Centerpin Fishing for Trout

20. May, 2010 Categories: Fishing, Steelhead, Salmon Fishing by Brandon pra 11 Comments

Center-pin fishing is an effective way to catch trout in that it presents the bait in a true to life manner. It originally came to our country through British Columbia and before that it was used to catch carp in England. The reel free-spools in both directions and can be very tricky getting use to the first few times you take it out. The drag system consists of you applying the right amount of pressure with the palm of your hand to the bottom of the reel . Too much palm and you’ll break the line. The amount of drag is totally up to you. They do make them with a built in drag system but it’s more fun creating your own drag as it makes the fight more exciting. Casting the Center-pin can be hard and I suggest getting a lesson. I will try to get a video on here to show you how to cast the Center-pin.

Center-pin and Float Rod

First off, I would like to start out by saying there are a lot of different Center-pins out there if your just starting out. I would recommend something cheap which means the rod too. The line on the other hand is the most important thing, invest in good line which has as little memory as possible. Other people have different tactics than what I have, but, this is what I know. I’ve been doing this for about ten years now and fish with it 90% of the time. There are a lot of different rods: Shakespeare, sage, G-Loomis, St. Croix and many others so go cheap on your first one because your going to beat it up a bit. Most float fishing rods are anywhere from 10 to 16 feet long. I use 30 pound fly line backing in a bright color like pink, chartreuse or yellow. Fill the spool up so it’s about a 1/4 inch from the top, winding it back and forth so it goes on level across the spool. I just use colored line to dress the reel up a bit which gives it some color. The reason for the backing is because you could put 500 yards of main line on the reel and you don’t need that much mainline. If a trout or steel-head takes that much line from you chances are your not going to land the fish, if you know what I mean. Basically, the backing serves as taking up a little space so you can save on the mainline. When you get low just put another 150 yards of new line which has no memory.

Line and Leader material

I use Suffix elite clear 8lb or 10lb mono main line and usually 6lb or 4lb leader depending on water clarity. There is a lot of different line(s) on the market but Suffix is tough and has little to no memory and it is not over priced. Also, it floats real good which is important when you’re center-pin fishing, which I will get into later. Find a line that floats and is cost effective. Leader material is made out of fluorocarbon which you can buy in 25 yard spools at Gander Mountain, or, at any place that sells a lot of line. CFX P-line fluorocarbon is tough and the 6 lb leader feels like 4lb leader. I use about 16 to 24 inches of it at a time. Usually, after starting with a longer piece and after you break off and retie a few times it turns into 16 inches. One of the things about the pin is you don’t lose setups to often if you get hung up 3 times in a day that’s alot. Too many hangups means you are dragging too much bottom. The reason you use a lighter leader is that if you do get hung up you can break off your leader not your whole setup. Then you only have to retie a leader and hook instead of your float and all your sinkers. The pictures will help you understand on how to connect a swivel to your mainline and leader.

Floats

Again there are many different kinds of floats to use: home made cedar or balsa, Sheffield’s, Raven, Drennan’s, and a few others. I personally use ravens as they are bright and you can see them a long ways away. In low water this is good because you could drift it down from way up stream and fool the wary 20 inchers that would see you otherwise. Don’t use regular bobbers because they’re too round causing the fish to feel the resistance and will spit the bait out. You want something with aerodynamics that moves through the water well. The top of the float is usually a bright color so you can see it from far away. Before I tie on my swivel I put two pieces of rubber tubing or small bands that will fit the top and the bottom of the float. That way it doesn’t move on your line but you can also move it to the depth that you want when depths change. Adjust your float to what the water depth is by casting out and see what the float does. If it’s leaning forward it dragging, if it’s leaning back you’re not deep enough. You want it to just be on a little tilt back about 5 degrees with your bait about 4 inches off the bottom. Also, you want a split shot weight right under the float so it stays straight up and down and has less buoyancy so that when a fish hits it, it goes down. Floats are measured in grams which range from 2 grams to 16 grams. Bigger water means bigger float, slower/clearer water means a smaller float with less weight.

Hooks

Hooks! Just find a hook that you like that doesn’t bend or break. There are a million hooks on the market and I basically use two different hooks. Mustad c-67s and VMC fast grip hooks in different sizes from 8 to 14. For trout you want a small hook that you can hide in a bait easier. You will find a hook that you will like along the way. That’s what I use and they are definitely good. I have never had a Mustad hook break or straighten out on me. Just started using VMCs and I love em.

Splitshots

When it comes to center-pin fishing I use the smallest split shot I can get. The name for the way the split shot are positioned is called “line shotting.” With an 8 gram float I use about 7 to 10 split shots about 2 inches from one another from the swivel up. That way they don’t slide down to your hook. One or 2 bigger split shot under the float help to keep it straight up and down in the water when going through the rapids. When center-pin fishing you will be fishing from an up stream location to a down stream area. This places the bait to the front of the fish as it floats down stream.

Bait

This is the most important thing for obvious reasons. No bait means no fish, unless your a snagger which I will never get into. There are all types of bait you can run under the float in the river or stream. Worms, egg sacs, nymphs, bait-fish, jigs or whatever you would bottom bounce with. Center-pinning presents the bait in a way that it would be naturally floating down the river which makes it a very effective way to catch trout and other stream fish.