if your other baitcasters are right handed, you should stick with a right handed reel in and learn to use it for jigs... I tried out a guys left handed baitcaster the other day and caught a fish - I had a hard time setting the hook, I did it, but it was not fun and it was not fun reeling it in.
I use left handed spinning reels, and it's a totally different beast in reeling techniques between the two. I think my next jig rod/reel setup is going to be the Daiwa Zillion paired with a 6'8 - 7'3 MH rig.
I can swim jigs with my Daiwa Viento on a Kistler Helium LTA 6'9 rod no problem. The way I let my jig fall straight down vertically takes a little practice, but it can be done. I set my reel up (tension/brake) just like you do normally, turning the tension knob with the bait falling just before it hits the water. I then loosen the tension knob just a little bit more and by doing that I have to control the spool with my thumb. Then when I cast and thumb play the spool, when the jig hit the water I let it sink for 2 sec so get the slack out of the line, then let off the spool and it pull the line out. You can also turn your wrist just a little so the reel is sitting to the left (right hand holding the rod) instead of it sitting directly on top. One thing I've learned is that when you cast, at the end of your cast, go ahead and turn your wrist a little and you can generally get an addition yard or two on that cast and the line just comes off easier. I can't explain why, but it works on all of my casts.
By the way, where is Tazewell, TN? I just looked it up, 4.5 hours... not too bad. I'm in Canton, GA which is an hour south of Chattanooga. If I can work it out sometime I'd like to come out and let you put me on some big fish. I'd do the same for you down here, but the water I fish is electric only and I've got a 1236 jon... and I don't think the fish I've been catching are really worth travelling that far for.