Left- vs. right-handed spinning reels

The short version

Most spinning reels have the handle on the left side. They are made for right-handed anglers, who cast and hold the rod with the right hand and crank with the left.

A spinning reel with the handle on the right side is made for a left-handed angler.

Why it gets confusing

In discussions about spinning reels, "left" and "right" get used for two different things:

  • The angler's handedness: which hand casts and holds the rod.

  • The handle side: which side of the reel the crank is on. This is often referred to as "left-hand retrieve" or "right-hand retrieve." It could also, and maybe most clearly, be stated as "handle on left side" or handle on right side."

For a spinning reel, these two are opposites. A right-handed angler uses a reel with the handle on the left side of the reel. Sellers, forum posts, and even collector publications referring to spinning reels sometimes use left- and right-handed in ambiguous ways. Manufacturer documentation is not always clear either.

Contrasted with spinning reels, baitcasting reels sit on top of the rod, so a reel with the handle on the right side is for a right-handed angler. This adds yet more to the confusion in discussions about different reel types and left vs. right.

Manufacturer documentation

Following are a couple of examples to illustrate how a couple of well-known mid-century manufacturers approached the manufacture and documentation of spinning reel models that differed only in which side the handle is on.

Pflueger Pelican model no. 1020

Pflueger was very clear in their box insert as to the purpose for their left- and right-handed variations on their model no. 1020.

  • 1020: handle on the left (standard, for right-handed anglers)

  • 1020A: handle on the right (left-handed version)

The box insert explains this clearly on the schematic / parts list, for example, the schematic / parts list includes a note: "Part numbers followed by A designate parts for the 1020A Left Hand Model." Of course this still assumes the angler / reader knows that a right-handed angler will want a spinning reel with the handle on the left side!

Penn Spinfisher 700 series

Penn was a good bit less clear about the differences between handle on the left / handle on the right variations in their Spinfisher series. While at least one otherwise comprehensive one box insert lists all the various model numbers and includes schematics and parts lists, there is no clear explanation of the differences between the models in terms of handle on the left / handle on the right versions, the schematics do not show the different parts for the different versions, and the parts lists do not list the parts for the versions with handles on the right side.

Handle on left
(right-handed angler)		 Handle on right
(left-handed angler)
704 705
710 711
712 713
720 / 722 -

The difference between the 720 and 722 models was not a left-right disctinction, but internal - bushings vs. bearings - and is covered more fully in the Penn 720 overview.

References

  • Penn Fishing Tackle Mfg. Co. Instruction Manual Spinfisher 720, et al
  • Shakespeare, Secrets of Successful Fishing (1962)
  • The Enterprise Mfg. Co. Facts You'll Want to Know about the New Pflueger Pelican Spinning Reel

For full source details, see References.