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Someone, somewhere, some time ago, there was a mistake made as to how the description of right hand and left hand retrieve was placed on baitcasters. If it is true that right handed people should use right hand retrieve reels than why is it that left handed people use right hand retrieve reels also. Was the confusion caused by catalog sales where people ordering them thought that right hand meant the reel is for right handed people not right hand retrieve. I'm in the process or purchasing a new reel and I am having a hard time finding a left hand retrieve reel because few right handed people use them. I don't understand why everyone else wants to swap hands to cast and swap back to reel.

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Agree with you entirely. I am left handed and use a RH baitcast retrieve (same as I do for spinning).
Why go through the swap hands deal? Ya got me
Have seen a lot of LH retrieve baitcast on ebay, you might want to try there

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Left handed reels are held in the left hand and right handed reels are held in the right hand. you'll find both left and right handed reels designated as either left hand or right hand reels on eBay but the hand that holds the reel is the designation for the reel because that would be the persons stronger arm. Thats my story and I'm stickin to it.

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Left handed reels are turned bythe left hand and right handed reels are turned by the right hand. you'll find both left and right handed reels designated as either left hand or right hand reels on eBay but the hand that turns the reel handle is the designation for the reel. Thats my story and I'm stickin to it.

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Henry, I'm bidding on one now. I think both poe's and Peen make only right hand wind reels to further complicate things.

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Wing,

Now I'm really confused. For a "left hand" reel, is the rod held in the right hand and the reel cranked with the left?

Gary

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That is correct Gary. A reel designated LH means the crank is on the left side of the reel, not that it is intended for southpaws.

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some left handed baicaster has an 1 at the end of the size. Ie shimano calcutta 301,401 etc..While some manufactures use the simple r/l after the size/model. I hope that helps

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I have 2 Penn SpinfisherV 10500 spinning reels that were delivered here last week. Both of these reels have the crank on the left hand side of the reel when it is in proper position on a rod. These reels are "right-hand" models and are clearly described as such by Penn. My 114H2LW Penn Special Senator reels are clearly marked and identified by Penn as "right hand" reels, but their cranks are located on the right hand side of the rod when they are properly mounted. Apparently, if it's a right hand version of a spinning reel, at least at Penn, the crank will be on the left side of the reel in fishing position. I am unable to find such a thing as a left-hand model of the Spinfisher V. The 114H2LW reels, however, DO have a left-handed model that is a 114H2LWLH with the crank located on the left-hand side of those reels. By the way, the "LW" in the reel model number indicates a wide spool version, the "LH" in the model number indicates Left Hand retrieve.

I find that the standard appears to be confusing only if comparing spinning to baitcasting reels. All baitcasting reels that are considered to be right handed are "right hand retrieve", in other words, the crank is on the right hand side of the reel. I assume that even though spinning reels hang upside down on rods in normal use compared to baitcasting reels, manufacturers have decided that they are still right handed, but they are OBVIOUSLY NOT right hand retrieve reels in normal use. I don't know why things are this way, but they are, and always have been, to my recollection.

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it is my understanding that the handle of the Penn Spinfisher V 10500 can be put on either side of the reel simply by swapping the handle on one side with the plug on the other. Ive had several Penn spinning reels with that feature. Yes, Penn conventional reels are designated as left or right hand.

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Great information, guys. The subject has now been clarified for all.

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As I may be the "old guy" on this discussion let me add a little history to the mix. In the "olden days" back when I first saw a baitcasting reel (probably about 1947) they were all the same. Crank handles were on the right. Righties cast and switched hands to crank. As I am a leftie, I thought is was great as I could cast with the left and crank with the right.

However when I got my first spinning reel in the 60s I had to buy a left hand reel. Mitchell 300 was for righties and 301 was for lefties. In this particular reel the bail turned one way for R and the other way for L.

Eventually someone figured out how to just change the handle from side to side. For fly reels there are several systems of changing or turning over internal components to change the orientation.

As a mentor for the local fly fishing club I still find some people that have to cast and crank with the same hand. So I always have to ask before setting up their reel.