Please convince me I don't want a centre pin!!!!

Alan Tyler

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Pin is boss in jungly swims, pull off a loop, little underhand pendulum cast boosted by a pull on the loop, and you're in business, none of this sideways or behind nonsense.
I'd go for pin over bearings, you can put the brakes on more subtly by turning the rod from reel lying flat (running as free as it possibly can, on the tip of the pin) through to dangling vertically under the rod (spool running on the whole length of the pin - more friction).
Two tips: 1: slack line is your enemy, and the closer to the reel, the more it wants to make you really suffer. With this in mind-
2: Practice on an open, slow or still water first, till you've got the basics nailed. If you have a dependable, close-in gudgeon swim, go to it.

If you're not shy about being seen getting stuff wrong, try to find a local pin-head to go with (especially if they'll let you use one of theirs, before you commit). Roughly where are you?
 

bullet

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By what you have said your river is like, I'd say a pin will be ideal.
As mentioned, it'll take you a while to become familiar with it, but persevere and you won't regret it!
Ebay is littered with pins that are basically brand new, the owners have tried them a couple of times and thought "f**k that !"
 

john step

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Buy it. As Mike said this life is not a rehearsal. They are an enjoyable to use in their own right. I dont know the model personally but I would say buy one with an adjustment wheel to slow the spin until you get proficient.
 

S-Kippy

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Can't do it. Get one but get a proper one even if its second hand.....most of mine are and I've not regretted buying any of them. A good second hand pin beats a cheap new one everytime imo.

There is no great mystery to using a pin.They are a lot easier to use than some people would have you think.I'm like Ray....I use them when I probably shouldn't simply because I enjoy doing so. They look great too.
 

108831

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Sheffields dont have an adjustment,still a cracking pin,that said you can buy something more than usable for £50/60,but not if you are a purist,I dont trust second hand,ive been stung a couple of times with fixed spools and a shit pin is next to useless so unless you know someone who is selling one and can have a look,buy new...
 

S-Kippy

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You do have to do your homework but I've bought maybe 6 pins second hand and all have been great. One needed a service but I packed it off to Gary Mills and it came back like new.

The one I use the least is my Okuma Sheffield. Its a lovely pin but the anti reverse/check button is in the most stupid place and I find it impossible to switch on/off one handed.....and it has crosshead screws which is just soooo wrong.

Fusspot ? Moi ?
 

Ray Roberts

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I bought a cracking Young’s Superlightweight for trotting a couple of years ago. I bought it from a guy who advertises on several of the reel collecting sites. It was a proper bargain. The guy’s name was Tim Lennon. This is a link to his own website :


Thomas Turner also sell used centrepins and are worth a look. They have some
On there at the moment.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

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I'm not keen on the rachet button on the Okumas either, but a good thing about them is you can't knock them off accidentally, as I sometimes do with a Youngs....not great when it happens as you are wandering between swims and end up with 50 yards of line behind you!
 

Peter Jacobs

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There are cases for both the centrepin and the fixed spool reel and in th right conditions either can be perfect for the job.

Using a centrepin is however a unique experience and for those of us of "a certain era" it was all we had so we learned how to use it properly.

A wise old angler once told me . . . buying new tackle is never a case of need, it is a case of want . . . . and as someone else has already mentioned, life is not a dress rehersal . . . . do it now as you never know.
 

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Just to add, they do seem to hold their value well, so if you can't get on with it, you won't have lost much if you decide to move it on.
 

108831

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Just to say on the Sheffield I knock my ratchet on accidently regularly and its a real pain,but it is not a disaster and it is just another blip in a day full of them,lol...
 

waldi

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Great input all. Much obliged (y)

My next post will be "Do I NEED a new rod for my centrepin"
 

Philip

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I enjoy fishing with a pin, often to the point that I would be better off with a fixed spool reel. I fish purely for fun, but there comes a point where the reel becomes an encumbrance and is no longer a pleasure to use

Thats exactly what I found.

I have used a pin quite alot and I was well aware there were disadvantages around them but the pleasure of using it outweighed that. However there came a moment when it started to become just a bit too much of a pain to use.

Although things like casting distance and tangling are obvious things the one that sort of “did it” for me was on one occasion when I was playing a fish. Now the thing I liked about pins more than anything was playing fish on them. However during that particular battle which was quite extended I sort of became bored of it. Its hard to explain but I got fed up, I just wanted to get the fish in and it was all too slow and I suddenly was not enjoying it. Since that moment I still use the pin , for example for trotting a float I still love it but it lost some of the “magic” for me if I can put it like that.

Still a good thing to have as an option so if you don’t have one its worth getting but I am not quite as enamored by them as I once was.
 
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