Fishing: Roger’s Remarks for Sept. 29

I hate to admit it, but I’ve been a spin-casting addict all my life, avoiding level-wind reels like the plague! So recently, when a friend pointedly asked if I was still using spincasting setups to downrig, I had to sheepishly admit I was. However, trying to appear broadminded, I said that I had been seriously contemplating trying to use level winds just for trolling purposes.

Why had I avoided level winds for so long? Well, for starters, I can’t stand casting a so-called right-handed setup, which requires me to switch hands after casting with my right to hold the pole with my left and reel with my right. It just didn’t seem right! Sort of like asking me to throw the discus with my left hand. I always used the dominant right side to do the heaviest and trickiest work, so switching holding my pole to my weak left side was a bummer, and my instincts rebelled! I reel with my left – end of story!

OK, I know, you’re thinking, so why doesn’t he just use a left-handed reel? Well, back in the antediluvian days of my youth, there weren’t many left-handed reels. Many models ignored the issue because so many guys used the right-hand models. Why should I change my functional style just because everyone else said it was the right way to do it? And besides, I watched many of them constantly fight line tangles!

Maybe it had something to do with the fact I was backward – literally. I had found out at an young age that I was right-handed but wired backward since I also jumped off my right foot – opposite of the usual dominant jump foot for a right-handed person. You should have seen me in some of my high hurdle races since my trail leg was the right one and the guy on my right was usually normal with a left trail leg. I found that trail legs aren’t able to occupy the same space at the same time, so it would be a war of who could stay on balance and not fall as our trail legs whacked each other. My normal was backward, but it worked: So there!!

About 10 years ago, with the encouragement of a good fishing friend, I once again tried to figure out how a level-wind reel would fit into my world. First, I would try out a left-handed level wind, but within minutes the ugly backlash reminded me why I had such a deep-seated dislike for the reels. Working out a huge birds nest, I gamely tried to make the outfit work for the day, but each time I made a long cast the darn thing would go postal! My spinning reel disasters weren’t nearly this bad. Hyperventilating, I couldn’t get my regular spinning rod back in my hand fast enough as I (lied) told him that, “I will just have to learn how to cast this on the next trip!” Then some deep breaths, as I overcame the claustrophobic feeling. The outfit was propped up against my wall for the next few years. “Maybe I would try again someday, just not this day,” I mumbled to myself.

Fast forward to now, and the recent barb about me still using spinning reels for trolling. Yeah, maybe I should try again, as I tried to justify and overcome my reluctance? Incredibly, a fishing buddy had just gotten some new high quality level winds and he suggested I try out one of the left-handed high-speed models. Maybe this was what I was missing? I locked the reel onto the 7-10 rod and carefully tried casting a swimbait. Hmm … the anti-reverse magnets were working smoothly as I pitched the lure a good 30 yards, then another at 40 yards – and not one backlash. Yes! The longer rod, the left-handed reel with a great magnetic system and a high gear ratio, were the missing pieces of the puzzle that I needed to make it finally “feel right.” Yes!

It took me along time to overcome my past experiences, but it’s fun to be an “old dog” that just found a new bone to chew on! You laugh! Never give up!

This story was originally published September 29, 2015 at 4:17 PM with the headline "Fishing: Roger’s Remarks for Sept. 29."