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[aseredick]

I’m curious if anyone tosses metal with their centerpin set-up? Packing 2 rods around (a centerpin to float fish and a baitcaster for hardware) is getting old.
I know the obvious answer is use the baitcaster for both, but after my first steelhead of the year on the centerpin, I realized how much more I enjoy fishing (and playing fish) with it.
If anyone’s been down this road, I’d love to hear your experiences - good and bad. Any advice about rod length, action, effective casts, etc. would be welcome.

[Darko]

I’m curious if anyone tosses metal with their centerpin set-up? Packing 2 rods around (a centerpin to float fish and a baitcaster for hardware) is getting old.
I know the obvious answer is use the baitcaster for both, but after my first steelhead of the year on the centerpin, I realized how much more I enjoy fishing (and playing fish) with it.
If anyone’s been down this road, I’d love to hear your experiences - good and bad. Any advice about rod length, action, effective casts, etc. would be welcome.

you can always fish your lures under a float

[MetalAndFeathers]

I’ve landed several steelhead on the pin rod for the exact reason of not wanting to lug another rod around. I use a 10’ light trophy xl rod which is a light and stiff rod so it works very well for playing the spoon around in technical water, boulders etc. I’d imagine that would be tougher with a longer noodle rod but still possible. The trophy can cast light spoons good too, with a good wallis cast I can pitch a wobbler spoon across the river.
If you figure out how to reuse plastic bobber stops from a cut piece of line you can just cut your float rig off below the top stoppers and put it back on fairly quick and not lose any gear. The steelhead don’t seem to mind 2 bobber stops above the spoon.
Hang on and be ready the bites are savage. Running the spoon behind float gear works surprisingly well.

[aseredick]

Thanks for your thoughts @Darko and @MetalAndFeathers.
I’ve run blades below a float, but it never occurred to me to swing a spoon that way.
@MetalAndFeathers - do you think your light rod is similar to a 2 power?
I’ve got a 2106 rod that I’ve tried to BC cast a 2/5 spoon and it was pathetic. Maybe it’s time to finally figure out the Wallis cast?
Anybody having any success doing this with a noodle rod or Spey blank?

[clarki]

In my limited experience spoon fishing with a CP outfit, it works poorly in slow moving water where you primarily using the turning of the reel on the retrieve to provide action to the spoon. Because of the 1:1 gear ratio, you have to turn the reel very fast to impart action to the spoon. (Unlike the gearing in spinning or bait casting reels.) Certainly it’s possible, but I find it’s a pain, and not much fun, to retrieve that fast.
As a previous poster mentioned, it best works in technical water, or in swinging, when you are using the river current to aid in providing action to the spoon.

[RalphH]

spinners under a float work great and I have had a lot of fun with a #3 Colorado rigged old school with a pair of swivels and a split ring. If the current is a kind of slow you can retrieve slowly. caught steelhead, coho, chum etc this way.

[aseredick]

The retrieve is unlikely to be fun. I tend to fish more moving water than slow water, and the cast and swing isn’t going to have me retrieving forever like a long float. I could be wrong, but I thought the 1:1 ratio might help with the spoon action by slowing it down; maybe we’re talking different types of water but I have to crawl the spoon back in with the baitcaster or it starts to spin.
I had a bit of success with a Colorado blade under a float with chinooks this year and coho last - no steelhead on them yet, but I’ve tried. I’ll have to give it a go for chums after the water drops.

[Chum Slayer]

It can work but your limited with the centerpin if your just fishing a spoon or spinner without a float. I would just get a nice travel casting rod, I use one during salmon season if I can get anything float fishing I can just pull out the travel rod that I store in my pack and twitch a jig or swing a spoon. Also with the travel rod option you could also bounce roe,shrimp and beads on the bottom of deep holes (12ft plus).

[RalphH]

The retrieve is unlikely to be fun. I tend to fish more moving water than slow water, and the cast and swing isn’t going to have me retrieving forever like a long float. I could be wrong, but I thought the 1:1 ratio might help with the spoon action by slowing it down; maybe we’re talking different types of water but I have to crawl the spoon back in with the baitcaster or it starts to spin.
I had a bit of success with a Colorado blade under a float with chinooks this year and coho last - no steelhead on them yet, but I’ve tried. I’ll have to give it a go for chums after the water drops.

If you are referring to using colorado blades, my experience in slower water was in the lower canal. There was current but slow. I used the retrieve to simply keep the line straight to the top of the hook which was enough to turn the blade and I caught fish as I described.

[RalphH]

also wanted to mention that well known area guide  Vic Carrao who founded STS Guiding wrote about fishing a sppon under a float, dead drift said it often did well for him.

[hammer]

I make a habit of fishing a light "flutter" spoon on my float regularly. The ones I use are dick knights and little shaver types

[aseredick]

All interesting stuff guys. I’ve been reading some of Vic Carrao’s blog and looking into Dick Nites. I guess our southern neighbours like to drift fish Dick Nites.

[RalphH]

IME Dick Nite are excellent little spoons. I have caught a number of coho on the #0 Dick Nite which can be cast with a fly rod. Recommend swapping out the hooks in exchange for something of better quality.

[hammer]

Ralph...in some two-handed circles, it's called the Sir Richard 😉

[Every Day]

I don't frequent these forums much anymore, but the answer to this question is yes! Pretty well the only way that I now spoon fish for steelhead, etc is with my pin rod. You need a well running pin (I use jw young reels; my Campbell's work OK, islanders are a no go). I run braid because I prefer the no stretch, thin diameter and the fact that if you do rat nest, it actually tends to be easier to fix than with mono. I run a 6wt rainshadow switch blank converted to a pin rod. I find the 6wt far easier to distance cast compared to my heavier switch rod or proper pin rod blanks. You either need to bat the reel hard with your thumb, or Wallis cast. At this point, I can cast a 2/5 ounce spoon on its own almost as far as I can get it with a spinning rod. There's no better way to fish metal imo. So much control of depth, gear feel, direct contact to the lure/ fish (without terminal tackle swing or line drag), hand to hand single action battle, and insane grabs.

Of note, I've pretty well stopped doing this for coho for jig fishing or spinner or spoon fishing where a constant retrieve is needed. I just found the amount of reeling and the speed you need to do it at to be cumbersome. You also tend to miss a lot of grabs retrieving since you can't pick up that momentary slack fast enough. After a few days it can kind of mess with your wrist. The spoon on a pin is most effective for swinging for sure.