Fly Reel or Center pin?

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i've never tried fly fishin for steelhead.Only fly fishin i get to do is over summer for some resident trout. I've seen lotta guys spay casting it looks fun as long as u are alone and u can do your casts. I prefer centerpin fishin i been doing it over 5 years now, woud be hard to switch now just when i learned how everything works. Maybee if i lived in b.c i woud be fly fishing but here in ontario probably not.
 
well yeah their presentation is precise cos all they have is one fly and it looks more natural. then u have us guys with lot more stuff on the line which coud spook the fish quite faster.But at the end of the the day it all depends how u present your bait to the fish.
 
I know that a lot of you guys have had the opportunity to fish with a fly reel and a center pin reel, i currently use a center pin with a 13'6" rod and I'm pretty happy with it, a buddy of mine got a fly rod and reel last year and loved it so much that he completely stopped using the center pin, can anyone please tell me which they prefer and why? because I'm thinking of getting a fly fishing set up myself. Thanks in advance.
i have never used a center pin before, but i do fly fish and i would have to say it is alot different then norm fishing. (spinning reel)
i find with fly fishing you are more less teasing the fish. casting is no harder then knowing how to flick a wet towel whip. lol
you can also float fish with a fly rod, and bottom bounce. only thing you may fight with is haveing the room to cast. thats when waders come in handy..

i perfer to use my spinning reel. on 14 foot rod. that way i can do almost anything, even use spoons, crank bait, flys. worms jitter bugs.!!!!lol
but i would lke to try a center pin or float reel. makes sence with useing bobbers!!! lol
 
I mainly fly fish cause I enjoy making flies n fooling fish with it. Its very satisfying. I dont have a center pin yet : ) but have float fish n enjoy that too. Either way Im fishing so happy happy joy joy.

As for center pin getting better drift. Not sure bout that one. It depends on how skillful the angler is. I've watched what looked like a skillful anglers. Judging on gear of course. Have so much belly in their line dragging across the water, I was sure they were swinging flies.
 
Apples and Oranges!

They really are that different. First of all I will admit i have never used a centerpin but just so I dont get all preachy fly fisherman on you, please know I do use a lot of other conventional tackle from time to time.

As far as the reel is concerned if you are after the perfect drift you will never be able to beat what you can do with a centerpin. I have watched skilled guys work a perfect seam or eddy through an entire large pool without ever once moving their feet. ie letting the reel do the work and just letting their presentation cover a serious amount of water. Some of those reels are a true piece of engineering and once the shot patterns and basic casting are learned you will be well on your way to joining the masses of other centerpinnin guys here in Ontario who do very very well if they know what they are doing.

Fly fishing reels are generally just a line holder and should have a good drag if your fishing steelhead (old schools reels dont). You see its not the reel that makes the presentation but what you are able to do with the rod and line control that makes for an effective drift. Knowledge of how to fish certain types of water and conditions with what techniques and methods are what make this such a varied option. When things are prime there is nothing better than having a fresh steelhead tear the line from your bare hand as they crush a swinging fly which is the closest to traditional fly fishing methods. Unfortunately once things cool down or fish begin to get pressured its time to change tactics and most fisherman choose to copy the float fishing type set up with small indicators and a few split shot crimped on a leader. Even though this technique is similar to what the centerpin guys do its still quite different for instead of long drifts, I prefer short drifts which makes controlling the line easier thus making for a more effective presentation.

One is not better than the other but they are very different. Centerpins really are huge in Ontario. On the west coast of B.C. or even on some of the states tribs they dont seem to be as common.
 
Definately all about preference. Over the past two years I have acquired two fly rods and a float rod. For the first year I started with the fly rods just fishing residents and bass. After that I made my first trip to the saugeen targeting steelhead, got skunked for two days with my fly rod then I picked up my buddies pin and within maybe a half hour of using it I landed my first steelhead a 5lb hen.

Here are the tradeoffs in my opinion: Pin reel is much easier to use than a fly rod making it easier to hook into a fish, Pin reel is much more difficult and much more fun than a fly rod to fight the fish.

If you are already have mastered or are at least pretty good with the pin reel than I would say its a great idea to get a fly rod as you will get more satisfaction when you fool a nice steel into taking your presentation. On the flip side, if you are still having troubles landing steelhead on a regular basis with your pin the fly rod will be a waste of money as you will probably never use it because you didnt get your steelhead fix yet. If you already got your fix on the pin reel then the fly rod will be a fun way to mix it up.
 
It depends.

I love pinning. I think it is the most effective way to catch migratory fish.

However, last opener my friend was chucking nymphs with his fly setup and absolutely smashed fish, so I busted out my beginners fly setup and slammed fish too.

It was an absolute blast. We landed close to 30 fish in the 3 hours that it was on fire (and lost countless more), including a few 20+lb'rs that jumped into trees.

Ever since that day I've been hooked on fly fishing. I bought a better reel (The one from Canadian tire actually exploded fighting a chrome tank during that 3 hours, shrapnel everywhere lol), and I just recently bought a mid to top range rod.

When I go out now I bring both. If action is slow on the pin, I'll chuck flies with the fly rod. It provides a nice change of pace so you don't feel so tied down to one method.

The more tools in your toolbox, the more chances you will have at being successful.
 
It depends.

I love pinning. I think it is the most effective way to catch migratory fish.

However, last opener my friend was chucking nymphs with his fly setup and absolutely smashed fish, so I busted out my beginners fly setup and slammed fish too.

It was an absolute blast. We landed close to 30 fish in the 3 hours that it was on fire (and lost countless more), including a few 20+lb'rs that jumped into trees.

Ever since that day I've been hooked on fly fishing. I bought a better reel (The one from Canadian tire actually exploded fighting a chrome tank during that 3 hours, shrapnel everywhere lol), and I just recently bought a mid to top range rod.

When I go out now I bring both. If action is slow on the pin, I'll chuck flies with the fly rod. It provides a nice change of pace so you don't feel so tied down to one method.

The more tools in your toolbox, the more chances you will have at being successful.


Well said, and agreed.

What I originally liked about the "Diversity of a Spinning Combo" and still used.
There are obviously far more dedicated set ups available today.

This year (SPRING) I will be committing myself to both FLY setup & Centre Pin (Gonna go Med High - Moderate, if that makes sense)
Then 2012 will be all about PRACTICE, PRACTICE ... and more PRACTICE.

I have always liked to "Change things Up" and can freely say that has made me catch LESS FISH some days ... by doing things different.
It also has helped me catch more!

It isnt the amount, but as you say: THE ENJOYMENT of the EXPERIENCE.


Best to all with "WHATEVER" turns their Crank!
FISH ON!

ps;

Definately "Watch" the amount of gear you will be "Hoarding around".... lol
My personal Fav thing in the whole world to watch is guys dragging around the "Kitchen Sink with em"

*SMILES*
 
Definately "Watch" the amount of gear you will be "Hoarding around".... lol
My personal Fav thing in the whole world to watch is guys dragging around the "Kitchen Sink with em"

*SMILES*


lol yeah.

I like the guys that go down to small tribs like Bronte with those giant tackle boxes from CT. I can fit everything I need for bronte in 1 small fly box.
 
Seems theres few here that wants to try fly fishing and float fishing combos. Heres some advise from my personnel experiance.

Just take one rod. Fly rod or center pin. It will be frustrating at first especially if people are hammering fish all around you. But you will learn much faster. When you finally catch one, it will be that more rewarding.
 
I would like to say i do alll flyfishing now. . . but will never ever get rid of my float setup.I really enjoy making my on fliesand a on the next trip. . hammer some chrome with the very fly i just made. I love how i can get so many different flies for many many situations and water depth. . even a foot of water. pinning is good too. Only i can make way more casts. I think pinners should stay pinners if they like it. .and are used to it just use more flies. thats how i started out. any setup can dominate. I hammered some salmon this year on the fly. . will stick to pinning them next time lmao
 

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