Right hand wind
I grew up in the era of bait casting reels, when they were all right hand wind. My Dad, Grandfather and everyone else, being right handed, would cast, then change hands to retrieve. That always struck me as odd to the point I wondered if whoever invented those reels might have been a lefty, like me. I didn't have that problem. In fact I had no problem at all with those reels. Cast, retrieve, no switching hands. Now when spinning reels came out, they were a big problem for me, in more ways than one. Most fly reels being easily reversible, I get along fine.
Spey casting, however, throws another algorithm into the equation. Wind. One must learn to cast on the lee side of the wind, or it will hurt you. I used to be a switch hands caster. But as I started casting big stuff, Skagit style, I began to question the validity of "the proper way" (switching hands vs cack handed) of casting. When seeing the Skagit Jedi's huck those monster flies such incredible distances with a cack handed cast, it becomes rather difficult to defend the traditional argument.
So I set upon the task of decoding that cast by watching SM I repeatedly until the various parts of the sequence began to make sense to me. Because of where I most often fish, I have to date become efficient only with river right double spey, cack handed. Not so much that I was unable to make that cast right hand up, But once I started doing it cack handed, I discovered other advantages doing it that way. Cast, mend, while still holding rod in left hand, grab wading staff tethered at the ready to my right, step down, release staff, strip or retrieve with right hand. Repeat. Almost as simple, and sensible, as the old days with bait casting reels.
I kinda feel for those of you who never conquered retrieving with the non dominate hand. :razz:
