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[Ed]

Hey guys, I think the time has come for me to pick up a centerpin set. i was just wondering whats a good set up and the length of rod i will need for floating fishing for salmon. i will probably still fly fish for now since the pinks are coming and are great fun on the fly but a lot of my other buddies having good luck pinning. if cost isn't a factor what set up do you guys recomend?

[kingpin]

well if cost isnt a factor the obvious choice is a sage 3113m or 3106L depending on what your going to target, the 3113 would be better as an all around rod...it not cheap though just under 600 bucks i  think.
as far as reels....an older kingfisher is one of the best choices... you cant go wrong with an islander steelheader they are pretty well bullet proof....

so my vote would go to sage 3113 and an islander, the islander is cheaper than a new kingfisher and every bit as good or better.

[jeff]

I run a Islander Steelheader and love it with a shimano Converence its a 10'6'' rod rated for 12lb 20lb its a cheaper rod like $90 to $100 depends where you get it from and it does the trick strong enough and not to heavy. That is just my 2 cents, all I can say is when I got my pin I told my self I was only going to use it for Steelhead and now I cant put it down lets just say my baitcater collects a lot of dust now, pins are a lot of fun.

[younggun]

Another sweet stick would be the Lamiglas X113-CP, love mine. Retail is $320 i think.

[Ed]

thanks for the information. I was just wondering where I could pick up one of those sage rods in Vancouver. Thanks

[kingpin]

westcoast tackle off hastings.

[HOOK]

i would imagine Pacific Angler carries Sage rods. I could be wrong though as not all stores carry every brand which seams strange to me 

[fishgod]

I also agree... Sage produces an awesome rod.  It becomes personal preference ... my 2 cents is the 3106L is a nice coho/pink rod, it is really too light for springs unless you have a lot of room and a lot of patience.  As an all around rod I prefer the 3113L, it has a great parabolic action and is still forgiving enough to land coho on 6lb leader.  Although the 3113L is still a little light for springs and that is why some have recommended the 3113M - more power in the butt - again this comes down to personal preference. 

As far as reels the choice comes down to do you want a bushing reel or a bearing reel? 

I fished bushing reels exclusively for the first 10 years that I centerpinned...found them to be durable and forgiving.  Would stand up to abuse, fishing with messy row and dirt.  You should know that a heavy reel generally has less flex, but more start up inertia required to get it spinning some examples would be an Avon, IMW or a Milner 'talisman'  - again these are sturdy durable reels that work well in heavier flows where you have room to cast (load up the rod).  They do not work as well during lower flows of september or in smaller rivers with little current.  The Milner kingfisher. while not as sturdy a reel (only two year warranty compared to 10 years on the talisman) has a very low startup inertia that makes it a joy to fish.  It comes in both 4 and 5 in. models again personal preference.

In the last several years I have been trying out several bearing centerpin reels and have found that they follow some of the same general trends as far as heavier reel more startup inertia required.  The islander steelheader, maybe the most famous bearing reel, and the Okuma aventa, about half the price, both fall into this category.  Some others to consider are made by Raven - they have several reels of varying weights and good customer service.  Also there is a newer reel from England called a Kingpin - I haven't fished one yet but it looks very nice.

The bottom line is if you know you are a slothful fisherman or fish with row or in areas that have you climbing, then a bushing real is probably the one to choose.  Bearing reels have closer tolerances and are not too forgiving in these types of fishing conditions. 

Some fishing purists would also have you consider a Hardy Jewel, a Macdonald, a Clough or a Mykiss - these reels are harder to come by and some are incredibly expensive - for a more comprehensive list google - Ontario centerpin fishing there  is a site that has almost every pin ever made.

goodluck and enjoy
all this discussion has me thinking it time to go spin another Kingpin for temptation sake

[kingpin]

I also agree... Sage produces an awesome rod.  It becomes personal preference ... my 2 cents is the 3106L is a nice coho/pink rod, it is really too light for springs unless you have a lot of room and a lot of patience.  As an all around rod I prefer the 3113L, it has a great parabolic action and is still forgiving enough to land coho on 6lb leader.  Although the 3113L is still a little light for springs and that is why some have recommended the 3113M - more power in the butt - again this comes down to personal preference. 

As far as reels the choice comes down to do you want a bushing reel or a bearing reel? 

I fished bushing reels exclusively for the first 10 years that I centerpinned...found them to be durable and forgiving.  Would stand up to abuse, fishing with messy row and dirt.  You should know that a heavy reel generally has less flex, but more start up inertia required to get it spinning some examples would be an Avon, IMW or a Milner 'talisman'  - again these are sturdy durable reels that work well in heavier flows where you have room to cast (load up the rod).  They do not work as well during lower flows of september or in smaller rivers with little current.  The Milner kingfisher. while not as sturdy a reel (only two year warranty compared to 10 years on the talisman) has a very low startup inertia that makes it a joy to fish.  It comes in both 4 and 5 in. models again personal preference.

In the last several years I have been trying out several bearing centerpin reels and have found that they follow some of the same general trends as far as heavier reel more startup inertia required.  The islander steelheader, maybe the most famous bearing reel, and the Okuma aventa, about half the price, both fall into this category.  Some others to consider are made by Raven - they have several reels of varying weights and good customer service.  Also there is a newer reel from England called a Kingpin - I haven't fished one yet but it looks very nice.

The bottom line is if you know you are a slothful fisherman or fish with row or in areas that have you climbing, then a bushing real is probably the one to choose.  Bearing reels have closer tolerances and are not too forgiving in these types of fishing conditions. 

Some fishing purists would also have you consider a Hardy Jewel, a Macdonald, a Clough or a Mykiss - these reels are harder to come by and some are incredibly expensive - for a more comprehensive list google - Ontario centerpin fishing there  is a site that has almost every pin ever made.

goodluck and enjoy
all this discussion has me thinking it time to go spin another Kingpin for temptation sake

i own 2 kingpin reels, they spin very welll. the only thing i dislike is the flat spool edge, i prefer the rounded off style like a kingfisher.

[Ed]

hey would you guys recomend a Kingping purist 2?

[kingpin]

kingpin doesnt make the purist...... jw young makes the purist, and they are a pretty good reel too, i like mine.

[doja]

Another vote for the sage.

[Ed]

Lol yeah sorry, got it mixed up with all the kingpin, milner kingfisher, and jw youngs...Another question i was wondering was if 11'3 rod long enough for the rivers in bc? I was told by a fishing buddy that lives in ontario that I should be getting a 13' ft + rod but that could be because he is fishing the niagra.

[doja]

Lol yeah sorry, got it mixed up with all the kingpin, milner kingfisher, and jw youngs...Another question i was wondering was if 11'3 rod long enough for the rivers in bc? I was told by a fishing buddy that lives in ontario that I should be getting a 13' ft + rod but that could be because he is fishing the niagra.

11'6 is a perfect size as it allows more line control and accommodates long rigs if fishing in deeper water and have the float high up the line.

I use a 13' eastern style float rod, AKA the "noodle rod". It's a shimano clararus. It has a rating of #4-8 line but has a strong butt section and in the hands of an "skilled angler" will land a #15 no problem.

And it uses adjustable reels seats so you can move the reel to the perfect spot that you like or put a spinning reel on to cast to those hard to reach places.

It's also lighter than some of the c-pins set-ups I've tried.

Many people will tell you this is over kill and that you can't land a fish with a light rod, bahh.

If getting a rod make sure to match the line wt of rod to your leader line wt. You don't want a rod that is rated for #15 line when you fish with #8 leader. It won't protect the line properly. I use #8-10 max except for Chinook, hense the #4-8 rating on my rod.

An #8-15 line rating is a good choice for all fish but Chinook.

[Gooey]

we obvoiusly have a bunch of gear snobs here (myself included)!  if you want new gear, whats a new CP fisher to do if they dont have $1200!!!!  Whats your budget anyhow?  

If I had to cut any corners it would be on the rod.  My first CP was an avon royal and I guarnatee that casting that thing isn't nearly as nice (or easy) as the isalnder or milner I own.  the seldex 2250 is a nice reel that cast very well but at a far lesser price than the above mentioned reels.  

St croix makes some really nice rods.  Personally I think they may be a little under valued.  Bug Pumper fishes one (I think the series name is wild river) and if they made it in a CP then that too would be a really nice entry rods along with the likes of the convergence, trophy XLs, etc.