CENTRE PIN REELS

[Andrew Boyd]

The long and short of it is you use what you are happy with. Many modern fixed spool reels have excellent rear drags that can be micro adjusted during the fight.

Leon if you remember Daves 6lb Mullet at Sun Pier, he was adjusting the rear drag to suit the runs and is happy to play his fish that way with the final adjustment by placing the finger on the spool. Beats locking the spool of a Mitchell 300 down tight and using backwind. Go on you've all been there !

[spanishstyle]

"wow" :cool:

[Peter Waller]

Plastiscene for weights, now the purists will be hopping. I mean, all those barbel now making models in their spare time! Nice, and very obvious idea Ray, like it.

[Leon Roskilly]

Andrew Boyd:

Leon if you remember Daves 6lb Mullet at Sun Pier, he was adjusting the rear drag to suit the runs and is happy to play his fish that way with the final adjustment by placing the finger on the spool. Beats locking the spool of a Mitchell 300 down tight and using backwind. Go on you've all been there !

Sometimes mullet just go, there is absolutely no time to fiddle with the drag.

 

Often that happens as you are bringing a 'weakening' fish towards the net, with the hand that you would otherwise use to adjust the drag occupied.

 

And when you've tigthtened the drag just a little to stop the fish being taken away by the tide.

 

Whishhhhhhhh! and it's gone

 

That happened to me twice, with really big fish, (and after I'd tried introducing a 'shock absorber' of power gum above the float, having lost some smaller fish because I wasn't able to respond quickly to that sudden unexpected turbo charged rush).

 

It's a brilliant feeling as a fish turns and disappears at high speed (when my 7lb 12oz fish did that I saw the float move across beneath the water looking like a thrown dart!) and the centrepin whhizzes around under light pressure from the thumb. Instant control at all times and no need to fiddle

 

 

Tight Lines - leon

[poledark]

I think you have missed the point re finger pressure on the spool when using a Fixed spool reel Leon.

 

If done properly then you only have to lift a finger to allow for that unexpected run or last dash, the preset clutch will allow line to slip.

 

Fish are allowed to run against the clutch and finger pressure, and when the fish slows or stops then a little extra finger pressure is applied and the fish PUMPED in.

 

No need to adjust the clutch while playing any fish.

 

 

Den

[RollingPinBoy]

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and pics of the sidecaster Mk2 Rolling Pin prototype in case you have not seen it.

 

 

 

[ 08. January 2005, 10:09 AM: Message edited by: RollingPinBoy ]

[Jim Gibbinson]

As someone who has caught a fair number of big mullet on both fixed-spool and centrepin, I have to say that there is no discernible advantage to either one. Sudden lunges are not a problem with either type of reel - as Poledark said, it's just a matter of finger pressure on the spool. Besides, modern clutches are so good that adjustment, should it be necessary, takes but a moment. I've tried Shimano's Fighting Drag, and that works well, too. Then there's backwinding - absolutely no problem. As I said earlier, if people want to ascribe virtues to something, they will.

[Leon Roskilly]

poledark:

I think you have missed the point re finger pressure on the spool when using a Fixed spool reel Leon.

 

If done properly then you only have to lift a finger to allow for that unexpected run or last dash, the preset clutch will allow line to slip.

 

Fish are allowed to run against the clutch and finger pressure, and when the fish slows or stops then a little extra finger pressure is applied and the fish PUMPED in.

 

No need to adjust the clutch while playing any fish.

 

 

Den

The problem Den is that at some point you have to start gaining line against some pressure.

 

The fish is weakened, and with most coarse species you can tighten the clutch a little to wind in line as you bring the fish in, confident that any lunge of the fish can be dealt with by simply lowering the rod a bit and holding the fish with the rod until it's head comes up again.

 

(Mullet are the only fish I know that, once the head is out of the water, are not beaten. You can get them up, and they simply turn over and go down again, under full power!)

 

And a 'beaten' fish can suddenly go ballistic.

 

So, what happens is that you've fought the fish to a standstill, with the clutch set really lightly, lowering the rod to absorb lunges and lifting the rod to apply pressure, occasionally conceeding line. The fish keeps trying to reach the full strength of the tide, and when it does, the reel sings as it pulls off line.

 

Again you get control of the fish and start to bring it back towards you, but the tide pulls against the lightly set clutch so you have to tighten it a little (lowering the rod and winding simply doesn't work as the tide takes up any slack instantly).

 

Finally, the fish is at the top and isn't going down, the net is in the water.

 

You need to bring the fish in over the net, but it's too far out to guide in with just the rod, you've got to wind some line onto the reel, but the fish just moves down current if you try to lower the rod and wind.

 

You have to tighten the clutch a little and wind on some line.

 

The fish suddenly, without a hint of a warning, goes ballistic. Not a lunge, or a dive. It's got turbo boosters on and is heading straight for the strongly racing tide, all in just a split second of confusion.

 

The rod is lowered, no longer absorbing lunges and the full force of the fish's high speed dash is taken by the reel, you move to adjust the clutch to let the reel sing again. But the hook has already pulled

 

Den, I've played fish of all sizes and all species on fixed spool reels for decades, but it wasn't until I came across mullet that I was bested. All I'd say is that you give them a try.

 

You'll land plenty on a fixed spool reel, big ones too (I use fixed spool for mullet fishing if I need casting distance), but sooner or later you'll also lose fish, perhaps the fish of a lifetime, simply because you couldn't apply all the pressure you need, yet be able to instantly give line with the lift of a finger as you can with a centrepin.

 

It's that transition from being able to wind in metres of line against pressure, to being instantly able to respond to a totally unexpected rush that takes several metres of line, that is the difference.

 

Den, I fully understand what you are trying to say, but I'm absolutely convinced that I've landed mullet that I would not have landed with any other reel than a fixed spool reel, including my personal best!

 

Tight Lines - leon

 

[ 08. January 2005, 10:39 AM: Message edited by: Leon Roskilly ]

[Leon Roskilly]

Jim Gibbinson:

As someone who has caught a fair number of big mullet on both fixed-spool and centrepin, I have to say that there is no discernible advantage to either one. Sudden lunges are not a problem with either type of reel - as Poledark said, it's just a matter of finger pressure on the spool. Besides, modern clutches are so good that adjustment, should it be necessary, takes but a moment. I've tried Shimano's Fighting Drag, and that works well, too. Then there's backwinding - absolutely no problem. As I said earlier, if people want to ascribe virtues to something, they will.

Jim,

 

Why do you sometimes use a centrepin?

 

Tight Lines - leon

[RollingPinBoy]

With the stem from the reel seat on some fixed spool reels being long and the distance to the spool sometimes make the finger control on the spool impracticle. You have to have very long fingers me thinks..Ray