Hi, I'm a total newbie. I'm left handed, writing with my left hand, held my squash raquet with my left hand but batted at cricket as a right hander. As an apprenticed instrument fitter who has grown up in a right handed world, I'm fairly 'ambidextrous'. Question: Should I learn to cast left handed or right handed.

Both. There are many situations in which the ability to cast with the other hand is a distinct advantage, so you are very lucky. But start with the one which feels more 'natural' when you pick up the rod.
Angus

Shaun, I'm in a similar situation. When I first started about 8 years ago I took a casting lesson and started off casting with my right hand. However, after about a year I had the opportunity to fish on small freestone rivers and quickly found that casting with both left and right hands a real advantage. Today, I routinely switch from left to right depending on the situation. I find that I cast more accurately right handed, but have only been able to perfect the double haul when casting left handed. I find that I am most comfortable figure of eight retrieving with my left hand. When I play a fish I prefer to hold my rod in my right hand.

My recommendation would be to get a casting lesson or two very early on, and focus on technique with whichever hand feels best and worry about becoming ambidextrous with the rodonce you have mastered some basic skills.

Godd luck.

I'm the same as you - everything single-handed I'm a leftie, still a leftie with a rifle and guitar, but hold cricket bat and golf club right-handed for reasons unknown. Agree it is an advantage if you can be truly ambidextrous, especially for river fishing, but also has its uses when boat fishing - if your partner is a right-hander, you fish left-handed, and vice verso.

I've been a leftie boat fisher all my days and the thing you will find is that lefties develop a ridiculous amount of lean out to the side, due to years and years of fishing with right-handers. There is another thread a guy started on left handed fly tying, which went off on a tangent into casting and we posted some pics of us lefties in boats on it.

Also very useful if you ever get into salmon fishing to learn to Spey cast right and left-handed. The one other thing I do right handed is hold a spinning rod, so when it came to the point where I was learning to Spey cast, I didn't know which way I wanted to hold the rod, so I learned both ways, and it is very useful being able to do it both left hand and right hand up the rod.

As already suggested, it would be a good idea to get a lesson from a pro instructor now, while you are not too set in your ways, and see if you can get into the habit of being able to cast with both hands. If you find you can't master it with both hands equally, don't worry - you will be in good company. If you can only go with one hand, go leftie. Although I am in part saying that on behalf of the left-handers union , there will be more times you are fishing with a right-hander than a left hander*, so it is useful to be a leftie. Apart from boats, if you and a right hander fish a river it gives you an 'easier' bank each, or if you and a right-hander fish a hill loch off the bank, you can set off down one side each and both have the wind over your correct shoulder... and so on.

Col

* Having said that, I was once a member of a party of six that went on a boat fishing holiday to Chew and Blagdon, and four of us were left-handed

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My hovercraft is full of eels

Dead right.

Being able to cast either handed is a distinct advantage.

In fact, it is vital for most river situations in my opinion.

I totally agree it is an advantage, but I'm not sure about saying to a newcomer that it is vital, as it may give him the idea that there is no point trying to fish rivers unless he can master casting with both hands. Many of us can only cast a single handed rod with one hand, and it doesn't stop us fishing rivers and catching fish. For sure, it would be great if we could switch hands, but we can't. We just have to live with it.

Please don't take this as any sort of criticism of your post - I do know exactly what you are getting at.

Col

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My hovercraft is full of eels

No offence taken at all, you are right, it is not vital, more, advantageous.
I suppose i based the comment with my river in mind, which fishes from both banks, which does make it tricky.

For sure, depends very much on the river, which bank you are on, what's at the back of you, where the fish lie, and what the wind is doing. That's a lot for a beginner to get his head round.

I wish I had learned to cast with both hands when I was young, but I am too old to be able to do it now. If I am fishing down and across wets for trout on a river like the Tay and I am stuck on the wrong bank for a leftie with a high bank or trees behind me, I quite often use a double Spey cast. Works a treat.

A mate of mine has been taking me to a favourite stretch of his, where it is all about stalking big brownies with a dry fly. Only trouble is, he is right-handed, and all the favourite lies that he has sussed out over the years are perfect for him, but near-impossible for me. He's tucked up against the bank, nicely hidden while he flicks his fly up to the fish, while I am standing out in the middle of the river, sticking out like a sore thumb . A good case again for learning to cast with both hands if you are able.

Col

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My hovercraft is full of eels

Another advantage to being able to cast with either hand is that if you're fishing and the wind is coming over and across your shoulder you can just change hand to that side instead of trying to cast across your body.

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I am left handed but started fly fishing right handed .
But soon found out i nether had the strength or accuracy with my right hand.
So I changed over to my Left hand and found after a little while practising that i did much better.
As a timing aid I found it advantages to put a rod in both hands and practice casting the two together .
This will also help anyone wanting to learn to cast with their other hand,
Using a double handed rod I prefer to put my left hand on the rod but, also in competitions ive found most casting platform have been set up for a right handed person.