Centrepin Fishing - All About Finesse
I’ve been reading recently about a style of fishing that is totally new to me. It is called Centrepin fishing. I first heard it mentioned either in a comment at the Roughfisherman's Journal or over at Tony's, Time by the River.Centrepin fishing is a technique developed by rough fishermen in the UK for tench and roach. It is a subtle, highly skilled way to present bait, or a fly, drag free.
It turns out that the Steelheaders in Ontario are starting to use the technique with tremendous success.
Any method that can facilitate a drag free drift for the entire length of a pool would probably be deadly for summer salmon here in the Maritimes too.
Here is my understanding of how it works.
The components are a reel, a very long rod and a float. Different floats are used under different conditions.
The finely machined reel which looks like a fly reel built by a Swiss watchmaker is attached to the long rod. The reel is set up so that the line runs freely from the reel with the pull of current. The long rod keeps the line off of the surface; it lets you use a much lighter line and also allows for ten or twelve foot leaders between the float and the fly.The bit that really caught my interest was the idea of long, drag free drifts. To be honest, what is it we fly fishermen spend our entire fishing lives trying to master? It has to be controlling drag. A few feet of a drag free drift is often cause for delight, a consistent ten feet would make us start to feel like we knew what we were doing but just imagine, a hundred feet of perfect presentation. The mind boggles.
I have got to try this.
I’m hoping somebody will comment on what happens when you get a take.
How the heck do you play a fish on a rig like this?
Labels: Centrepin fishing, drag free, finely machined reel, highly skilled, tench and roach
posted by Steve Dobson at
00:18
7 Comments:
Hi Steve the centre pin is a great way to fish one of my favourites , it's used for a whole range of species and can be adapted by the bait used , I have often thought of it being a devastating way of presenting a fly but have not tried it YET! .
Okuma make some reels that are very good and at a reasonable price(I use the Shefield model) although Hardy have brought out a range of both reels and rods .
I tend to use a 15ft rod the presentation is helped as you need to get the rod tip behind the drift you want to fish other wise the float will pull round at distance always end behind the line of the tip.
The method is re fared to as ''long trotting'' and is a very traditional way of fishing over here.
Salmon anglers already use this method but with a normal reel ,leaving the bail arm off and holding the line back with the finger .
The float is attached top and bottom and you can vary the size and in turn the weight according to the size of river . The floats are often called sticks , but a Avon style is heavier and designed to ride rough current smoothly aiding presentation.Again by stopping the line you can make the bait lift and flutter , in this way you can also lift the hook over an obstacle mid swim and then let it cotinue beyond,this will help you build a mental picture of the riverbed and in turn aid your fly fishing.
Hope this gives you a small understanding of a super way to fish ,if I can help in any way re tackle ect please ask .On some of my older posts it shows how to set a rig up and the results , I have had many Trout , Sea Trout and Grayling using the method and have seen Salmon landed as well .
All the best of luck Tony
Sorry for the long winded reply's , the takes are seen by the float being pulled under , if you are presenting the bait correctly in fast water for big fish its often felt with a arm wrenching thud! as like when you present a fly perfectly downstream . Playing the fish is good fun as with the use of a pin and long rod you are very much connected directly to every move the fish makes . I would be very surprised if after a while you do not refine the technique (using smaller lines) for trout it allows you to search and find fish much quicker on cold days and when time is at a premium .
Once again sorry if I'm boring you as you can tell I'm very passionate about this style of fishing .
Cheers Tony
Hello Tony,
Thank-you for your thoughtful reply, I can get a hint of your enthusiasm and as I get my head around what is for me a brand new concept I can see why one would become obsessed with the whole centre pin technique.
In thinking about it, there is a style of fly-fishing I have been trying a bit lately, called "high-stick nymphing" which uses conventional fly gear but in a manner similar to the centre pin idea. It is fun but the drifts are much shorter because you are using only the length of the rod, not the line running off the spool.
I will take a closer look at some of the posts you mention and try to learn enough to ask a sensible question or two.
Thanks again for sharing your knowledge.
Cheers,
Steve
Centre pinning is a very popular method here in Ontario. We're lucky to have quite a large number of top notch steelhead, salmon and brown trout streams that support migratory species, and the centrepinners have quite the luck with those species!
Yeah Baraz,
Funny I never heard of it before but now that I have, I'm hearing about it everywhere. Guess that is the price for living so far from the centre of things.
Tony has info on it at his site. Time by the River.
It seems like the perfect set up for steelies or salmon.
Ever tried it?
Cheers,
Steve
Hi Steve it's the first day of the coarse (rough?)season over here on Monday ,which means the rivers are open for all species as they have now finished spawning . I will be out with the pin ''booked a day off work'' so will be posting how I go on some time early next week .
We have had little rain and the rivers are low and weedy so it may not be too productive on the fish front .Watching the float trundle down stream though is very relaxing and I can't wait!!
Hi Tony,
Can't wait to hear how you make out.
I share your observation about how relaxing it is just watching a float. That is a big part of my first fishing memory.
I wrote a little bit about it at
The Green Boat
Cheers,
Steve
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