The Traditional Fisherman's Forum

Its nice to no Mr Venables wound with his right hand.

I am right handed but have always wound with my right. Cast with my right, then hold the rod in my left hand. Always have done.
I think ( I will have to get my copy of Mr Crabtree out) the drawings in the book show left and right hand wind.

Mr B

There's a video on YouTube somewhere where he's fishing and winds with his right hand. I think it's titled stret pegging For roach and is in two parts.

My mate is a lefty, casts and holds the rod in his left reels with the right. I'm a lucky sod... doesn't bother me, either hand for casting holding or reeling, but use mostly right for casting and left for reeling.... I write right handed and eat left handed.....nuts!

RBTraditional wrote: ↑Wed Apr 05, 2017 7:52 pm I write right handed and eat left handed.....nuts!

So do I, and despite my left eye being the weakest I also shoot left handed, but I can't fish with the rod in my left hand, as you say nuts

I write with my right hand, use a knife and folk right handed, but have to use a spoon or scissors with my left hand. I can use a screw driver with either hand. Apparently, I also whip floats left handed. But I hold a rod right handed with the left for the reel. Completely nuts!

I'm right handed but when playing cricket I could only bat left handed, I hold and cast a fly rod in my right hand but I am trying to teach myself to cast left handed because it is sometimes useful due to wind direction or if in a boat with a right handed partner. I'm finding it very hard to do so though!

How interesting!
Also... I hold my dinner knife in my left hand but carve the sunday joint with my right hand!
Cast a fly with my right then hold the rod with my left!
On commercial hook and line Bass boats all the rods are set up for right hand wind. If you wind left handed you will need to sort through a bucket of reels to find one!
Yes, the vidio is Bernard stret pegging for Roach.
Most river fisherman I know wind with the left.
I managed to pick up a couple of nice Michel 300 a few years ago-there RHW.
I think its how you start fishing, perhaps Bernards farther was left handed. My dad was and he set me up fishing the way I do now. My sons are the same but are right handed like me! Interesting.
If we could talk to the man himself he would day.. Dosnt make any difference, just enjoy your fishing.
Mr B.

This style of having the reel handles on the right for a right-handed angler and switching hands to play a fish was more common 60 years ago so unsurprising that Venables used it but in more modern times the only top angler I know of who still does this is Mark Pollard. For the rest of us it's known as 'cack-handed'. Back in the 60s I started with holding a rod in my left hand, winding with the right despite being right-handed but switched within a couple of years to the more natural method of holding the rod in my right hand.

Ah well, I will have to be 'cack- handed then. Never to late to change, but I'm having fun, so I'll stick with it knowing at least I am in prety good company with a pair of "Cack-handed" fisherman.
Just been looking again at Mr Crabtree,theres some inerrsting vairations in the drawings. I like the one page 77 in my copy. Bottom right hand corner.

Thanks for the coments, all good stuff

Mr B

Most Americans still fish the way you do, Mr.B and it's extremely hard to find a top-mounting baitcaster reel that isn't right hand wind. I've done it 'your way' baitcasting and soon adapted, but I always felt I might lose my catch as I transferred the rod from right to left hand to retrieve.


At a quick glance there's just one left hand wind reel here:

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=baitc ... =636#spf=1


Row 8, 2nd. from left.