Stan Fagerstrom
02-28-2003, 08:46 AM
The Easy Way To Cast Left Handed
Part 1
By Stan Fagerstrom
Bass fishing requires a whole lot of casting with the resulting strain on the body parts required to do it.
It's mid-afternoon. You've been on the water since before daylight. You're wet, tired and you're hungry. You're having trouble figuring out which hurts most---your right wrist and shoulder from long hours of repeated casting or your butt from where its been rubbing on the bow pedestal seat of your bass boat.
One of these days, you say to yourself, I'm gonna take the time to learn how to cast left-handed. It sure would make life easier when I'm out here for hours as I have been today
Ever find yourself in that situation? If you have are maybe you're one of the many fishermen who has always wanted to be able to cast left-handed but figured you couldn't. Well, you can. I'm going to devote this and my next column to left handed casting. I'm fixin' to tell you an easy way to go about it.
I remember a fishing trip a friend and I made on California's Clear Lake many years ago. We had been making one cast after another for eight hours. We hadn't even stopped for a cup of coffee. I looked around to see my friend holding his right arm and rubbing his elbow. I asked him what was wrong.
"It's my elbow and shoulder," he said. "The doc says I've got some bursitis in my right shoulder and elbow. When we fish are hard as you and I have today it hurts to beat hell. I sure wish I could cast left-handed."
"You can," I replied. "Look, the fish aren't biting worth a toot right now anyhow. Let me show you how you can cast left-handed and take the strain off that right arm any time you want. It won't take you take 10 minutes to learn the technique I'm talking about."
What I shared with my fishing partner that afternoon is a method that works for almost anybody willing to spend a little time practicing. It figures there are fishermen reading this story who could benefit by it.
Let me establish something in the beginning. I'm right-handed all the way. If you think you have to be ambidextrous to practice the technique I'm about to describe---guess again. I'm not comfortable even blowing my nose left-handed. But the left-handed casting technique I'm about to share is a simple procedure anyone who really wants to can learn. And it won't take all that long to do it.
Here's the way to go about it: Hold your rod and reel in your left hand. I'm assuming that like most right handers you are using a level wind reel with the handles on the right side. Clamp down on the reel's spool with your left thumb.
Now comes the step that is the key to whole thing. Remember, now, you're holding your rod and reel in your left hand. Simply reach across your body with your right hand and grasp the bottom of the rod handle. I can hear some reader snort: "Wait a minute! You said I was going to be casting left-handed. Now here you are talking about using my right hand."
Let me explain. The procedure I'm talking about does require the use of the right hand and forearm, but to a very limited degree. It's not going to put any stress on the right arm, shoulder or elbow. You can use this method all day for the amount of stress it puts on those body parts.
Here's why: As I've detailed, you're holding the rod and reel in your left hand. Your left thumb is on the reel's spool. All you've done is just reach across your body with the right hand to grip the bottom of the rod handle. Your left thumb will control things as far as the reel is concerned. Your right hand grips the rod handle below the left hand.
http://www.ifish.net/sfcastleft.jpg
Here's the easy way to cast left handed.
http://www.ifish.net/sfcastleft2.jpg
Now just reach across your body and grip the end of the rod handle with your right hand.
You'll bring your rod back over your left shoulder as you cast.
The left arm and shoulder does almost all of the work involved, but gripping the end of the rod with the right hand provides the kind of control a right hander needs to cast from the port side.
The difference between the way you normally cast right-handed and this left-handed method is that now the rod comes back over your left shoulder. Another difference is that your left thumb is used to control the reel's spool. The final and most important difference is that now the left arm, elbow and shoulder provide almost all of the physical effort required. Your right hand merely provides guidance and control. It will help you get the kind of accuracy you need and want. Other than that the right hand and forearm just sort of goes along for the ride.
I spend at least half of my bass fishing time casting in the fashion I'm talking about. I'll provide additional details in my next column. Watch for it beginning March 15th.
[ 03-14-2003, 07:47 AM: Message edited by: Jennie@ifish ]
Part 1
By Stan Fagerstrom
Bass fishing requires a whole lot of casting with the resulting strain on the body parts required to do it.
It's mid-afternoon. You've been on the water since before daylight. You're wet, tired and you're hungry. You're having trouble figuring out which hurts most---your right wrist and shoulder from long hours of repeated casting or your butt from where its been rubbing on the bow pedestal seat of your bass boat.
One of these days, you say to yourself, I'm gonna take the time to learn how to cast left-handed. It sure would make life easier when I'm out here for hours as I have been today
Ever find yourself in that situation? If you have are maybe you're one of the many fishermen who has always wanted to be able to cast left-handed but figured you couldn't. Well, you can. I'm going to devote this and my next column to left handed casting. I'm fixin' to tell you an easy way to go about it.
I remember a fishing trip a friend and I made on California's Clear Lake many years ago. We had been making one cast after another for eight hours. We hadn't even stopped for a cup of coffee. I looked around to see my friend holding his right arm and rubbing his elbow. I asked him what was wrong.
"It's my elbow and shoulder," he said. "The doc says I've got some bursitis in my right shoulder and elbow. When we fish are hard as you and I have today it hurts to beat hell. I sure wish I could cast left-handed."
"You can," I replied. "Look, the fish aren't biting worth a toot right now anyhow. Let me show you how you can cast left-handed and take the strain off that right arm any time you want. It won't take you take 10 minutes to learn the technique I'm talking about."
What I shared with my fishing partner that afternoon is a method that works for almost anybody willing to spend a little time practicing. It figures there are fishermen reading this story who could benefit by it.
Let me establish something in the beginning. I'm right-handed all the way. If you think you have to be ambidextrous to practice the technique I'm about to describe---guess again. I'm not comfortable even blowing my nose left-handed. But the left-handed casting technique I'm about to share is a simple procedure anyone who really wants to can learn. And it won't take all that long to do it.
Here's the way to go about it: Hold your rod and reel in your left hand. I'm assuming that like most right handers you are using a level wind reel with the handles on the right side. Clamp down on the reel's spool with your left thumb.
Now comes the step that is the key to whole thing. Remember, now, you're holding your rod and reel in your left hand. Simply reach across your body with your right hand and grasp the bottom of the rod handle. I can hear some reader snort: "Wait a minute! You said I was going to be casting left-handed. Now here you are talking about using my right hand."
Let me explain. The procedure I'm talking about does require the use of the right hand and forearm, but to a very limited degree. It's not going to put any stress on the right arm, shoulder or elbow. You can use this method all day for the amount of stress it puts on those body parts.
Here's why: As I've detailed, you're holding the rod and reel in your left hand. Your left thumb is on the reel's spool. All you've done is just reach across your body with the right hand to grip the bottom of the rod handle. Your left thumb will control things as far as the reel is concerned. Your right hand grips the rod handle below the left hand.
http://www.ifish.net/sfcastleft.jpg
Here's the easy way to cast left handed.
http://www.ifish.net/sfcastleft2.jpg
Now just reach across your body and grip the end of the rod handle with your right hand.
You'll bring your rod back over your left shoulder as you cast.
The left arm and shoulder does almost all of the work involved, but gripping the end of the rod with the right hand provides the kind of control a right hander needs to cast from the port side.
The difference between the way you normally cast right-handed and this left-handed method is that now the rod comes back over your left shoulder. Another difference is that your left thumb is used to control the reel's spool. The final and most important difference is that now the left arm, elbow and shoulder provide almost all of the physical effort required. Your right hand merely provides guidance and control. It will help you get the kind of accuracy you need and want. Other than that the right hand and forearm just sort of goes along for the ride.
I spend at least half of my bass fishing time casting in the fashion I'm talking about. I'll provide additional details in my next column. Watch for it beginning March 15th.
[ 03-14-2003, 07:47 AM: Message edited by: Jennie@ifish ]