I bought a very lightly used Orvis Battenkill Mark V reel as a spare.
The guy has spooled the reel backwards and it is set up as a right hand retrieve. Set up this way the drag is engaged on the retrieve so the drag is non existent. (probably why he sold it)
Question : Can I change this over to left hand and if so How?
Would I just flip over and reverse the cam on the drag. When I remove the screw, it doesn’t want to come off easily and I didn’t want to force it.
Your probably well off to get in touch with the folkes at Orvis.
I think that they have a place on the website for help.
I am also realativly sure that they have a toll free #.
Good luck .
p,s if you get no satisfaction with orvis and get disgusted with the real ,
pm me and I will send you an address for proper disposal of the offending real. 
As I visualize it, if you just turned the whole reel over so that it was reeling from the left, that might be the answer - maybe it is set up for LHW, but the guy wanted to reel right handed, so he turned it over. Oh, and you might need to re-spool the line so it is going the other way?
Usually with that type of reel you see the gear sprocket on the spindle and not the spool. You would just have to turn the gear wheel over and your done.
On this one, if you can turn the grear over, than your only half way there. The chrome guide on the bottom of the reel needs to be able to turn around as well. If you can do that… try it. If not, then it’s one of those reels you have to buy as a right or left handed reel.
Hello Duffin,it looks like a single pawl drag, to reverse it you have to flip the pawl ,you reel in the direction of the open part of the pawl ,turn the pawl so as the open end is opposite of where it is now, this is how you reverse Hardy reels but I believe it to be the same for all click and pawl reelsHope this helps
From the picture of the pawl, it is set up for LH retrieve; just as my Orvis Mark IV has been since the 1980’s. Seems you should respool the backing & flyline so it will be useable for the left hand also.
On the other reels, you take that little triangle and flip it over…then flip the chrome line guard over. But if it is just spooled backwards, that should be an easy fix. Possibly time consuming, but easy…LOL
Call Orvis, or use their chat or email support links on their website. They have always responded to my question quickly and with good answers.
