Whne I first learned to fish many years ago, I learned on spinning reels. They all had the reel handle on the left side. You cast and held the rod with your right hand, reeled in line and fish with your left. I was right handed. Seemed quite natural that this was the 'optimum' method for a right handed fisherman.

Bought a level wind casting reel eventually. At the time, all the ones I'd seen had the reel handle on the right side. If you were right handed, you cast the rod with your right hand, then switched hands after the lure hit the water and operated the reel with your right hand. Seemed backwards to me. I wasn't as good at manipulating the rod to give action to a lure with my left hand on the rod. My left hand wasn't as strong nor did it have the same reflexes as my right hand/arm did. Setting hooks was difficult on the bass I was after.

When I saw my fisrt left hand crank level wind reel, I switched immediately.

On my first fly rod, the reel that came with it was right hand retrieve. Wasn't built to be switched. Took me some time and and a bit of work, but with a file, drill, and dremel I made it work so that I could fish without changing hands after the cast.

Makes absolutely no sense to me to change hands. The dominant hand needs to be on the rod. That's where the power, control, and finesse is. The weaker hand can easily learn to crank the reel and strip the line.

Besides, when I was bas fishing, it seemed that I'd get lot of strikes while changing hands. Not the best time to not have absolute control over the equipment. I've found the same thing to be true when fly fishing. Lots of takes in the first few seconds after the fly hits the water.

All that being said, I think it's possible for us to adapt to either way of doing it. I know lots of fishermen, both fly and conventional tackle, that do quite well with it with what I'd call backwards.

Buddy