NC Angler Forums banner

A Tip To Make You Fish With More Efficiency

6K views 48 replies 27 participants last post by  Handyhands 
#1 ·
Here is a post i wrote in my blog and would like to hear some discussion on this topic. No link to the blog as i don't want this to appear as spaming.

How many times have you heard when discussing fishing: “the more you cast the more fish you catch.” It’s a fact if you can locate the fish, figure out their pattern, and get your lure in the water you will catch more fish. More casts also equal more chances to figure out that perfect pattern and to find where fish are holding. So why am I writing this? I want to share a way to get more casts and increase your efficiency on the water.

Now before I share this tip, I would like to ask you to keep an open mind as this will sound backward to a lot of you. Here is the tip: switch to left handed baitcasters. I know those reading this think I am crazy but here is the trick: you don’t have to switch hands.
Look at it this way, if you had never used a baitcaster before you would probably look at someone like they were crazy if they told you to “cast, put your thumb on the spool, switch hands, and work your lure.” If you look at this objectively you will agree that it makes absolutely no sense to switch hands after you cast.

Like many anglers my age, I learned to fish with a spinning reel where one does not switch hands when one casts. When I made the switch to a baitcaster it never made since to me. It messed my hook set up, I couldn’t work a lure right, and reeling was an awkward motion for me. One day while out on my father-in-law’s bass boat he noticed that most of my backlashes happened on the hand switch, and we began to think about trying out a left-handed version. The next time we went fishing he had one waiting on me to try. Seemingly all my problems were solved and he showed me after the trip a side note in Bassmaster magazine that said a tournament angler get 10-25% more casts in a day if he utilizes spinning gear to baitcasting because of the lack of hand switch. Imagine the amount of fish you could have possibly landed last year if you had 10-25% more casts!

Now that I have given you the pros, here are the cons. There is less of a selection of reels than there are for the conventional right handed reels. You won’t be able to go to Wal-Mart or a major retailer to buy a reel as they generally do not carry them. Also, brand new reels generally delay quite awhile in introducing a left-handed version. However, there are many great reels out there in left handed versions and with online shopping today you can research and purchase a reel without leaving your home. The only other con is that you may get fatigued quicker. I friend that I got to switch to left handed baitcaster said that because he would normally switch from casting to spinning equipment all day, thus changing which hand reeled and which arm worked the rod, he got fatigued quicker by not changing which hand reeled and which arm worked the rod. With some practice though, your endurance we be built and you will not notice anymore.

If you are looking to become a more efficient angler and you are not dead set in your ways, give this a shot. You will get more cast per trip, which may include you landing that trophy fish you have always dreamed of. Until next time

Stay Safe, Be Awesome,
AA
 
See less See more
#32 ·
I also have to take issue with the Bassmaster side bar. The hand switch after the cast is inconsequential as noted by several first hand accounts above and I will add mine. I don't baitcast much (currently not at all, but I have in the past) but it did not take me long to figure out how to switch hands and thumbs at the end of the cast and start retrieving as soon as the lure hit the water. The switch during the next cast is sub-second and probably under half a second. I would have to be generous to say it's a 5% hit in efficiency. Again, just to be clear, I am debating what Bassmaster magazine had to say, not appangler. :)
 
#35 ·
The best fishing partner I had was my cousin, he is a lefty. We could both get on the front casting deck and hit the same target but from different angels and never be in each others way. Well maybe the time he knocked a easy 5 pounder off my line with the net..:)

I cast spinning with my right an retrieve with my left, I think it has something to do with the wider rotation of the reel handle. I've tried others left handed casting reels and it just wasn't comfortable. I would get out of sink trying to reel it back. Easier for a old dog to continue what he does best, sleep on the porch.
 
#37 ·
I use left handed reels BECAUSE I'm right handed...majorly so!

I make better and stronger hook sets with my right arm, have much better rod control when fighting the fish with my right arm and it definitely gives me more casts and less chance of missing fish than when I used right hand retrieves.

Ive been using them now for about 25 years and won't look back.
 
  • Like
Reactions: appangler
#38 ·
I'm interested to know how other guys that switch hands are gripping the rod while your working the bait... Are you guys holding the rod like you cast it (just with the other hand), or gripping it another way? I did the same thing as Jimsnores, tried my switch this morning and it's very fluid, almost part of the cast itself but now I'm concerned I'm doing it wrong. I grip the reel moreso than the rod to work the bait for a better hold and two fingers on the blank. It's working for me but is this bad form?



 
#39 ·
Lol, I guess we are all on the same page today. I actually drug the kayak to the river today to see what I actually do (didn't need an excuse, but hey I took it anyway). I too make the switch as soon as the lure is peeling line off the reel. It took a nano second to make the switch and is very much just a part of my cast, probably why I had to actually go do it and couldn't figure it out in my head, lol. I would venture to say that it does not effect my CPH (casts per hour) at all.

I also keep the butt of the rod against my body in constant preparation for that hookset. I try to do as much rod work from this position as I can as well. Interesting thread!
 
#40 ·
Funny thing about that "Casts Per Hour" - in this thread you find a few people referencing arm weariness as a reason for sometimes switching. So the physical limit based on what we can take sets the bar a lot lower than how many are possible based purely on minimum times between splash downs.
 
#45 ·
I'm amphibious and can cast with either hand.

- Cozell McQueen. NCSU. 1983
I thought is was charls shacklefordwho said that???....anyway its really funny and alot of people dont know the history behind that......about onnce a month since the early eighties , a espn anouncer will say "amphibious" but doesnt reference the school or player......i always chuckle.........
 
#42 ·
I'm starting to feel bad about the time I spend just sitting and contemplating the universe without casting at all ; )
Also make me think about my own speed when fishing. I prefer to fish a little on the fast side. Sometimes you need to be slow. I have a hard time mustering enough patience to fish a weightless senko even on days when I see it is working for someone else. If I could just make myself take 20 seconds to switch hands then maybe my efficiency would tank but my catch rate increase?
 
#43 ·
I wanted to make the same comment, but waited to see when someone picked up on the idea. It's not the number of casts that matter. It's the time the lure is in the strike zone. For some techniques, such as flipping, the two are the same, ie more flips = more time in the strike zone. Senko or fluke, it may be a case of less casts = more time in the strike zone. Live bait under a float, if you are fishing in the right spot and right depth = max time in the strike zone.

Think about it!
 
#44 ·
I guess I could have been clearer in my post in that my primary reason for keeping the rod in my right hand is fish and lure control. I agree with Stu that speed is not always the priority.

Fatigue is not much of an issue for me until I get to the 4th or 5th day of a tournament event and then, it's much better for me to have my right arm controlling things.

I've been fishing bass tournaments for about 28 years and have built up pretty good endurance over that time.

The main thing to all of this...just fish!
 
  • Like
Reactions: brannons64
#47 ·
My Theory is that in the beginning baitcasters were first. They were big and for big fish. Accuracy wasn't important and finesse hadn't been invented- much less fiberglass, graphite, flipping, pitching or gear ratio. It was important for the reel handle to be on the right because that was the dominant side for most people. In those days it was basically a winch. Cranking was not a term related to crankbaits. And so it has remained.
What we've seen from this thread is the modern day variables involved.
So I will give you 1 more. As a paddler I have a very good reason to control the rod with my left arm and reel right handed. Alot of times I'm either letting a lure fall or hopping it and I want to paddle with my dominant arm. This makes a huge difference in boat control- including when fighting a fish - but means nothing to a guy with his foot on a trolling motor.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top