I'll de-lurk as a 'pinner and offer an Absofnlutely to Mooch's comments on braid and the evils of the side cast. Started with braid and used it for awhile.

Cuts on fingers, almost taking the tip top off, yellow line you can't see, etc etc. and I finally switched.

I think it was RVRFSHR Joe that originally gave braid on centerpins the Double Bird, and he was right. Now it's either IZORLINE or some other abrasion-resistant hi-vis in either 12 or 15lb.

And stay away from the sidecasts. This isn't the Great Lakes- weight up! I typically run at least 1/2oz, usually 3/4 in the winter/spring. BC or Wallis are the way to go unless you own stock in a line mfg company.

Cheers,

Brian

I use a BC or Wallis cast 95% of the time. If I'm using a half ounce or over, I use a BC cast. If I am using under a half ounce I use the Wallis cast. The side cast is great when you first pick up a pin, but once you figure out the Wallis cast, the side cast will quickly be replaced.

You're better off just doing a pile cast where you give it a pull and let some line pile off in the water or at your feet than starting with a side cast and developing bad habits, like instinctively moving your hand off to the side.

Hard to explain, but for tight spots a hard(really hard) tug before the foward motion will help load the rod and eliminate the need for so much rod swing. Or on small water the slingshot cast, loading the rod by holding the swivel and pulling it back to the reel, like when you reel too much line in and the rod bends. When you release the swivel, the rod will straighten out and carry the business out. The release must also be accompanied by a pull off the spool just after releasing the line for any distance at all.

Buy a baitcaster

But I have enough bass gear...

baitcasters are for wimps who cant fling a centerpin

Canaids

I wallis cast 100% of the time 50% of the time

Managed to fish my pin the last 2 days, went 1 for 2 yesterday and 1 for 1 today, I find myself wanting to step into pinning a lil farther..... I'm thinkin I need another one probly a 13 footer with a raven reel

13' rod is a step in the right direction. Getting a raven, not so much. Look into some other options for the reel.

+1


There are plenty of better reels out there. Check out some of the Center Pin forums in the Midwest and the East Coast. There are usually some good deals on high end reels in their classified sections if you are willing to search for them.

I use a 13 foot rod the majority of the time and the only time I don't like it is when I am fishing small, bushy streams.

If you are serious about getting into it, buy the best quality you can afford. You will never regret it in the long run.

whats wrong with the ravens??

<= Has a Raven Matrix SE that he likes just fine.

Fish on...

Todd

There's nothing wrong with them, I just don't like them as much as other reels on the market.

Heard nothing but good things about raven reel, thinkin matrix xl or special edition. And deffinatly getting a 13' rod, might build a rainshadow or just get the shimano clarus when they come off back order, I'm currently using the 11'3" clarus and its a good rod but a lil light for managing bigger fish in heavy current, thinking about trying suffix seige line but only if it floats

So I've been reading all the preferences on pin setups in this thread, now I'll offer mine...and there aint a rod, reel, float, weight or line/leader combo I haven't experienced firsthand.

Large: 4-3/8" non-ported Raven Matrix, 12'4" 8#-17# Raven (prototype), or 12'6" 8 wt. Forecast or 12' 7#-14# made in China, 30-35 gram DNE float, 5/8 oz.-3/4 oz. inline sinker w/top swivel only, 17# Suffix Seige or 25# Raven main, 12# Izor or UG leader.

Small: 4-3/8" non-ported Raven Matrix, 11'6" 6#-12# Raven (prototype) or 11'6" 7 wt. Forecast or 12' 7#-14# made in China, 25-30 gram DNE float, 1/2 oz.-5/8 oz. inline sinker w/top swivel only, 14# Suffix Seige or 20# Raven main, 10# Izor or UG leader.

Pattern with purpose..."correct in design"...."fish with confidence"...."simply the best"..."git down or lay down"..."a fool and his money are soon partying".

Best of luck with the wheeling.

What do you mean top swivel only? I'm thinking about giving this a go this summer and maybe see if a certain someone has another rod he would like to wrap or part with.

http://www.johnmilnerreels.com





I wouldn't settle for 2nd best....

Buy one...

Some interesting comments on reels. I've been fishing the Raven Matrix reel for 3 seasons now, and a Ross Flow for two seasons. I have some definite opinions on both.

Raven: I feel it is a good reel for the money. It's pretty basic, the bearings aren't as finely tuned, they're a little tight, but, it's a solidly build reel. I do think the bearings in mine have loosened up a bit over time. I don't have big hands, so, controlling the drag with my fingers is a little easier on this than a larger reel.

Ross: It's a nice looking reel. It's light, and paired with the loomis rod it's well balanced. It has some nice bearings, very little friction, and will keep spinning. I think it's suited for finer presentations, slower water, lighter tackle. It is a little wider, so, I find it a little harder to control the drag with my finger. It also seems to be prone to getting more crud between the frame and the spool, because it a open design.

They're both fine reels. I think I prefer the Raven over the Ross for the reason of not being as wide. Although, I'd like to have better bearings in them. (Which brings up another point)

At one point, I found a online source to upgrade or replace the bearings in center-pin reels. If I get real picky, I might do that with my Raven reel.

Absolutely nothing.

(I've been wondering when the subject would turn to reels because with die-hard pinners it always does.)

For the most part there aren't any bad pin reels made. If they don't do the job and do it well, they don't sell period. That isn't to say there aren't differences, but it's like watches, where a Timex might keep just as good of time as a Rolex, but you'll definitely know the difference when you wear them. The good news however is that the price difference between the entry level reel and the high end reel is not nearly as much as in watches.

This is because the CP reel market is very limited and fabrication demands precision machining, thus prices start relatively high even on entry level reels. On the other hand, these factors, combined with simplicity of design, also allow smaller custom fabricators to be very competitive too.

Entry level reels like the Okuma and Raven are production reels made in Asia to reduce cost and maintain quality. Higher end production reels like Islander, Ross, JW Young, Hardy and Kingpin are made in NA or England and are a bit more expensive as you would expect. Custom makers like Milner, Paine Falls and River Keeper are selling all they can produce at prices similar to premium production reels.

Resale is very good on high end production and custom reels; but not so much with entry level reels. Also due to longevity, quality and collectability, "out of production" reels like Hardy, Mykiss, Hanson, Coulson and MacDonald are still sought after and fished too.

Our NW rivers generally don't demand the same precision that Mid-west or Eastern frog water fisherman demand in their reels, so any decent CP reel will suffice nicely out here. But if you become dedicated pinner you'll quickly appreciate the finer differences and wish you had bought up early, especially when you consider resale. The best advice I can give to anyone fishing with a nice entry level CP reel, is think twice before trying out your buddies new production Kingpin or that ol' codgers custom Milner.