With a large fish, say in the 40lb + class (say dorado), or 100lb+ class billfish, your arm wears out anyway, and you use both arms to apply force to the fish, especially if you have a two-grip rod. You must also hold the rod in the left hand totally for static periods to flex your right hand fingers, as they are numb after a half-hour death grip on a $1500+ outfit handle. You just have to make sure the rod is in the right hand when it comes time to put some backing back on the reel.
As for reeling, one has to try out left and right-hand reeling, or practice with the reeling hand to get better. What do I mean? If you have betwen 400 to 700 yards of backing on your reel, as most saltwater reels do in the 12-14wt class, you have to not only crank hard with your reeling hand while battling the fish, but you must 'speed reel' to put 100's of yards of backing back on the reel as quickly as possible, as the fish makes a run at you when he's waaay out there. Then he turns around and takes it all back again. This happens over and over for hours on a real big fish (and remember it's a 1:1 reeling ratio). Strength, fatigue resistance, and speed-reeling are what you need in your reeling hand. Your fingers also cramp up on the reel handle after a couple of hours. So using the hand you use most is usually the best. I like my left hand for reeling as I've been a spin fisherman all my life, and the muscles and nerves are set up for that kind of atrition battle. I've always used the right for casting, so it all works. But if one has been a bait-caster all their lives, they have to consider which hand they want to reel and cast with. Even if you don't fish blue-water monsters, multiple large fish (30lb) in a row can have the same effect. If you fish salt and big fish, it's very important to learn how to 'low-haul' on the fish and pump-then-reel-down if you want your arms, hands, fingers, and back to last. For dinky 15lb and less trout on sissy 5wts, please disregard the above. I do know a few really strange people who cast with their right hand and then switch to reel with their right hand. Don't act like these people. They are really lizard-people who are taking a break from trying to take over the world. They live in places like Orlando, Florida. DonO ----- Original Message ----- From: "Neville Gosling" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Thursday, March 08, 2007 9:20 AM Subject: RE: [VFB] LHW & RHW > Paul: > > As a right handed person who reels with his left hand, I could argue that > especially for large fish, it is more important to control the rod with my > master (right) arm than it is to control the rod with my (subordinate) left > arm reel and control the reel with my master (right) hand. I am in control > of the rod 100% of the time and no changing of hands which I find > cumbersome. > > Neville (Nev)Gosling > Greater Vancouver, > BC Canada > > -----Original Message----- > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On > Behalf Of Paul Marriner > Sent: Thursday, March 08, 2007 7:17 AM > To: [email protected] > Subject: Re: [VFB] LHW & RHW > > While I'm sure to get plenty of static, there are sound reasons for > right-hand reeling when right-handed. Not for small fish, but for larger > species. Spinning reels are anti-reverse, most fly reels aren't. If you > palm the spool, or even have to frequently wind and release, your best > hand is the most sensitive. If I have to tail a fish I'm more > coordinated with my right hand. > The rod changeover from right to left hand is virtually instantaneous > and has never given me a single problem in more than 40 years of fly > fishing. If you look in books for pictures of older salmon reels (single > action) you'll see that virtually all of them are right-hand reel; there > was a good reason and it wasn't to accommodate left-handers you can be > sure. Of course YMMV. > Cheers > Paul > www.galesendpress.com > -- > Paul Marriner > Outdoor Writing & Photography. Owner: Gale's End Press. Member: OWAA & > OWC. Author of: A Compendium of Canadian Fly Patterns (co-author), > Stillwater Fly Fishing: Tools & Tactics, How to Choose & Use Fly-tying > Thread, Modern Atlantic Salmon Flies, Miramichi River Journal, Ausable > River Journal, and Atlantic Salmon. > > > > > -- > No virus found in this incoming message. > Checked by AVG Free Edition. > Version: 7.5.446 / Virus Database: 268.18.7/713 - Release Date: 3/7/2007 9:24 AM > >
