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Cane and Pin

Ian Hugo Arnott

Ian Hugo Arnott

Senior Member


Piscators,

How many of us use cane rods and centrepins

I am not going to do a poll, but would just be interested in your comments, pro or con.

Regards,

Hugo


 
I've been using a 'pin for about three seasons, Hugo, and have just recently acquired a MKIV Carp rod which I plan to use early in the new year, conditions pending. The reel is Jet, so not similarly old.

I've read quite a bit about the pleasures of playing a fish on a cane rod, so very much looking forward to it.
 
I have never used or even waggled a cane rod. Instead I cheat and use a hexagraph. I have no idea about the merits of using one but suspect, by any measure, there isn't any. The same, to a large extent, goes for pins. But I have never thought that was the point. It's all part of the broader angling experience flavoured with dewy-eyed sentimentality. Which I totally get. I haven't quite got to the stage of wanting to buy a cane rod but I can understand why people do.

This is my second season with the pin for static barbel fishing (although this is another cheat as I mainly use the RW Rolling Pin) and have found I use it most of the time now. They are great fun and do add to the experience. I also do genuinely find I can land a fish just as quickly as I can with the fixed spool.

People get different things out of going fishing-it's a wonderfully broad church.
 
I suspect it's not all about the aesthetics, however, but more the experience of using traditional tackle. What I can say, so far, about using a 'pin is that I feel more in touch with the (hooked) fish - and, before the jokes start flying, not on an emotional level. :)

It's clearly a subject that evokes a good deal of jocularity between the two factions (for want of a better word); and perhaps it's difficult to see any advantage of cane over carbon. Perhaps cane rods are not as light as carbon (not that it matters if they're in a rest all session) and the finished article perhaps less homogeneous however a cane rod has a beauty about it and an individuality, and has (in most case) been built by a craftsman using skills hones over many years. I could go on........but, in anticipation of a right lambasting, I won't.

It's a horses for courses thing and I reckon the world would be worse off (and not just environmentally) if we all used Shimano baitrunners.

I guess the proof of the pudding is in the eating, so I'll report back when I've caught something on my MKIV.
 
Richard Parsons said:
I suspect it's not all about the aesthetics, however, but more the experience of using traditional tackle. What I can say, so far, about using a 'pin is that I feel more in touch with the (hooked) fish - and, before the jokes start flying, not on an emotional level. :)

It's clearly a subject that evokes a good deal of jocularity between the two factions (for want of a better word); and perhaps it's difficult to see any advantage of cane over carbon. Perhaps cane rods are not as light as carbon (not that it matters if they're in a rest all session) and the finished article perhaps less homogeneous however a cane rod has a beauty about it and an individuality, and has (in most case) been built by a craftsman using skills hones over many years. I could go on........but, in anticipation of a right lambasting, I won't.

It's a horses for courses thing and I reckon the world would be worse off (and not just environmentally) if we all used Shimano baitrunners.

I guess the proof of the pudding is in the eating, so I'll report back when I've caught something on my MKIV.
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Good for you Richard and it would great to hear how you get on with the MKIV. I also agree with your comment about craftsmanship. I wonder if it's something of a dying art with a handful of rod and reel builders. In fact as far as pins are concerned, who is left making and selling-not many and that's why I have my name down for 3 Chris Lythe reels (please see classified section in due course for the stuff I need to sell to make room for these and thankfully I have quite a lot of time to save up too). It must be hard to make a decent living out of it given the hours that are needed to build these exquisite pieces.
 
Howard Cooke said:
Good for you Richard and it would great to hear how you get on with the MKIV. I also agree with your comment about craftsmanship. I wonder if it's something of a dying art with a handful of rod and reel builders. In fact as far as pins are concerned, who is left making and selling-not many and that's why I have my name down for 3 Chris Lythe reels (please see classified section in due course for the stuff I need to sell to make room for these and thankfully I have quite a lot of time to save up too). It must be hard to make a decent living out of it given the hours that are needed to build these exquisite pieces.
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Chris Lythe's reputation rightly precedes him, Howard, as the reels look fantastic. I've just ordered a Dave Lewthwaite reel - a Lewtham Quest, also a side caster á la Ray Walton pin. A fair bit cheaper than the ones you've ordered, but should do the job required. The element of craftsmanship with modern rods, as you suggest, lies with those that are custom built. There's still plenty of room for uniqueness and giving the rod a bit of character.

I'll certainly report back. :)
 
Although I have been the owner and user of a Barbus Maximu II for some years

I could not afford the Edward Barder centrepin, which costs eight hundred and fifty pounds sterling.

I am content with my Speedia and Rapidex 4, which I have used for more than fifty years.

My only carbon rod is a Hexagraph Ray Walton Specialist No 1. Excellent rod.


Regards


Hugo

 
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Richard Parsons said:
I suspect it's not all about the aesthetics, however, but more the experience of using traditional tackle. What I can say, so far, about using a 'pin is that I feel more in touch with the (hooked) fish - and, before the jokes start flying, not on an emotional level. :)

It's clearly a subject that evokes a good deal of jocularity between the two factions (for want of a better word); and perhaps it's difficult to see any advantage of cane over carbon. Perhaps cane rods are not as light as carbon (not that it matters if they're in a rest all session) and the finished article perhaps less homogeneous however a cane rod has a beauty about it and an individuality, and has (in most case) been built by a craftsman using skills hones over many years. I could go on........but, in anticipation of a right lambasting, I won't.

It's a horses for courses thing and I reckon the world would be worse off (and not just environmentally) if we all used Shimano baitrunners.

I guess the proof of the pudding is in the eating, so I'll report back when I've caught something on my MKIV.
Click to expand...

I think Richard has it spot on here particularly with regard to the cane rods ,it's all about the craftsmanship and the aesthetic of using vintage rods . Of course they are as not as light as carbon rods but who cares , are we that weak that we can't lift a few more ounces in pursuit of our pastime ? I enjoy using cane rods , other than the weight factor , they are fine for both floatfishing and '' bottoming '' at short to medium range ,and can tame any fish that I have come across . They do need a little more looking after to keep them in good shape but that is no hardship . As for the centre pin , well in my view they are the best tool for trotting . for other methods they are fine as long as you don't have to cast too the horizon . A cane rod also has something about it , which most carbon rods lack . I enjoy buying old care worn examples off E bay and doing them up in the winter . It is fun fishing with a 60 or 70 year old rod you have bought back to life , imagining who may have owned it before and what fish had bent it's fibres
 
Maybe you will be making bone hooks to go with your cane rods and pins and hey! why not get some catgut lines - super anal stuff here in my book! but hey whatever floats your boat.
 
Howard Cooke said:
I have no idea about the merits of using one but suspect, by any measure, there isn't any. The same, to a large extent, goes for pins..
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Hi Howard. I can't agree with you regarding pins vs fixed-spool reels for barbel fishing, I'm afraid. Pins are far superior, for the simple reason that you don't have to pump the rod whilst playing in a fish. It's the pumping action required when using a fixed-spool that allows the fish its "head"...
 
Tim Lennon said:
Hi Howard. I can't agree with you regarding pins vs fixed-spool reels for barbel fishing, I'm afraid. Pins are far superior, for the simple reason that you don't have to pump the rod whilst playing in a fish. It's the pumping action required when using a fixed-spool that allows the fish its "head"...
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Ah yes Tim and what I forgot to add was ".....in my less than capable hands"
 
Tim Lennon said:
Hi Howard. I can't agree with you regarding pins vs fixed-spool reels for barbel fishing, I'm afraid. Pins are far superior, for the simple reason that you don't have to pump the rod whilst playing in a fish. It's the pumping action required when using a fixed-spool that allows the fish its "head"...
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How does that work Tim, when you have a slipping clutch on a fixed spool? To say 'pins are far superior is just not the case, certainly not in this day and age they are not.

Have you ever used a good fixed spool with a good clutch?
 
I nearly always use a pin but use a carbon rod. I do not use a cane rod because what i have works for me and have never had the opportunity to use one. I use a pin for the reason i can get more control over a fish,i find on a fixed spool reel the fish usually runs away from me on its first run but with a pin the fish comes towards me,being wound under pressure.In small river snag swims they cannot be beaten.The fact that the rod is right over and i can still gain line makes for much easier control.I find i also loose very few fish.
 
Neil Smart said:
How does that work Tim, when you have a slipping clutch on a fixed spool? To say 'pins are far superior is just not the case, certainly not in this day and age they are not.

Have you ever used a good fixed spool with a good clutch?
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Hi Neil. I don't understand your post. What has a slipping clutch on a fixed-spool reel got to do with having to pump the rod when retrieving line?

And yes, I own some of the best fixed-spool reels available, with tremendous clutches. The best I've come across is the Daiwa TDR, but I still have to pump the rod to retrieve line when using it, which is why I prefer not to use it when barbel fishing.
 
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