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Spinning reel discombobulation in Australia


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G'day

Just read the Alan Hawk spinning reel review and it raises the age old question, well 49 year old question for me.  I was born in SA but lived in pommieland from age 6 - 13.  Learned to fish and got hooked over those 7 years.  Spinning reels are supplied with the handle on the left for the majority of users who are right handed.  Casting accurately is all managed by the dominant hand and the simple task of making the handle go round and round is done by the dumb hand.  Left handers do the opposite of course

Then come back to Oz and handles are getting put on the right, right handed people are swapping the rod back and forth between hands and then asking me if I'm left handed  :D 

Bizarre

Look on any USA or UK site and check the handles configured for right handers.

My question.  Do they swap them in the tackle shops or are they specially requested to be in left handed mode?

This problem could take generations to rectify and it hasn't even made it to the media yet  ;)

Anyway, have fun all you discombobulated  :)

Cheers

Rod

Here's the shimano USA site as an example

http://fish.shimano.com/content/sac-fish/en/home/products/fishing-reels/spinning.html

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I'm right handed, and always used reels set up "aussie spec" until recently. I swapped and it only took a short time to get used to using my left hand to spin the handle. I feel i now have much more control, especially with working lures etc, and can get ready to set a hook on the drop easily without having to swap hands.

 

But yes, WHY were they swapped over for the Australian market in the first place? Maybe they think we need to do things the opposite way in the southern hemisphere seeing as we're upside down?

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Rod, Steve Starling has been writing about this for years. Not really worth worrying about, there may be an advantage for some people, but watch clips of some of Australia's and Americas top anglers, lots of them switch. I think it stems more from years past when the availability of quality tackle was less here in Oz. Even now, try buying a LH wind baitcaster. Only one shop I know of stocks them, and they sell in small numbers. Not much effort needed to change an eggbeater over if that is what you want.

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Spent most of my life in the US and I have always cast spin gear with my right and wound with my left, but as Knackers pointed out, I do the reverse with overhead gear. Guess it doesn't matter much, do whatever works for you.

 

What I don't understand is those who cast and wind with the same hand, having to swap hands after casting, seems quite inefficient.

 

Most modern spin reels the handles are convertible left or right, so change it to whatever you prefer.

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Don't listen to me. The first decent spinning reel I ever owned (my second) was a shim baitrunner I got for my 40th six years ago. Prior to that all overheads. So I cannot wind a reel with my left hand worth a damn. I gave it a go for a day and ended up with RSI like symptoms. I tried because casting over and over and swapping over is inefficient. I can absolutely see why chucking SP all day for Bream winding with your left makes sense. I don't do much of that type of fishing. If you bottom bash catching snaps and kgw it really doesn't matter much - to me. Plus I'm too old to change

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Hey guys for me I spin with my left but the last couple years I've been using RH wind overheads too.. Just had to train myself and its not too bad ya know.

 

Main reason is I didn't want to miss out on all the nice overhead gear and not to mention the very very limited selection of LH wind reels currently offered in Australia didn't help either.

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A bit of a non issue for me, being completely left handed ,footed  as bad as anyone can imagine, spending time fishing with right handers in the family from a youth up the river  yorkes ect  everyones reels except for mine were set up handle to the right , so somehow adapted to winding right but still  cast left.

My brother bowls left handed bats right in cricket, and  be hard for some to believe in a game years ago he took 8 for 23 with the ball bowling left handed and made 123 with the bat  right handed in the one game.

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I can do most things just as badly with each hand.

Cast any side but do wind right 

I play baseball, golf, cricket, pool & table tennis with both hands mate says that it is cheating :lol: especially the serve.

I wore out my right hand as a teenager so had to practice with the left  (y)

 

Rod I have a pile of old reels that have broken anti reverse switches.

I believe the only reason for the reverse switch is so "POMS" can reverse & play with carp to make them more sporting :wacko:

I will stick to using the drag thanks

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Thanks for the feedback everyone

It's still a puzzle as to why the difference northern and southern hemisphere.  I think dmck has come the closest to giving me closure on this question (Coriolis effect)  :)  Why didn't I think of that LOL

Then there's the whole overhead thing, more puzzles.  Perhaps they were originally for winding with the left hand but then someone started using them with the rod turned over so they could see the line when went ffffzzzzzzzzzzzzblat  :)

Cheers and tight lines whichever way 

Cheers

Rod

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  • 4 weeks later...

It is probably the market sending the non sales , being right handed overheads to Australia . LOL . And then the retailers just putting the spins on the same side . hahahahaha . I have managed to get myself a decent shimano td25 overhead with left hand wind for those bigger fish eg , Tuna , Sampsons rays and hopefully a Kingy this year for myself , you know for fishing properly , hehehe . Putting the whole handle , to what ever side , it really does come down to having better strength , feeling and control in the dominant hand and using this to fight the fish with .

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