centre pin fishing reels

[EdS]

Anyone got any advise on the set up and use of these.

I found my old ones from when I was a kid (good qualitiy but old) and have decided to have ago. However, I can still only cast about 5 metre and end up wit ha tangle of line as it keeps unspooling which the weight has stopped/hit the ground.


I did hear somewhere that you are ment to sode cast with them. Also are they best with the line coming from the top or bottom of the reel.

 

[tomtom]

I'm not quite sure i understand which type of reel you mean, but if your talking about a multiplier(sp) type on i was always taught to keep my thumb on the line to stop it unspooling/tangleing when you cast or let it sink.. for this i think the line coming from the top of the reel is best. But then i have very little experience whith these types of reel so this may be of no use what so ever.

 

[Tadpole]

Anyone got any advise on the set up and use of these.

I found my old ones from when I was a kid (good qualitiy but old) and have decided to have ago. However, I can still only cast about 5 metre and end up wit ha tangle of line as it keeps unspooling which the weight has stopped/hit the ground.


I did hear somewhere that you are ment to sode cast with them. Also are they best with the line coming from the top or bottom of the reel.

The best way to cast with a centrepin reel is to strip the line off of the reel first (as you would with fly fishing) and then cast letting the line run smoothly through your fingers, controlling the speed and distance. The centrepin is mainly for storing line, and really should not be used to aid casting. JMHO

 

[Longstrider]

A good quality centerpin, properly set up will cast light tackle well if used correctly. The trick you want to learn is called the Wallis Cast as is explained by this article...
http://www.anglersnet.co.uk/Coarse-Fishing-Articles/wallis_cast.html
and this one...
http://www.questoutdoors.net/skills/centerpin/articles/wallis-cast/

Another simple way to cast reasonable distance for most float fishing is to avoid spinning the spool altogether but to gather line from between as many rod rings as you want in loops over the fingers of the hand that you are not holding the rod with. I can't do diagrams on the PC but it's basically a case of one loop from between reel and first rod ring, another from between rod rings one and two (perhaps over a different finger) and so on until you have enough line off the reel to make your cast with. If using this method, keep the line taught between the reel, rod and your line holding hand until you release all the loops of line as you make the cast. A little practice should see you making casts of at least 40-odd feet with a 10 foot rod with very little chance of a "birds nest".
Using Tadpoles "treat it like fly fishing" technique can lead to horrendous tangles involving fine monofilament line and bankside vegetation in my opinion. Mono is far trickier to handle whilst loose than fly line.
Also, it's best to have the line coming off the bottom of the reel (i.e the edge furthest from the rod handle) as this means you will wind the reel in the most natural way when retrieving line.

You may like to consider a modern fixed spool reel if your technique isn't up to casting as far as you would like to. The 'pin does have it's limitations and companies like Shimano make some fantastic fixed spool reels at stupidly cheap prices these days.

 

[Spacemonkey]

It's only reel (sorry..) purpose nowadays is for long trotting for say, roach, chub or barbel, where the stick float is allowed to drift with the current on a river and you control the speed with your finger on the reel rim. To be honest, you can easily do that with a fixed spool reel with the bale arm open. If they're good, clean 'em up and get them opn eBay for a collector to buy for stupid money and get a decent modern reel.

 

[Seagull]

EdS, youre talking about classis trotting reels , as foe Freshwater? not the big old Scarborough sea reel?

Ceeg

 

[EdS]

I've got a sea reel that is a metal version of the Scarbrough or similar - bought in the 1970s. The othre is just a small normal centre pin course reel.

Would the small one be any good for spinning or fishing from a canoe? Thought I'd try it out rather than by anothr fixed spool reel (only got old or cheap gear anyway).