• You need to be a registered member of Barbel Fishing World to post on these forums. Some of the forums are hidden from non-members. Please refer to the instructions on the ‘Register’ page for details of how to join the new incarnation of BFW...

Pin advice

Kevin Brown

Kevin Brown

Senior Member & Supporter
I’m looking at buying my first centre pin , initially for some grayling fishing this winter and then hopefully when I get some decent float water for barbel.
Is there a pin that’ll do both ?
Budget is under a £100 and to pair it with a Acolyte plus (14ft) for grayling chub etc

I already have a 13ft Korum Glide but will probably upgrade next year for barbel , it feels kinda heavy and cumbersome to me .
 
Ben Marr said:
Any of the okumas would be a good start, have a look on ebay for used ones to keep the price down, they're often hardy used.
Click to expand...
I just missed out on a Sheffield yesterday £65 , I hesitated because I didn’t have a clue what I was buying .
 
Okumas are very sound or if you prefer something with a bit of history an Adcock Stanton (with ratchet). I have had lots of trotting centrepins and the one thing I’d avoid is anything less than 4.5 inch as it takes too long to retrieve. I also prefer bearings pins because I can retrieve faster with them. It’s a personal thing though, as many prefer true pins.
 
Hi Kevin, for a first decent centrepin you’d be well served with an Okuma Aventa Pro VT1002. They’re solid reels and often come up for sale on eBay at sub-£100. Not to be confused with the bog standard Okuma Aventa which isn’t quite as good. The Sheffield and Aventa Pro are basically the same reel with different costumes on, so it all depends on what you like the look of most 🙂
 
I managed to pick up a Youngs super light weight for around the same price as a new Okuma Sheffield
I figured I might as well buy what I’ll end up
with anyway and cut out the starter reel. Probably save money that way and if I don’t get on with it I’ll get most of my money back
 
Kevin Brown said:
I managed to pick up a Youngs super light weight for around the same price as a new Okuma Sheffield
I figured I might as well buy what I’ll end up
with anyway and cut out the starter reel. Probably save money that way and if I don’t get on with it I’ll get most of my money back
Click to expand...
Great pin. Is that the 4 or 4.5inch?
 
Kevin Brown said:
I managed to pick up a Youngs super light weight for around the same price as a new Okuma Sheffield
I figured I might as well buy what I’ll end up
with anyway and cut out the starter reel. Probably save money that way and if I don’t get on with it I’ll get most of my money back
Click to expand...

To be fair the okuma reels are not just a starter reel, they are brilliant reels, every bit as good as the majority of centrepin reels available.
 
Ian Woods said:
To be fair the okuma reels are not just a starter reel, they are brilliant reels, every bit as good as the majority of centrepin reels available.
Click to expand...
Yeah probably bad choice of words there , the guy I bought the Youngs from as an Okuma that he uses all the time , says he can’t fault it
I’ll probably put the cart before the horse and look at one next year 🤣
 
Richard Isaacs said:
I really like this design of pin it’s the same as the bob James pins.
They put the ratchet lever on the rim of the back plate which for me is the perfect place for it. Great trotting reels
Click to expand...
It’s going on an Acolyte Plus 14ft so should make a great combination, that’s how I read it , same as BJ but with a machined out back plate.
 
Richard Isaacs said:
I really like this design of pin it’s the same as the bob James pins.
They put the ratchet lever on the rim of the back plate which for me is the perfect place for it. Great trotting reels
Click to expand...
Agreed. Rim mounted ratchet lever is fool proof for one handed operation. It’s the reason I love Speedias so much and also why, when I was in the market for a vintage Aerial about 15 years ago I opted for the T10 model. Button check (mounted on the face of the back pate) by comparison can be a ball ache and require both hands to engage if it’s a particularly fiddly type. I had a Fred Crouch Aerial but dispensed with it soon after purchasing for this reason.
 
Kevin Brown said:
It’s going on an Acolyte Plus 14ft so should make a great combination, that’s how I read it , same as BJ but with a machined out back plate.
Click to expand...
I have a 5 inch fox Version.
It’s essentially the exact same pin but not uk made and half an inch bigger on diameter.
I love it for pretty much all my run of the mill trotting work on rivers not much else gets a look in at the moment I just really love using it.

I’ll definitely be looking to buy a second one soon so i don’t have to swap it around rods.

I wish more 5 inch pins were available as it’s definitely the size I prefer to use now.

The solid back youngs bob James is my dedicated barbel trotting pin. That’s 4.5 inch and being a solid reel with smaller diameter it’s more suited to bigger powerful fish I would say.
 
I decided a few weeks ago I didn’t want to sit behind a pair of static barbel rods all winter (apart from an odd trip to the Trent )
and I wanted to target Grayling on the Wharfe and Ure etc , to my mind a far more pleasant way to spend a winters day than huddled under a brolly . Plus hopefully it will be a decent stepping stone to trotting for Barbel next summer .
That’s the plan anyway ..
 
Last edited:
I had a 4” SL and got rid of it. I have the line coming off the top of the spool on my reels and it was forever catching on the lever! Only other bit I didn’t like so much was the perforated back plate. It didn’t feel very comfortable to hold, especially on colder days. I’ve now gone and added a 4” Hardy Conquest to my collection with the same ratchet lever position 😱 I tried changing it to have line off the bottom (cue @Ian Woods with a comment here!) but it was just too weird.

The jury is out whether I’ll still have it in January!! I actually think I prefer the old school conquest I have, although I wouldn’t use it for barbel!
 
The Okuma Kennet is an excellent trotting pin, with built in line guide. They seem to go for cheaper prices than other Okuma models, not sure why, I have one and would recommend it for trotting.

For all round work, I personally prefer a pin with a drag mechanism, as it gives greater versatility and especially when I’m float fishing for Perch and holding back/laying on in the flow.
 
Precious indeed. Third from the right and second picture: a 1915 Aerial?

I still regularly beat myself up for not ordering one for my fortieth B’day when they were a mere £325.00

Haydn, my old son, you are a muppet of the highest order!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top