paul4

Ok, of course it'll be looked at, no problems. paul4

You are allowed to say that the hand in the picture belongs to me see here paul4

Well done Steve, better than I could have done/found paul4

Thank you paul4

Thanks Rusty. There's certainly no sales pitch - I'm not a salesman, nor a "dealer". I'm just a centrepin user, some might say fanatic, I live near Fred and the other guys, and I'm helping selling some as their original outlet (Xstreambaits) no longer exists. Plugging though I'm not ashamed of. My article "Centrepins and using them, especially for Barbel fishing" has just been updated. If anyone has anything they could add to the article, either a paragraph or a separate article similar to the 3 other that alrteady exist, please contact me. There's nothing financial about this, it's was just an attempt to get all the info about centrepins that I emailed and wrote on message boards, repeatedly and repetitively, in one place. Only just getting used the AN format :-) but not smiley faces yet thanks paul4

I think it's a bit more complicated than that ayjay, but you have the gist. Fred was not the only one who made the originals, but he was part of a group who did. There was a guy to do with specialist tackle who made Trotting Special c'pins and there was some connection - I'll ask. The Searcher centrepin is similar, and that was sold by Specialist Tackle. Complicated innit? paul4

Hi all The early replicas, which were "allowed" to be called "match aerials" have crinkly backplates - this was obviously achieved by a casting process using a special alloy. I have a couple of these and have used one most of the time for the last 30 years (ish). Incidentally the main difference is the flat bladed ratchet knob as opposed to the original's circular tri-bladed knob. The current Fred Crouch reels are NOT allowed to be called "match aerials" and they do NOT have crinkly backs. I have several of these and use them currently. Again, flat bladed ratchet knob. I believe, and will check this, that there were "intermediate" reels with non-crinkly backplates due to the "tools" wearing out or being damaged. paul4 OOps sorry - I just noticed there were three pages of this thread, I just answered a post on page 1.

Hi I browse (lurk?) AN regularly (just had to re-register for some reason) but as I only fish for barbel I have not normally got anything to add. But centrepins are my preference, and I leger for barbel. In fact I caught my first barbel for 30 years on a fixed spool last season - I don't knock them I just don't often use them. Perhaps you may be interested in my updated article on centrepins here where you will undoubtedly recognise the contributor(s) of some of the additional material (thanks to them) paul4