Centrepin + Float Fly Fishing

Hello All,

I searched the forum, but could not find an exact answer to a few specific questions I have.

I fished for 30 years exclusively with spinning reel until last year I decided to give centrepin a try and I love it. Whenever I fish with a float, its always a centrepin now. I have moved to Burlington, ON and I live within walking distance to Bronte Creek, so I went there a few times last year to test the waters. However, I feel like water is too shallow (even in some pools) to do centrepin + float + bead setup. That being said, I would like to learn fly fishing and have a few questions:

1. Considering I already know how to use centrepin, how hard will it be to learn to fly fish?
2. Is there a way to fly fish with centrepin + float, or I must buy a fly rod with fly reel and have that one setup for fly fishing, and keep my centrepin rod setup for float fishing?

The reason why I ask the second question is because I also fish Grand River a lot, and I would be able to both fly fish & float fish there, and I dont really like the idea of bringing two rods into the river (one on my back and the other in my hands).

Note: My current setup is: 13' Rod, Centrepin, Backing, 8lb Main Line (Float + Splitshots on Main Line), 6lb Leader (around 18"), hook.

Any suggestions would be appreciated and if someone knows that this was already discussed about, please point me to the topic!

Thank you.

With regards to question 1, fly fishing is completely different in most cases... sometimes fly fishers will use indicator rigs that are sometimes just lopped upstream from a dangle position, which is easy to get the hang of, but fly casting itself is a whole different game. It will take some practice.

And with question 2, I would recommend you ditch the Centre pin setup for low clear water. The bobber is quite likely to spook fish when it hits the water. You can essentially do the same thing with a fly rod as a with a cp setup, I would either use a dry dropper setup and if the dry twitches or goes under set the hook or you can also use a less obtrusive strike indicator like a tuft of yarn on NZ strike indicator to detect strikes.

Huron fly is correct.

If you want to try fly fishing, You will have to buy a fly rod & reel. if you look closer, fly rods have different guides than your normal float rod. It built to load out your fly line. if your fishing with crowds...better learn roll casting. Easy to do. I find fly fishing more effective in shallow clear water...that includes rapids...

Hello All, thank you for your quick replies.

If the fly fishing technique is the only effective way to fly fish - I guess I will learn it. I am not entirely married to this technique however, and if there could be an effective technique with using a centrepin+float+fly at the end of the line, I would much rather fish like that.

But Huronfly mentioned above that the bobber can spook the fish easily, and I really need something on that line so that I would be able to properly cast with a centrepin setup. I dont necessarily need an indicator as I could just watch the fly go downstream and visually notice if the fish takes it, but I dont know how to cast with centrepin when the only weight I have on the line is a fly... Is it possible?

pfc_ivan said:

Hello All, thank you for your quick replies.

If the fly fishing technique is the only effective way to fly fish - I guess I will learn it. I am not entirely married to this technique however, and if there could be an effective technique with using a centrepin+float+fly at the end of the line, I would much rather fish like that.

But Huronfly mentioned above that the bobber can spook the fish easily, and I really need something on that line so that I would be able to properly cast with a centrepin setup. I dont necessarily need an indicator as I could just watch the fly go downstream and visually notice if the fish takes it, but I dont know how to cast with centrepin when the only weight I have on the line is a fly... Is it possible?

Click to expand...

2 different methods.
Of course you can use flies with your centerpin+float rod. I still use flies when I float fish. I use egg pattern flies, stone flies, wooly buggers.
I use fly gear when fishing rapids, shallow clear water. I usually position down stream from the fish.
Centerpin, can give you longer drifts which I prefer on deeper and green water.

If you have no bobber or split shot it will no doubt be hard to cast on the c/p. That's the beauty of fly fishing, the weight of the line enables you to load the rod and cast virtually weightless flies.

The other option for your setup would be bottom bouncing with some shot on the line.

DILLIGAF?! said:

2 different methods.
Of course you can use flies with your centerpin+float rod. I still use flies when I float fish. I use egg pattern flies, stone flies, wooly buggers.
I use fly gear when fishing rapids, shallow clear water. I usually position down stream from the fish.
Centerpin, can give you longer drifts which I prefer on deeper and green water.

Click to expand...

When you use egg pattern flies, stone flies, woolly buggers do you still put splitshots between float & fly, or you have no splitshots and the fly floats on the water? Whenever I think of fly fishing, I imagine the fly floating, but considering I am a newbie at this, maybe its even OK that the fly is submerged in water just like bead/roe is.

Huronfly said:

If you have no bobber or split shot it will no doubt be hard to cast on the c/p. That's the beauty of fly fishing, the weight of the line enables you to load the rod and cast virtually weightless flies.

The other option for your setup would be bottom bouncing with some shot on the line.

Click to expand...

Thank you.

pfc_ivan said:

When you use egg pattern flies, stone flies, woolly buggers do you still put splitshots between float & fly, or you have no splitshots and the fly floats on the water? Whenever I think of fly fishing, I imagine the fly floating, but considering I am a newbie at this, maybe its even OK that the fly is submerged in water just like bead/roe is.



Thank you.

Click to expand...

Yes. fish it like you're fishing beads or roe. In fact, when I go centerpin fishing, I always go with a bugger first. it's kind of a reaction bait.

DILLIGAF?! said:

Yes. fish it like you're fishing beads or roe. In fact, when I go centerpin fishing, I always go with a bugger first. it's kind of a reaction bait.

Click to expand...

But this method probably isn't the most effective in clear shallow rapids. Is it possible to just put a fly with a float about 4 feet above it or so and just drift downstream without any splitshots? That way the fly would be floating on the top, but the float might be too far away to spook the fish?

You can used beadhead flies if you want some sink, not all flies ride the surface, 90% of a trout's diet is subsurface feeding on nymphs/sculpins/minnows etc. You're getting into some pretty strange stuff if you are using a dry fly in tandem with a bobber...

Alright, very good! Thanks so much for help guys, will give it a try