Centrepin reels-is it just a spin....

[tigger]

I've just noticed the above article on FM which was posted way back in 2004!
Whoever wrote it didn't know their harris from their elbow mg:.
I'm not sure if it was posted by someone called bumblebee...maybe bumblebrain would have been a more appropriate name :w.

 

[Another Dave]

Link us the article then boss.

 

[sam vimes]

Centrepin Reels – Is it Just Spin? | FishingMagic

 

[peter crabtree]

i agree with every point he makes.

 

[lutra]

I've just noticed the above article on FM which was posted way back in 2004!
Whoever wrote it didn't know their harris from their elbow mg:.
I'm not sure if it was posted by someone called bumblebee...maybe bumblebrain would have been a more appropriate name :w.

Yes a rubbish article imo because its someone knocking something they can't use, therefore doesn't know.

But imo he is right that it takes longer to master a pin over an eggbeater. Pins don't have the same casting range and a pin wouldn't be my first choice for fishing the waggler.

It's just sad he doesn't seem to have got past the first hurdle of learning to use a pin, or he would know the rest of what he wrote was rubbish.

 

[peterjg]

I have a couple of centre pins which I use quite often ànd I really enjoy fishing with them. I have used them for decades.

However; let's get real! Their use is limited to certain swims and situations. If overall they were better, then why don't all top match fishermen use them?

 

[lutra]

I have a couple of centre pins which I use quite often ànd I really enjoy fishing with them. I have used them for decades.

However; let's get real! Their use is limited to certain swims and situations. If overall they were better, then why don't all top match fishermen use them?

If you know any matches your aloud to choose the best stickfloat peg and can long trot 40yards without going through the next chaps peg, let me know.

 

[John Keane]

What the article writer is overlooking is the enjoyment of mastering the art of trotting with a pin. If I fish beaches I always use a multiplier and never a fixed spool. Harder to use but, ultimately, (to me anyway) more enjoyable. Any one of us can pontificate and write an article rubbishing something we don’t like and don’t do (in my case it would be modern carp fishing) but why bother? The phrase that should be applied here is “each to his own”

 

[108831]

There are limitations with the pin,but there are things most mortals can't do when trotting,ie unbroken trotting from the the reel,whereas with a fixed spool/closed face you have to let line off allowing too much line into the trot,I've fished with a pin in the morning and had an issue with it(dirt),so changed to a fixed spool and gone from catching to nothing,I wouldn't have believed it possible as I know what I want the float to do and it looked ok,I ended up putting the pin back on and struggling with the trot and caught a few more,as for playing fish on a pin,it is the best tool available,if you get the hang of it,some dont. Casting however can be a swine,which can lead to tangles,I find that when the wind is upstream is when I get most problems,it must be my lack of skill,that said it's horses for courses and what you get on best with to achieve your best results,I went Friday morning with nothing else but the pin,I enjoy fishing with it and by giving yourself no other option your ability improves,practice makes perfect...

 

[tigger]

I have a couple of centre pins which I use quite often ànd I really enjoy fishing with them. I have used them for decades.

However; let's get real! Their use is limited to certain swims and situations. If overall they were better, then why don't all top match fishermen use them?

When you say their use is limited, that's true, but the same can be said of any other reel. You can only cast so far with a multiplier or fixed spool.
For the rivers that I fish, and some of them are quite wide I can fish pretty much any swim I choose to with the centrepin reel.

Regarding top match anglers, if they could use a centrepin well enough then I would imagine they'd all be using them!
Simply stating that the reels are no good just because the person isn't capable of using one proficiently is a bit pathetic mg:.

 

[Jeff Woodhouse]

Regarding the linked article.

You must remember that in the very early days of Fishingmagic, Graham (founder and editor) allowed many articles that were very much tongue in cheek. Perhaps Bummblebee wasn't agreeing with everyone's thoughts about centrepins, but just as now, he created a talking point where folks could agree or disagree. I think he might be proud that his article and he were still being discussed and criticised today.

 

[sam vimes]

I don't have any issues with the article, even if it's entirely serious.
If I weren't a) bloody minded and b) a very regular angler, I very much doubt that I'd have persisted with a centrepin. Most of the reasons being highlighted in the article.

I know plenty of anglers that have given up on centrepins before becoming proficient enough to overcome some of the negatives. If they are the kind of angler that gets out once a month, at best, and fishes different methods on different venues, I don't blame them in the least. You can't blame anyone for making their life as easy as possible. Using a centrepin is closer to making life as difficult as possible as any type of reel gets.

Then there are those that buy the "wrong" reel and never get to discover that an alternative might iron out at least some of the negative aspects of their centrepin fishing.

 

[barbelboi]

If overall they were better, then why don't all top match fishermen use them?

Because the retrieve is quicker on a f/s and time's money to them...........

 

[S-Kippy]

I dont think centrepins are anything like as difficult to use as some people like to make out. They are less forgiving of ham fisted numpties than a fs reel for sure but, generally, unless you are attempting to cast 30 yards into a headwind you should be ok after a fairly short period of acclimatisation. In short....its not hard to use a centrepin competently. As in fly casting you have a lot more time than you think so slow down and dont rush.

I have no ambition to enter the UK Wallis cast championships....nor would I score high style points BUT i can ( and do) use a centrepin out of choice whenever I can....be that on running or still water. Only rarely do I ever use one when legering and then only at short range.

They are not for everyone. I didnt grow up using them but once I tried my first pin I enjoyed it so much it quickly became my reel of choice. I claim no bragging rights about that....for me its about enjoyment and I enjoy using a pin...even on those days and in those circumstances when I really shouldnt.

 

[tigger]

Because the retrieve is quicker on a f/s and time's money to them...........

Yeaph, your right bb, but, I don't think there's ewt in it if simply retreiving a float and end tackle after a fishless trott, not with my method of retreive any how .
I don't think there's ewt in it retreiving a larger fish either. I think the time you could retreive faster with a fixed spool is when winding in dace and small silvers which is probably what fills a lot of match anglers nets, or used to do before the popularity of commercials?

 

[nottskev]

I'm a very average centrepin user - loop casting and choosing to use pins where it's easy to do so - so I'm quite happy to believe some anglers can do things I'd find impossible, and good luck to them. I just use them where I can, within my limits.

But don't we have to admit that, whatever else you can do with pins, there are some things that are really only feasible with fs? Casting your bomb 60m into a reservoir in any conditions? Throwing your feeder right across a wide river like my local one? Flicking your 2bb waggler 20m+ into a lake or canal wide? And so on.

I'm not convinced match fishing is fs-based just because one reel has faster retrieve than another. It's more a matter of being able to effortlessly drop your rig anywhere you choose, and fish the lightest gear at the furthest distance if that's what's needed.

There must be some truth in the idea that fs users would find cp's are more versatile than they thought if they practised more. But the world was full of experienced cp users when the new invention converted most of them...... must have been some benefits?

I assumed the original article was just a provocative way of putting what most would agree with.

 

[mikench]

Tiggers retrieves defy physics!!! I was in awe!

 

[tigger]

Tiggers retrieves defy physics!!! I was in awe!

Thanks Mike, you can't beat a good retrieve lol.
I'd have made a great gundog .

 

[Molehill]

Thanks Mike, you can't beat a good retrieve lol.
I'd have made a great gundog .

Give us a clue, how do you retrieve fast with your pin?

 

[Tee-Cee]

Horses for courses. If you use the right tool for the job in hand then everything becomes easier. I think S-Kippy has it about right.........

I've used a c/p since a teenager back in the mid 50's, not because I wanted to but because it was the spare reel my father had and good money couldn't be spent on frivolities in those days, but in so doing I became proficient with it. I was a budding match fisherman in those days and did quite well considering all I had was a 14' rod and a Match Ariel reel for float fishing.
Much of the match fishing was on the Thames along its whole length and long trotting the method of the day - at least in my club! Occasionally it was the Hants Avon, at whatever speed it was travelling!

Oh yes, if you haven't spent a day long trotting 60 yds with a 14' Spanish Reed rod with a split cane top joint c/w Ariel reel and batting it for the retrieve, then you haven't lived. None of your Ultras etc. in those days!

Imo, using a pin, like anything in life, is all about practice and a good dollop of desire thrown in. I use one every time i fish simply because it's the best tool for the job. I mean, what would I be doing with a f/s reel when I'm only fishing at 2/3 rod length maximum. However, I DO carry a f/s spool in the bag at all times - just in case!

ps I've just had a look at the Ariel and I'm thinking I might just give it an outing again. Mind you, it is bloody heavy!!

pps Do I get in a tangle sometimes? Yes, absolutely if I encounter a silly cross wind, but it doesn't stop me using one. I just adjust to the conditions. Not difficult, but plenty of practice is needed!!