner combo and a medium baitcaster combo. I'm self taught with the baitcaster, I can cast either right or left handed BUT right hand retrieve feels right, as does left hand retrieve on the spinner. It's all about the muscle memory. I can't cast for sh*t left handed with a spinner though.

I’m right handed and retrieve left … started with left handed spinning and carried it over to bait casters … I don’t have to switch hands after the casts and my hook sets are with my stronger arm … I’m sure if I tried I could learn to switch but it does feel more natural lefty …

I use both. I'm right handed and prefer the rod in my dominate hand while using any techniques where I work the lure with the rod, basically topwater and bottom contact. Anything that's just a cast and retrieve I go right hand. Plus my father taught me to fish and he's left handed so I learned left handed.

I find this topic funny cause I use both right and left. Right for bait caster and left for spinning. I can use them both with no issues at all. It’s a mindset. Great stuff.

I myself use both left and right hand bait caster. Reason being is I cut my pinky finger off on my left so when it comes to using a frog or Texas rigging I use my right hand to hold the rod so I can get the grip of the pole to pop it. . When it comes to cranking or swimbaits I use my left hand to hold the rod. And I feel good using both hands

I'm glad the option exists now. It took me ages to find a right hand retrieve locally for a spinner (literally the only one in town was part of an ugly stick carbon combo) but I love it. And my messed up left wrist doesn't have to deal with the retrieve. It's my dominant hand, but I wouldn't want to make that constant ache any worse.

It depends on the technique. I tend to use left hand retrieve on my jerkbait set ups because my dominant hand can twitch more subtly. I also don't mind using left hand retrieve with buzzbaits, its easier to get the bait moving faster when I don't have to switch hands.

Right handed. Spinning and baitcasters I prefer left hand retrieve. But I learned simultaneously on a left and right baitcaster and can use both sides. My suggestion is to become ambidextrous at retrieving. Can find good deals for left or right retrieves

This upload schedule is awesome I wish I could post this much lol

After many years of right hand retrieve, I’ve decided to switch it up. I use spinning a good bit however.

I have 2 lefts and 2 rights, and each one has a certain purpose. I like the left hand retrieve for my vibrating jigs, but I use a right hand retrieve for my frogs. I do have to work on casting with the right retrieve, so I don't have to switch hands, but agree, I don't think I lose any fish because of it. Keep up the good work Tyler, love the uncuts and probably one of the few that will watch the whole thing over and over lol.

Short story long eh. Let me sum it all up. If your buying your first bait caster, and your right handed. Buy a left hander. If you've used a right hander for years, just stick with it. Switching hands sucks unless you get used to it. When I got my first bait caster a few years ago now. I searched and MANY pros said if your starting, start with a left. It makes more sense. Unless your used to the right.

I am NOT sure my way is right. I grew up using my left-handed Dad's spinning reel and got used to reeling on the right. When I got older, I switched to reeling on the left and that felt right, so I kept that way. I started throwing a baitcaster as an adult. My first inclination was to throw it with my right and reel with my left. And even though I did that for years with a spinning rod, it felt awkward with the baitcaster, so I switched and did like you, Tyler, cast right, switch, reel left. But I will say, the efficiency, especially doing something like pitching and flipping, feels weak that way. I spoke to a rep with a lot of experience and he says that should try a baitcaster with a larger handle. He says a lot of pros have been a lot more comfortable after the switch. That makes sense, because it would be more like the spinning reel handle diameter. I may give it a try.

I am right-handed and use left-hand retrieve reels. You want to control the rod with your strongest arm. But use whatever feels right for you. Switching hands to control the rod seems like wasted energy..

I’ve used right and left handed bait caster as a right handed person. I prefer right handed and swapping and left handed spinning.

Good balanced knowledge, thank you, get one of each!

Let’s goooo! TRF video on my day off!

Just go with what feels comfortable lol. Reeling with my right hand feels absolutely awkward. Reeling with my left feels comfortable. …. I went with how I use a shovel to dig a hole which emphasis dominate arm controlling the shovel or in this case the rod. Works for me.

Right handed with right hand retrieve. I use the left side for spinning reels, but for some reason could not imagine switching to the left side on my baitcasters. I just switch hands mid cast.

As a guitar player, left hand doing the finesse feels natural. Boy does it make finding deals on reels hard though...

It doesn't matter to me because both arms are pretty much the same strength swinging a with both hands helps

Left hand here. I think I prefer it because I learned on a spinning reel with the crank on the left. Here’s my question. If you prefer right hand bait caster, why don’t you prefer right on spinner? Not a judgement I don’t see a lot of right hand spinners for right hand dominate fishermen.

Im right handed but a left hand retrieve at all times kind of guy both casting and spinning its just my preference i like the advantages of using my dominent hand on the rod and not ever having to switch grips to make a cast... although i should learn how to cast with my left hand to get into sneakier angles

I use both with no issues, but I prefer left-hand retrieve. I feel that I have better control of the rod.

HAHA The pic at 1:15 is the guys that cheated and put weights in the fish at tournaments. GREAT Video Tyler!

I use left hand retrieve on everything. Years ago most bait casters were junk push button reels were for kids and spinning reels were on the left side .

I'm a lefty and like right retrieve because i like keeping the rod in my dominant hand

I have both, I’m right hand dominant and use my right hand retrieve reels for moving baits (cast and retrieve) and my left hand retrieve for my jigs/Texas rig combos. I like both cause I can always switch off if one gets tired also.

I use both because in a long day of fishing one arm just gets tired and sore... My rods are long enough that it takes both hands to cast with control, and since i am casting with both hands, and both hands are on the reel after the cast, it is simply a matter of which hand grabs the reel handle...

I normally like my casting reel to be right hand and spinning reel on the left don’t know why but it works for me

I have two right-hand retreive reels. Their my trolling/constant retrieve baits. All others are left hand so I can twitch the rod with my right arm. I just feel more comfortable using my right arm for rod movements because I first learned on a spinning reel.

I like having my rod hand in front of my reel. On a spinning reel my hand is already in front of it, so I dont switch (my left hand then works the crank). When I cast a baitcaster, my hand is behind the reel. So after my cast my left hand goes in front of the reel to hold the rod, then my right hand retrieves.

I'm also left spinning reel and right baitcaster. It's just what was available at the moment.

I'm right handed but my spinning and baitcaster reels are both left. I do use a right handed reel on my deep water setup though.

I cast with my right hand and reel with my left

I normally fish with a left hand retrieve but I’ve been wanting to get a bait caster

I prefer a left hand baitcaster simply because it's what I became used to learning to fish with a spinning reel.

It's simple if your power hand is the right hand you need to set the hook with your right arm and vice versa

It's all about what you like. There is no right or wrong. Do what YOU want, not what someone else tries to dictate.

I use a left crank spinner and a right crank b-cast. I want a b-cast with lefthand crank, righthand drag and tension. In a perfect world...

1:24 I’m just a guy who only has 1 bait caster but set it up left side because that’s how my spinning reel works and how I was taught….

I use left handed because my right hand is my dominant hand and I can cast and reel faster vs switch my hands. I learned on a right hand bait caster reel first but it just seems more logical to me

Like learning how to play an instrument. Sometimes it just takes getting use to 😄 great advice all around Tyler, thanks! 🤙

I'm right-handed but I use a left-handed reel cuz my strong hook setting right arm is more powerful and I'm also not switching hands mid-cast when I could be getting hits in that first second that Bait hits the water

I’m a 46 year old lefty and I’ve always fished right hand retrieve on spinning and baitcasting setups. Left hand always felt awkward to me and I couldn’t get it down.

For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction...

Left reel on all my spinning rods. 4/5 baitcasters are right hand retrive just to experiment with 1 left hand retrieve baitcaster.

I am right handed and only use left hand retrieve baitcasters. I never like switching hands and I feel as if I have more control of my rod when I retrieve with my left. But I have so many people tell me I'm weird bc of this lol

Im left hand dominant, but i cant do right hand retrieve and use right hand to cast its what i have best accuracy and control with. I recent ish bought a left hand retrieve baitcaster (first one ever) and its just what feels right

What is your grip for casting? Even if you didn’t have to switch hand to reel you’d still need to readjust your right hand to have the correct grip for when the line is out. Is that correct?

I find it matters which way you hookset. With a right handed based retrieve the left hand palms the reel and hooks to the right which feels more natural to me. Palming a LhR with the right hand means all your leverage goes across your body to the left which feels awkward. Since I like to walk ponds clockwise like Tyler, a right hand reel is best so I can hookset at a better angle, parallel to the bank. Spinning reels aren't really for the big hooksets so it doesn't matter for me that it's a left hand retrieve.

Im right handed but i use a left hand retrieve. I always thought i was alone, but i guess not. Its more comfortable to me.

Only run Left Hand reels and grew up doing such until i bought my first baitcaster, im right handed but* my left hand and arm is stronger i just dont have the same precision/control with it like i do with my right which i need to flick my rod or retrieve lures erratically etc...if i did it with the rod in my left hand it would just be all over the place and maybe* not in a good way..(might be something to that lol)i noticed while lifting weights and even hand strength tests for DOT physicals they always think im left handed 😅

It’s simple: whichever way that you don’t have to switch hands after the cast. I’m a lefty and self taught. I hold the rod with the left and reel with the right on casting and spinning. It just makes sense. Why switch hands?

i prefer a left hand retrieve because for myself i feel like i can work my bait for effectively with my right hand. also it feels silly to switch hands to cast.

Left handed so I use a lefty baitcaster. I'm forced to use my right hand a lot so getting used to thumb with my right took no time. Also use a lefty spinning

I'm also more accurate casting when casting with my right hand because I used to play baseball and I throw a ball with my right so left makes more sense to me

My BFS setup is left hand reel. All my other bait casters are right hand.