I know what Lefty says; which is to crank the fly reel with your dominant hand...but not everyone does that. The reason is that you're more coordinated, thus efficient, with your dominant hand cranking.

I think I'm doing it wrong. I'm right handed, but with the fly rod I've ALWAYS cranked the reel with my left hand. Where as, with conventional tackle, I always cast with right hand then swap the rod to left hand and crank with my right. Don't need to mention that I also flip a spinning reel up(side down) and crank backward...my dad caused that, don't know why he does it either.

I'm seriously thinking about changing all of my fly reels to right hand retrieve. Does that make sense? The only time it would change anything is playing a fish "on" the reel. Most likely I'd still strip line with my left hand, and mend/roll cast with my right.

So, what do you do?

I just find it more "natural" to keep the rod in my right hand (I am right handed) and crank with my left when the reel is below the rod (fly or spinning).
Oddly, when I tried a left hand retrieve baitcasting reel it felt uncomfortable.

Only twice in my life have I ever had to fight a fish off the reel. The rest of the time I use my left hand to pull in the line. The time I caught a 9# largemouth bass on my fly rod I retrieved the line by hand. When I got the fish into the boat and was taking a picture of it I noticed that the reel had fallen off the rod while I was fighting the fish, and I didn't even know it.

Nice interesting stuff Carter, crank with my left, play the fish with my right ..
That's my dominant and stronger hand ...bigger fish, immediate to the reel, small
Panfish size left handed line retrieve ....but I can pick my nose either right or left handed, took some practice but I mastered it quickly.

Paul

No more cayenne pepper for me Joe, I learned my lesson

I'm a south paw I cast with my right,strip it back with my left

Have always used a left-hand retrieve. My right hand is dominant and stronger to hang on to all of my 6" trout and gills.

Though I'm somewhat both-handed, I couldn't have said it any better myself.

Although there was that one time when I went on a Medalist kick and retrieved right handed for a little while. And when I say 'retrieve', I am talking about when I gather the line in after fishing because putting a fish on the reel is just weird.

I let the reel decide. I like old reels with my old rods and a lot of them are RH retrieve. Don't get too hung op on it, have more trouble going from cane to graphite than left to right hand retrieve. Besides, it's good for the brain to mix things up.

Mike

I'm going to confuse the situation here... I currently have some on the right hand retrieve and some on the left hand retrieve, but for me it is much more comfortable palming the reel (if the fish gets onto the reel) with my right hand. Other than that I cast right handed mostly, retrieve line left handed and reel in right handed (is easier to do this quickly to change spots than with the left), IF some truck takes my fly line and I feel the drag is not set high enough (after a juggling act of swapping the rod to my left hand) I palm the reel with my right hand instead of readjusting the drag setting. Strange hey, and everyone wants a massive drag knob (which ends up sitting on the left hand side of my left hand) but instinctively I palm on the right with my right. Any good suggestions for a shrink?