Old centre pin reels - advice please?

[Russ Pike]

I bought a bunch of old reels recently of a guy who had given up and just wondered if these would be any good for a bit of stick fishing on the Trent. I know one is a Trudex and I’m told the other larger one is a Mordex Major. 3rd one is obviously a fly reel. Many thanks in advance for any advice. Regards Russ

 

[Christian Tyroll]

Hi Russ, it will depend how freely they spin. I’ve had a handful of trudex and rapidex over the years and a couple of them could trot a float. Most of them were a bit stiff but nice enough for other types of fishing. It’s possible they’ll just need a bit of tlc.

 

[Russ Pike]

Hi Russ, it will depend how freely they spin. I’ve had a handful of trudex and rapidex over the years and a couple of them could trot a float. Most of them were a bit stiff but nice enough for other types of fishing. It’s possible they’ll just need a bit of tlc.

Thanks Christian

 

[Alan Rose]

I bought a bunch of old reels recently of a guy who had given up and just wondered if these would be any good for a bit of stick fishing on the Trent. I know one is a Trudex and I’m told the other larger one is a Mordex Major. 3rd one is obviously a fly reel. Many thanks in advance for any advice. Regards Russ

If the Trudex doesn't wobble then it could be alright. Get it open, clean it all out, polish the spindle with metal polish, a couple of drops of sewing machine oil and spool back on and see what it does. If it's noisy, remove grub screw, clean the whole lot with lighter fluid and try again. You'll have to make sure the tensioner is backed right off (one of the most superfluous bits of reel design ever imo ).

Good luck with it Russ, but be warned, centrepins are a slippery slope!

 

[Russ Pike]

If the Trudex doesn't wobble then it could be alright. Get it open, clean it all out, polish the spindle with metal polish, a couple of drops of sewing machine oil and spool back on and see what it does. If it's noisy, remove grub screw, clean the whole lot with lighter fluid and try again. You'll have to make sure the tensioner is backed right off (one of the most superfluous bits of reel design ever imo ).

Good luck with it Russ, but be warned, centrepins are a slippery slope!

Thanks Alan, it’s all sounds like great fun

 

[John Newman]

I concur with Alan's suggestions.

Get everything cleaned and dry off. I find a cotton bud useful for cleaning the hole inside the spool. I bought a bottle of "Pin Oil" from Garry Mills at a show but hair clipper or sewing machine oil should do the same job. The end float screw should allow for very slight movement when you pull the spool away from the body (tip from Gary Mills).

I was gifted a Rapidex that had not been used for years and was caked in groundbait and dirt but a little time cleaning and lubricating and it became my go to reel for light trotting.

 

[Russ Pike]

I concur with Alan's suggestions.

Get everything cleaned and dry off. I find a cotton bud useful for cleaning the hole inside the spool. I bought a bottle of "Pin Oil" from Garry Mills at a show but hair clipper or sewing machine oil should do the same job. The end float screw should allow for very slight movement when you pull the spool away from the body (tip from Gary Mills).

I was gifted a Rapidex that had not been used for years and was caked in groundbait and dirt but a little time cleaning and lubricating and it became my go to reel for light trotting.

Thanks John,

I have recently had a couple of 3500b’s serviced by Gary after meeting him on his stall at the barbel show last year. Just ordered some singer oil off Amazon so will have a fettle and see what improvements can be made from a little TLC. Thank for the advice