Centerpin...need help with the setup...

[azppp]

shot line is the solution for me when i'm changing different depths/patterns/weights/etc rapidly without having to shot any line while on the bank. Just sayin.

Oh and 2 swivels fur sure no line twist. More break offs ya ya 99% is leader. Swivel below shot = possible line twist, i just tangle alot lol

Im actually experimenting with 12lb shot and 8lb main, i kno its excessive but i can really clamp down on the 12lb mono without being paronoid. Any thoughts on that?

 

[instapump416]

18" - 24" but I've gone longer and thinner if the water is very clear

Thanks. I tried 2x that length yesterday and I was getting very frustrated with all the line twists.
Line twists + birds nest on the centerpin = no fish caught yesterday.

 

[buck]

Thanks. I tried 2x that length yesterday and I was getting very frustrated with all the line twists.
Line twists + birds nest on the centerpin = no fish caught yesterday.

.

 

[steelhead101]

having the hi vis line can be nice sometimes... btw you want your real to be almost up to the inside brim with line. reels like islanders can take 50 yards backing and two full spools of mainline. also run a swivel above your float. itl save you a headache or to, as line twist is a absolute bitch with centerpins.

 

[IR4Jflyfishing]

99% of the time line twist can be solved in your cast, if you find it's a common problem stop using the side cast(taking line off the side and allowing the weight of the float to pull line off of your reel) instead opt for a wallis or modified wallis hell even those west coast spin casts solve the problem. I haven't had a problem with line twist well using my modified version of the wallis

 

[BASSMASTER19]

ya I go below the swivel. I just make sure i don't use to strong a leader I don't lose a lot of float either :razz:

i go to a heavily fished section of river and wait for the floats to come to me lol

 

[Klik]

hey, i went through your nightmare last year and i tell you what i learned from all that experience. mainly the shot line, as i have been fishing with hi vis line for over 10 years till i started heading out more and there was more retying happening. everything i am about to type i learned and each had pros and cons for me.

hi vis line.

PROS;
-you see your line,
-cool colours,
-others can see your line

CONS:
-you either need very long leader 4'+, now if you are rich or like to waste money that is fine, every time your hook breaks off, you have to put 4' of line on again. you run out of leader and waste money imo.
- or you need shot line.

Shot line.

PROS:
-you don’t damage your leader as you put split shots on the shot line.
-double swivel make it almost tangle proof.

CONS:
-you create two extra knots that you didn't need, and makes your setup all the weaker.
-chance of you losing fish raises immensely if any of your knots have flaw, plus the fact any knot creates weakness.
- your shot line plus your main line might create too long of legnth and if you change holes on the water, you may have to cut from your shot line to hit shallow depth which will waste your split shots and just become pain in the rear.

normal line of your choice/ low vis

PROS:
-cheaper than most high vis lines
-you can choose any line you want with full confidence without worrying about losing fish, or line snapping.
- you can set the depth of your float at any height and not worry about a thing.
- you save tons of both money and material on using only 18"-24" leader of your choice.

CONS:
- chance of entangling with fellow fishermen (that can happen with any line if people are not paying attention).
-you might lose the sight of your own line BUT(once you become or if you are a good centerpin fisherman) your line has to be very tight with your rod tip high so there should not be any slack, and as soon as your float goes down then you can set hook with confidence. this also depends on your reel and how good it's starup intertia is. not how long it spins, but how fast your line unwinds as soon as your float makes contact with water.

putting your float on your shot line

PROS:
-I don't see anything
-but it might help with line twists.

CONS:
-the swivel above the float can easily damage and break your first two guides (buddy did it to two different rods, till i told him why he keep breaking his guides)
-first knot breaks, say goodbye to 1-5 dollar float and all your shot line.
-your float will not move properly in water and it will make it hard to guess proper depth( it does not affect catching fish ability, I have seen my buddy catch without any issues)

your backing and line length sounds just fine. now i use light green/clear main line, and FC leader.
about siglon F, it is very close to IGFA standards(meaning it snap close to what it actually says on the box:, therefore if you are going to buy a leader, buy a leader that is thinner in diameter than your siglon F, don't follow poundes, as some leader line like drenan 6lb is probably thicker than siglon F 12lb+. or you are going to have a bad time losing fish after fish as it drags your float cause your main line snapped. use fluorocarbon leader as they are abrasion resistant compare to mono. i personally use davy knot with thinner leaders and trilene knot with thicker leaders. the time of the year and how feisty the fish are also matters, but those two are my go to knots. davy is better for winter, because how simple it is. i personally always stay away from any form of clinch knot for FC. if you use eggs sacs, use size 10-16 single egg hooks and they have short shank and harder for the fish to feel, not sure of your experience with CP, start with larger hook and scale down as you get more skilled, as both setting the hook and keeping the fish on a centerpin is hard at first, specially with steelhead,

I hope all this help.

 

[steelhead101]

klikk- that was a awesome write up, you realy did a wicked job explaining that!, to bad it has to get lost in cyber space though :/

 

[instapump416]

Thanks Klik

I have a question regarding hook placement.
How far off the bottom should your hook be or should it be dragging off the bottom?

 

[Klik]

it really depends on the depth of the water and structure. 2 feet of water, you want it moving 2-4 inch of the bottom, 5 feet or more you want it anywhere from 2-12 inches off the bottom, next time you get late fall/winter trout, look at their bottom fins and tail, they are all worm out, trout sit right at the bottom, but unlike suckers, they eat upwards, so bait has to be where their mouth is or above their eyes sight, now because tens of them sit on top of each other, that 2-12 inches comes into play, but in places where there are 1-5 of them and shallower, they stack differently, more side to side. but avoid dragging bait on the bottom, specially spring, cause you will catch the suckers and not the trout.

and indication of dragging bottom is, your floats tip is leaning down stream as it drifts, for perfect drift, tip of your float should be perpendicular to surface of the water. a perfect 90 degrees. keep in mind this also could indicated you are too far off the bottom also. if there is people around, ask, other wise keep changing depths 3-6 inches till you find out where your bait is.

 

[instapump416]

it really depends on the depth of the water and structure. 2 feet of water, you want it moving 2-4 inch of the bottom, 5 feet or more you want it anywhere from 2-12 inches off the bottom, next time you get late fall/winter trout, look at their bottom fins and tail, they are all worm out, trout sit right at the bottom, but unlike suckers, they eat upwards, so bait has to be where their mouth is or above their eyes sight, now because tens of them sit on top of each other, that 2-12 inches comes into play, but in places where there are 1-5 of them and shallower, they stack differently, more side to side. but avoid dragging bait on the bottom, specially spring, cause you will catch the suckers and not the trout.

and indication of dragging bottom is, your floats tip is leaning down stream as it drifts, for perfect drift, tip of your float should be perpendicular to surface of the water. a perfect 90 degrees. keep in mind this also could indicated you are too far off the bottom also. if there is people around, ask, other wise keep changing depths 3-6 inches till you find out where your bait is.

GOLD!!!! Thanks Klik.

I had my second strike with a steelhead today and it was jumping like crazy. I still didnt land one yet, my knot broke off at the hook

 

[Klik]

GOLD!!!! Thanks Klik.

I had my second strike with a steelhead today and it was jumping like crazy. I still didnt land one yet, my knot broke off at the hook

well that is why steelhead is a very prestige trophy fish, if everyone lands 100% then the fish will lose it's value. 75% land rate is considered great, assuming you catch more than 3. also don't use any knot that requires too many twists. I like to clamp my hook with my pliers and yank the line to make sure it is not going to snap. if you are using CP don't lock your hands on the spool, 90% chance of bad things will happen, specially hook popping out. steelhead have very soft gums and very hard skull, and the hook make a huge hole in them and chance of it popping becomes great.

 

[BASSMASTER19]

well that is why steelhead is a very prestige trophy fish, if everyone lands 100% then the fish will lose it's value. 75% land rate is considered great, assuming you catch more than 3. also don't use any knot that requires too many twists. I like to clamp my hook with my pliers and yank the line to make sure it is not going to snap. if you are using CP don't lock your hands on the spool, 90% chance of bad things will happen, specially hook popping out. steelhead have very soft gums and very hard skull, and the hook make a huge hole in them and chance of it popping becomes great.

dude your better than wikipedia thanks man, expect dozens of how do you... pms from me lol

 

[Klik]

bring it on, glad i can help.

 

[BASSMASTER19]

bring it on, glad i can help.

i bought one of the cheap ukraine made reels and im currently suping it up so to speak lol, im replacing the bearings and giving it a new paintjob as soon as im done you should see a couple pms in your inbox

 

[rich_ace_G]

i will be steelhead fishing sporadically so I will have to avoid line twist. will put a swivel above my float and one under. finally finished my set up. 10lb. siglon F hi vis...will run the shot-line and bobber will be in the shotline as well. amazing feedback and thanks for all the advises i got. It kinda narrows everything to what i really want.

 

[Klik]

when it comes to, hooks, leader, line and reel i am a believer in big spending, my last CP last me 14 years worked perfectly, till i started playing engineer and effed it up, still good reel, just screwed up the main inertia so i have to mend the line instead of letting the reel do the job. that time i bought it for 350, stanton original 4.5. this new reel i got should last me even longer due to the fact it is a top end reel. think of it logically.
-cheap hook = hook breaking or opening up in fishes mouth = lose fish
-cheap line = twists = snaps = lose fish
-cheap leader = bad knots = not abrasion resistant as much = lose fish
-cheap CP = line does not unwind fast enough = spinning rod style of mending = what is a point of even having a cp?
-expensive reel = float moves natural = line unwind fast and you wont miss where the fish are sitting = lasts you decades if you take care of it properly = resell value raises in some cases.

 

[Klik]

i will be steelhead fishing sporadically so I will have to avoid line twist. will put a swivel above my float and one under. finally finished my set up. 10lb. siglon F hi vis...will run the shot-line and bobber will be in the shotline as well. amazing feedback and thanks for all the advises i got. It kinda narrows everything to what i really want.

what are the brands, diameter and test of your shot line and your leader line

 

[buck]

when it comes to, hooks, leader, line and reel i am a believer in big spending, my last CP last me 14 years worked perfectly, till i started playing engineer and effed it up, still good reel, just screwed up the main inertia so i have to mend the line instead of letting the reel do the job. that time i bought it for 350, stanton original 4.5. this new reel i got should last me even longer due to the fact it is a top end reel. think of it logically.
-cheap hook = hook breaking or opening up in fishes mouth = lose fish
-cheap line = twists = snaps = lose fish
-cheap leader = bad knots = not abrasion resistant as much = lose fish
-cheap CP = line does not unwind fast enough = spinning rod style of mending = what is a point of even having a cp?

.
-expensive reel = float moves natural = line unwind fast and you wont miss where the fish are sitting = lasts you decades if you take care of it properly = resell value raises in some cases.

 

[rich_ace_G]

what are the brands, diameter and test of your shot line and your leader line

hey klik. i had siglon F 10lb. redwing phantom 8lb fluro shotline and redwing phantom 4.4lb test. both redwing phantoms leaders had been sitting on my backpack for so long it hasn't been opened yet so i just thought i'd use it.