[Rib]

I'm wondering if anyone here has had any experience cleaning and maintaining their centerpins? I have a silex and it is starting to show some wear and tear. Just the aluminum spool, seems like over time it has picked up stains....Does anyone have any suggestions?
Thx,
Rib

 

[Coho Cody]

i use my dads silex, and i take it off after every outing. i open up te reel and put a drop of Quantum's Hot Sauce Reel Oil. then i just wipe the insides of the reel. :wink:

 

[Rib]

Thx Cody, but what I'm really looking for is a way to clean up the "face" of the reel as it is getting pretty tarnished....I keep the insides in really good shape, just want to fix up the outsides somehow.......any ideas?

 

[Guest]

i would not try polishing or buffing it just because it could take away from its value but i find a damp cloth works fine

 

[Fish Finder]

If the finish is tarnished then you may want to try a little CLR on a cloth...I belive Canadian Tire carrys it.

Finder :wink:

 

[kotyk]

Toothpaste might work as well - it does on other metals where you want to clean the surface but do not want to mark up the finish. Just guessing though - as I have not tried it on my Silex.

 

[5-Salt Fever]

Ok I will admit right from the get-go that I am an ignorant Yank when it comes to center pins but I must admit they have peaked my curiousity.

Please enlighten me to the Canadian facination with Center Pins - fly-fishing heritage and trandition? Or is the something more to it than what I see on the surface?

Thanks

PS. I do love my biatcaster for Salmon fishing - that and a lot of fall Salmon fishing we do in smaller rivers requires casting - balls of eggs bigger than a golfball under a bobber - nothing like watching your bobber slow disappear into the tidewater.

 

[Rib]

Well, I can't speak for everyone 5-salt, but for me the centerpin was so appealing for three reasons...Firstly, I really liked the idea of fighting a fish without any gears to give me an advantage, you see centerpins have no drag system to tire the fish out, you just use your hand to restrict the fish's runs...so if you aren't on the ball, you'll get your knuckles busted!!! I like to think of it as the fish's way of rewarding me for falling asleep at the wheel... :lol: Centerpins also have a 1:1 gear ratio (versus 6:1 ratio of baitcasters) which limits the ability to reel down hard on the fish when it comes at you...these two aspects of the centerpin, I feel, give the fish more of a sporting chance to win the battle!!! It forces the fisherman to really stay on top of what the fish is doing, ya know? The third reason that I find the centerpin so appealing is simply the smoothness of the drifts you can achieve on the river, there's something very satisfying in getting that reel spinning so fast it "hums" on your casts, and then the tension free manner in which the line comes off the reel as your float drifts perfectly straight up and down through the water. It's an especially effective way to present your wares to the steelie....You can achieve similar drifts with baitcasting reels as well, but for me there is something particularily satisfying in doing so with a centerpin...
maybe you'll try one eh?
rib :wink:

 

[Big Green Machine]

My cousin Chris let me play two steelies on the Stamp with his Islander centrepin. I used my thumb and forefinger to control the reel when the fish was taking line. As soon as I get my next paycheque I'm heading to the closest tackle store to pick one up. Unbelievable! The only challenge is learning how to cast in tight areas and getting distance. Any advice is greatly appreciated.

 

[cohokid]

practice in your back yard. Put out a yellew plastic plate, cup, basketball, and use just float and lead. Practice castingwith no back swing, by holding the lead and bending your rod to sling shot the gear out. Just make obsticles, like no back swings, over hand make it challanging but start off small.

 

[dinsdale piranha]

I'm wondering if anyone here has had any experience cleaning and maintaining their centerpins? I have a silex and it is starting to show some wear and tear. Just the aluminum spool, seems like over time it has picked up stains....Does anyone have any suggestions?
Thx,
Rib

I think the hardys are actually painted - just the rim is bare aluminium. You are probably wearing through the paint around the handles. Like kingpin says, the wear is a tribute to your experience. Sort of a badge of honour.

Dinsdale

 

[dinsdale piranha]

The only challenge is learning how to cast in tight areas and getting distance. Any advice is greatly appreciated.

There are at least two methods you can try. First, is the strip cast. If you strip off the line you want to cast before you cast, you will be able to flick out the bait with very little effort. Second, is the slingshot cast. With one hand on the reel and one hand holding the mainline at the lowest split shot (or whatever type of weight you are using), tension the line so the rod loads (bends). With practice you can get the feel for the timing and get a good cast with virtually no backcast.

Dinsdale.

 

[Rib]

Yeah, like Dinsdale said....although what I prefer to do is grab the hook by the bend rather than the last split shot....sometimes in real tight casting or even just by accident, if you are holding tension by the split shot the hook can actually catch you or riverside debris as it slings past....it seems easier to guide/aim your cast if the hook is where you apply tension to the line on the sling....I have to say, that once you become more proficient with the centerpin, you will be able to do so much more with it than with a baitcaster....including casting for distance, and especially controlling your drifts...
rib

 

[curmudgeon]

Another trick that helps is to go to a slightly longer drift Rod. There is a noticeable difference, when you go from a 10 ft 6 rod to an 11 ft rod. Casting, even slingshot style, and line control becomes way easier especially in windy situations.

 

[bigjay]

Although technically not a center pin, I love to use the older mooching reel with just the friction drag for drift fishing (Buzz Bombing). I will cast down wind with it and let the jig free fall to the bottom with no drag - it is the ultimate in feel - which is needed as salmon almost always pick up on the drop. Once on the bottom I will put enough drag on so it does not turn if left on it own (a turn ot less of drag), do a few jigs and back up quick. Then use my hands for drag when fighting the fish. It is my favorite way to fish and can be deadly if stacks of biat can be found. I am thinking of getting a centerpin to replace my ageing reels but most don't look salt water friendly or I can see myself spending that much on a reel know my ablity to neglect it.
Have fun, Jason