A hypothetical question occurred to me while reading a post about introducing a newcomer to fly fishing:

If you're teaching someone who will spend a lot of time fishing from a drifting boat is it reasonable to encourage them to learn to cast with the left hand from the beginning (presuming than most anglers are right-handed)?

I ask because:
1) Fishing with a lefty negates the need for one rod to cast over the shoulder or over the boat (and oarsman's face) and lessens the likelihood of tangling on the cast. If you are in a small boat or fishing Hebridean-style with two rods out of the stern life is much easier when you are 'matched'.

2) I'm left-handed but for some reason I learnt to cast with my right! I've no idea why this happened but don't feel it's impaired me at all or remember thinking it felt odd at the time. In fact, one small advantage may be that it leaves the 'more dexterous' hand free to deal with the line.

So, is there a case for encouraging right-handed newcomers to learn to cast with the 'wrong' hand - especially if you expect to fish with them a lot? Or is the whole business of learning already tricky enough?

Can't see any milage in teaching a righty to cast with the left from the outset. Surely it is, as you hinted, difficult enough to begin with. Teach them to cast with the 'proper' hand-the right one .

Ever tried casting with the left? Almost impossible unless both you and the rod are double jointed . What?

Chris.

Teach him/her to be proficient with their dominant hand first. Then add the other hand as an option. I cast with both and it does come in handy now and then.

I used to know a casting instructor who taught beginners to cast over their left shoulder. It has the effect of eliminating the problem of the rod dropping back too far on the back cast, as the rod holding hand comes into contact with the left shoulder.

Could be a good idea to teach this from the start for boat fishing. When I am casting in a boat with the other angler on my right I cast like this, it saves a lot of trouble. Also useful when the wind is blowing from right to left.

Gordon

You beat me to it! I totally agree! But my left hand casting is no-where nearly as good as the right-hand casting; although it has come in very Handy at times.

many with a poor back cast do have nice high tight back cast of the other shoulder, like any cast, if you force yourself to cast all day with it, it becomes more natural, just fish with the one you cant do is really just the same process we all go through with every cast initially.