Loading a pin

iain t · Jun 2, 2017

Although I've used pins before I've never loaded one myself. I have always shared my son's pins. How much i should i load on a center pin. I maybe answering my own question here but as the longest trot i do is around 25/35 yards so i was thinking just 100 yards loaded would be OK. Would putting a backing line on first like my fly reels be necessary.

Ray Roberts · Jun 2, 2017

I usally use about a 100 yards bur many people use far less and don't use backing.

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sam vimes · Jun 2, 2017

No backing and as little line as you can get away with. Unlike many, I have no qualms with loading a full 100 yard spool. However, not one of my pins uses line lay bars. All have solid/ventilated drums.

rayner · Jun 2, 2017

I haven't used a centre pin for 20yrs, at the time I only used it in river trent matches with limited room between pegs.
I used to load 25 ish metres of line, that was plenty for what I needed.
Backing line is not needed and remember if you load too much line it can bed into itself affecting how smooth it runs from the reel.
I would load the minimum you can get away with.

trotter2 · Jun 2, 2017

Like others have said depends on how far your trotting.
You don't want over much on as you can get problems with the line sticking,line bedding in.
I usually have less than a full spool probably between 50 to sixty yds.
Measure your longest trott and add a bit for reserve.

iain t · Jun 2, 2017

Cheers chaps. I have a few spools of float line with about 100ish yards still left on them. I'll use them. As two of the replies said that you used less i can alway shorten the line.

binka · Jun 2, 2017

I did one of mine yesterday with well over 100 metres of 6lb and it will see out the whole of next season, given that it gets ever shorter due to removing worn or damaged line that occurs with regular use.

The incident which prompted it was a bit of a scare last weekend when I was perching on a large gravel pit and hooked a lump of a carp, I reckon I was within two feet of line left

mg:

I always wind the line on really tight and under good pressure so that it doesn't bed and if it did I reckon one run through on a trot would correct it.

It's not for everyone I appreciate but I like the reassurance that I'm not going to get outrun by a big fish and I'm not faffing about changing line all the time, it gives me very few if any issues at all when I'm trotting.

barbelboi · Jun 2, 2017

I suppose it's a bit like 'off the top or bottom' whatever works for you is right - I'm another that prefers half a spool for trotting (50yds of Drennan FF) in most situations.

108831 · Jun 2, 2017

As Jerry says I put 50yds on,I measure a yard off and work out how many turns of the reel it is to wind it in,then work out the amount of turns for 50yds,any more can result in a little bedding.

xenon · Jun 2, 2017

another vote for what ever your longest trot is likely to be plus 10 meters as insurance. Line going off the top too, but that is personal preference.

108831 · Jun 2, 2017

Defo off the top as braking the drum with your thumb is difficult.

maggot_dangler · Jun 2, 2017

Not been using a pin for too long but another vote for a little as you can get away with having fought the mighty annoying line bedding because of too much line on the reel i now have tops of 50 yards on each reel and have had no more line binding problems .

PG ...

Alan Tyler · Jun 3, 2017

Currently loading 100 turns - about 25-30 yards, but I'm fishing a couple of small rivers.
When I used to fish a Middlesex river that held barbel that would run the length of three gardens on the far bank, I'd load the reel with 100 yards, but pile it up on the handles-side of the drum; the "working" line would tend to fall on the other side, so bedding-in was kept to a minimum, but if a spirited fish ran off some of my "reserve" line, a baitless, pulling-the-line-off trot was necessary to re-lay the line back onto the handles-side; a small price to pay for not being snapped off at the reel for lack of line.

iain t · Jun 5, 2017

Thank once again for the help. As my target is Chub I've loaded it with 6lb Drennan FloatFish. I will be using it mainly for trotting the rivers and streams in West Sussex but also on the Wey and the Thames at Walton in Surrey whilst the wife visits her brother.

Jeff Woodhouse · Jun 5, 2017

Take the diameter of the drum, say 4". Multiply by 3.14 (Pi), gives 12.56" per 1 turn of the reel.
If you want 50 yards, times that by 3 to get feet and then 12 to get inches = 1800. Divide that by your 12.56 and that's 143 turns of the spool.
Make it 150 to be safe and you have 50 and a bit yards on your reel.

mikench · Jun 5, 2017

Iain and Jeff are you twins?

steve2 · Jun 5, 2017

I always load my pins with the line coming of the bottom. That way I wind in the same way as with a FS reel. Line length around 50 yards. I did once buy a second hand reel that had over 200 yards of line on it.

iain t · Jun 5, 2017

mikench said:
Iain and Jeff are you twins?

Separated at birth.

tigger · Jun 5, 2017

If your going to be trotting 30yds then 50yds of line is ok but to me that's trotting off the rod tip as I often cast 25yds across river at the start of a trott.
Since I remove my line after a fishing trip it's easy for me to load the amount of line I need to suit the venue i'll be fishing on the day.
Line off the bottom for me....I don't walk backwards as it's awkward so I ain't gonn'a wind in backwards as it's awkward also.

barbelboi · Jun 5, 2017

Most of that makes sense Ian (I certainly wouldn't change my line every session though) - those Norwegian Blue's in your avatar must have only been stunned......................

Loading a pin

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