What makes a good Centrepin

[trotter2]

The bottom line is that you'll have to try suitable reels for a decent period of time. No amount of fishing a stillwater with a pin, and no amount of explanations on a messageboard will make a h'apporth of difference. There's good reason why some folks simply refuse to be drawn into this. It's an absolute nightmare to try to explain and it seems that quite a few people, with little or no experience worth mentioning, simply refuse to countenance that there can possibly be any difference. I know that I'd have been just the same at one point. Now, from the other side of the fence, I can understand the frustrations.

I am not getting dragged in Sam how many time have we been in this predicament. I remember all too well what happened the last time. hno:

 

[thecrow]

It's an absolute nightmare to try to explain and it seems that quite a few people, with little or no experience worth mentioning, simply refuse to countenance that there can possibly be any difference.

That could be said of me however I am prepared to be persuaded but so far I haven't read anything to convince me.

Ian says he has a reel that will spin for 5 minutes while its been said that reels turning time is not an indication of usability in a fishing situation (none of my two will do that) in fact its been said that its to the reels detriment in a fishing situation that a bearing pin will keep spinning causing over runs.

Trotter says he wishes there were more "true" pins made but wont get involved in explaining why.

Can it not be the case that an angler that has fished with a bearing reel for a few seasons will actually prefer that type of reel to a "true" pin as that's what they have become used to?

What I do accept is that "true" pins suit the way that some anglers fish with them but I cannot accept (because I haven't been persuaded otherwise) is that they are always better to fish with than a bearing reel.

 

[tigger]

That could be said of me however I am prepared to be persuaded but so far I haven't read anything to convince me.

Ian says he has a reel that will spin for 5 minutes while its been said that reels turning time is not an indication of usability in a fishing situation (none of my two will do that) in fact its been said that its to the reels detriment in a fishing situation that a bearing pin will keep spinning causing over runs.

Trotter says he wishes there were more "true" pins made but wont get involved in explaining why.

Can it not be the case that an angler that has fished with a bearing reel for a few seasons will actually prefer that type of reel to a "true" pin as that's what they have become used to?

What I do accept is that "true" pins suit the way that some anglers fish with them but I cannot accept (because I haven't been persuaded otherwise) is that they are always better to fish with than a bearing reel.

Graham, I use both types of reels and the difference in use is as obvious as a wart on the end of someones nose to me.
Unless you go trotting with a pin the chances of seeing any difference between them is very slim.
I can't really see why anyone would buy a pin for still water fishing as they won't get any of the real benefits a pin gives you. Imo that is where a pin excels...on running water trotting a float. The only time I use a pin on still water is when i'm messing about really as in reality a fixed spool reel is a far better option.
As an example why...if fishing a water with snags or beds of rushes or weeds etc and you hook into a tench which will inevitably bolt for cover it can be impossible to reel in fast enough to stop the fish from burying into the weeds/snag, especially when the fish goes for the bank side weeds/snags. People say using a pin on still water gives you better control of the fish and the drag of your thumb is better than a fixed spool reel, I disagree!
By fingering the spool on a fixed spool reel if it starts to give line not only do you get the same sort of contact with a fish but you have the ability to wind in quickly when needed. As the old saying goes "horses for courses" and imo a centrepin is a reel for swimming the stream .

 

[sam vimes]

That could be said of me however I am prepared to be persuaded but so far I haven't read anything to convince me.

That's the point, there's absolutely nothing anyone can do or say that will convince you, and I was exactly the same. Then I bought a true pin and spent hour upon hour trotting with it. It also took hours of use just to run it in properly.

I understand that it sounds contradictory at best, ridiculous at worst, but it doesn't make it any less valid. True pins obviously work in a different way to a bearing reel, they also feel quite different in use.

Can it not be the case that an angler that has fished with a bearing reel for a few seasons will actually prefer that type of reel to a "true" pin as that's what they have become used to?

Maybe, you'll have to ask them. However, I started with bearing reels and moved onto true pins. I was quite used to bearing reels and now much prefer a true pin.

What I do accept is that "true" pins suit the way that some anglers fish with them but I cannot accept (because I haven't been persuaded otherwise) is that they are always better to fish with than a bearing reel.

I'm not sure that anyone has stated that true pins are always better to fish with. All you've got here is a few dedicated trotters stating that they prefer true pins for trotting. I have just as many bearing reels as true pins, if I'm doing something other than trotting, I couldn't care less which I use.

 

[thecrow]

Graham, I use both types of reels and the difference in use is as obvious as a wart on the end of someones nose to me.
Unless you go trotting with a pin the chances of seeing any difference between them is very slim.
I can't really see why anyone would buy a pin for still water fishing as they won't get any of the real benefits a pin gives you. Imo that is where a pin excels...on running water trotting a float. The only time I use a pin on still water is when i'm messing about really as in reality a fixed spool reel is a far better option.
As an example why...if fishing a water with snags or beds of rushes or weeds etc and you hook into a tench which will inevitably bolt for cover it can be impossible to reel in fast enough to stop the fish from burying into the weeds/snag, especially when the fish goes for the bank side weeds/snags. People say using a pin on still water gives you better control of the fish and the drag of your thumb is better than a fixed spool reel, I disagree!
By fingering the spool on a fixed spool reel if it starts to give line not only do you get the same sort of contact with a fish but you have the ability to wind in quickly when needed. As the old saying goes "horses for courses" and imo a centrepin is a reel for swimming the stream .

Obviously there will be times when a FS will be better for a particular situation when fishing, I use a centrepin on still water not because its better simply because I enjoy using one where its suitable, a centrepin can never have the stopping power of a FS (unless someone thinks differently )

Other than saying that an angler needs to fish with different reels and become proficient with centrepins before they can appreciate the difference between bearing and true pins no one has made a definite statement as to why they believe true pins are better. Its all opinions.

Imo there will be anglers that prefer one genre of pin over another as whatever they use is what they are used to or suits their style of fishing and that they would always put the case that what they use is best, all down to opinions and again imo it is impossible to prove those opinions either way.

 

[thecrow]

That's the point, there's absolutely nothing anyone can do or say that will convince you, and I was exactly the same. Then I bought a true pin and spent hour upon hour trotting with it. It also took hours of use just to run it in properly.

I understand that it sounds contradictory at best, ridiculous at worst, but it doesn't make it any less valid. True pins obviously work in a different way to a bearing reel, they also feel quite different in use.



Maybe, you'll have to ask them. However, I started with bearing reels and moved onto true pins. I was quite used to bearing reels and now much prefer a true pin.





I'm not sure that anyone has stated that true pins are always better to fish with. All you've got here is a few dedicated trotters stating that they prefer true pins for trotting. I have just as many bearing reels as true pins, if I'm doing something other than trotting, I couldn't care less which I use.

I am open to being persuaded however i don't think that any amount of rhetoric on here can do that as its all about opinions and as has been said an angler needs to use different pins over time to appreciate the difference ..... form an opinion that may be the polar opposite to what others opinions are.

They both may feel different in use not having used them for trotting i haven't formed an opinion, who knows i may prefer as i am sure others do to use a bearing pin, again its just down to forming an opinion.

If posters don't believe that a true pin is better for fishing with and offer no advantages why do they prefer a true pin when trotting? could it be that its just what they prefer and any differences are just what suit their style of fishing?

 

[dalesman]

Spin time made me laugh and took me back nearly 20 years when I lived on the coast.

Penn launched a multiplier which was quickly picked buy the competition distance casters and tuned the bearings using a lube called "ROCKET FUEL". Which is great on a distance casting field, but when it came to a fishing situation its was totally useless and the lads who extolled spin times and tuned their reels regretted the changes they made and went to there old SLOSH reels.

Spin time what does this equal, you and you mates sitting there bragging mine spins for two more seconds than yours.

At the end of the day if you enjoy using a true pin or a bearing pin why change it just get on the bank and fish.

 

[steve2]

Interesting discussion, I have tried all types of centrepin reels and if I were looking for the best all round reel it would be a Fixed Spool. It can do everything that a centrepin can do and in most cases do it better. I use centrepins because I enjoy using them but they have their limitations be they true pins or bearing.

 

[sam vimes]

I am open to being persuaded however i don't think that any amount of rhetoric on here can do that as its all about opinions and as has been said an angler needs to use different pins over time to appreciate the difference ..... form an opinion that may be the polar opposite to what others opinions are.

They both may feel different in use not having used them for trotting i haven't formed an opinion, who knows i may prefer as i am sure others do to use a bearing pin, again its just down to forming an opinion.

Of course it's down to opinion, preference and situations. I've also stated a couple of times now that there's nothing that can be written that will convince you of the merits of true pin over bearing. Only using a reel, and using it for trotting could possibly convince you of that. I'm not going to make a definitive statement on what particular model of reel is best (no one is going to agree on that one!) or whether a true pin is definitively better than a bearing reel. However, I do think it's worth noting fact that three regular river trotters all state that they prefer a true pin. I very much doubt we'd all agree on which true pin is "the best". All we'd really be doing if we did is showing our preferences based on our experiences of what we'd owned.

There's no difference here to a debate on rods. There is no de facto "best" float rod. Even if you gathered up all the float rods ever made and offered one for free, plenty of folks would make a different choice based on their preferences and angling circumstances. Some of the rods, that some folks rave about, I wouldn't have given. I'm sure that others would feel the same about some of my choices.

If posters don't believe that a true pin is better for fishing with and offer no advantages why do they prefer a true pin when trotting? could it be that its just what they prefer and any differences are just what suit their style of fishing?

I'm not even entirely sure what you are asking here, it seems muddled and contradictory. All I can do is repeat that I prefer a true pin when trotting. The way they work, the way that line comes off them, adds to my level of control of a float. As that's my primary reason for using a pin, it's an important aspect.

I couldn't care less which type of centrepin I used when floatfishing on a stillwater. Nothing in stillwater float fishing will reveal the differences between a bearing pin and a true pin. If I ever bothered to use a pin for legering, the strength of the ratchet would have more influence on my choice of reel. Whether it was a true pin or bearing reel wouldn't matter a jot. I'll be entirely honest, I'm not entirely sure why anyone bothers with pins for stillwater fishing and legering. I've tried, but don't think there's any benefit for me. Looking nice and enjoying using them isn't enough for me. I stick to FS reels for everything but trotting.

 

[thecrow]

I'm not even entirely sure what you are asking here, it seems muddled and contradictory. All I can do is repeat that I prefer a true pin when trotting. The way they work, the way that line comes off them, adds to my level of control of a float. As that's my primary reason for using a pin, it's an important aspect.

Took me a bit to understand that and i wrote it it was in answer to you saying that no one had said a true pin was best for fishing with.

 

[sam vimes]

Took me a bit to understand that and i wrote it it was in answer to you saying that no one had said a true pin was best for fishing with.

If that's the case, then I've either made a mistake or you've misconstrued something. I (and a few others) believe that a true pin reel is the best option for trotting. However, that's simply stating a preference, not a de facto statement that true pins are "the best". I won't make that kind of statement about anything, fishing related or not, because it's always going to be a question of preference (with a dollop of our individual experience thrown in).

 

[tigger]

Too many people with too little or no experience of using a pin have opinions on them....how to use them, which is best, etc etc, and in truth those opinions simply arn't worth listening to.
If that offends some people then i'm sorry to have done so but you've got to be realistic. How many people sit at home in their arm chair spinning a pin round, maybe do a bit of trotting or/and still water fishing once or twice a year and then give out concrete opinions about them?...i'd hazard a guess at it being the biggest part of contributors to pin related threads mg:.

Imo the majority of pin users can't use one properly, ok they go and catch a few fish that's easy enough. You put them in a situation where they need to trott across the river, trott long distances down the flow, cast a distance and do it accurately, or even cast a short distance accurately etc and most will be shafted.
To give an honest opinion you first need to master something (whatever it may be) and then your qualified to give an opinion worth listening to....ok, I know now people will be sat reading this with veins bulging out of their temples but if you think about what i've put before gobbing off in temper you might realise what I mean.

 

[dalesman]

Why are the newer bearing pins so broad? Surely not for the amount line to be loaded.

My old Rapidex normally gets loaded with Guru Drag line about 50- 60 meters at a time.

 

[dalesman]

Any help anyone

YouTube

 

[thecrow]

I (and a few others) believe that a true pin reel is the best option for trotting. However, that's simply stating a preference,

I think we have ended up at the same point on the map in that although some/most will prefer a true pin some will be ones that prefer bearings.

 

[thecrow]

Too many people with too little or no experience of using a pin have opinions on them....how to use them, which is best, etc etc, and in truth those opinions simply arn't worth listening to.

Ian not having lots of experience doesn't preclude someone from forming an opinion on what they want from one, it may not be an opinion formed over years but if you take me as an example i already know some of the things i require on a pin and wont buy one that hasn't got those things.

 

[sam vimes]

I think we have ended up at the same point on the map in that although some/most will prefer a true pin some will be ones that prefer bearings.

Undoubtedly, but that may be for all kinds of reasons, not least of which could be down to their choice of venue, style of fishing and experience. I know that, almost to a man, the most experienced centrepin trotters I know display a marked preference for true pins. I came to my own conclusions through trial and error (mainly because I refuse to accept their explanations), but now understand why this is the case. If trotting weren't my thing, and what I use pins for 95% of the time, I doubt I'd have cared either way.

 

[dalesman]

Undoubtedly, but that may be for all kinds of reasons, not least of which could be down to their choice of venue, style of fishing and experience. I know that, almost to a man, the most experienced centrepin trotters I know display a marked preference for true pins. I came to my own conclusions through trial and error (mainly because I refuse to accept their explanations), but now understand why this is the case. If trotting weren't my thing, and what I use pins for 95% of the time, I doubt I'd have cared either way.

Just need some of George hand made floats to complement your trotting :w

 

[sam vimes]

Just need some of George hand made floats to complement your trotting :w

Whilst they are rather nice, I'm not unduly fussed with the whole handmade traditional float thing. There are a couple of George's patterns I'd like to give a whirl though.

 

[dalesman]

Just viewing J W Young web site. I thought all their pins were true pins it appears all their pins are now running on bearings with the exception of the Atom of which there's only a 150 being made.

The only other true pin I can find is the Hardy.