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Question for pin experts

Cliff Turner

Cliff Turner

Senior Member & Supporter
I’ve been using a centre pin for trotting this week on the Severn in a very fast shallow run max 2’ deep. Caught a few barbel and chub and really enjoyed it as only used the pin a few times before. I encountered a couple of problems so I’d like to ask if these are common or something wrong with my appreach ?

1. line twist - on the second day I got really bad line twist, easily remedied by putting a swivel above the hook length but is this a common problem ?

2. line bedding - I only have 40 or 50 yds of line on the reel, but after landing a fish the next trot down was really an exercise in unbedding the line. Clearly caused by the tension on the line when playing a fish, again normal or my set up ? Line is 8lb mono.

thanks gents
 
Hi Cliff ,1) line twist is not something I have ever had trotting with a pin and I have done a lot of pin trotting so it might be something you are doing or possibly the very fast flow and using a bait that might be twisting as you wind in like double maggot ?. When winding in I have the rod pointing downstream, I then pull the rod as far upstream as possible then bat in the slack line as I am pushing the rod back downstream, I repeat this until the float is back to hand. 2) Line bedding is a usual thing when you hook a powerful fish and you are winding under pressure even with only 50 yds of line. Usually this is remedied during the next trot down by pulling the line off slowly by hand as the float goes downstream and then winding back with no tension at the end.
 
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Thanks Mark, I was using 8mm meat cubes on a size 12 and it was almost always coming off on the retrieve. My method of retrieval was as you describe.
 
Maybe next time try striking off the meat at the end of every cast and see if it makes any difference .The meat might have been coming off because it was spinning in your fast current. I Another thing I always make sure of, I always put the line onto a pin the way it comes off a spool of line. I trot with the line coming off the top so when I load the line onto the spool I always wind it on with the line coming off the top of the spool of line. Weirdly when I ledger (with heavy line and heavy pressure playing) I always fish the line off the bottom and when loading, the line from the spool will come off the bottom.
 
The only pins I've encountered that can induce line twist themselves are the sidecasters, Rolling Pins, Alveys etc. A normal centrepin won't induce any line twist itself, though you might induce some twist if you aren't careful spooling up. If you get line twist with a normal centrepin, it'll invariably be down to a bait acting like a propeller on the retrieve.

Some level of bedding in after playing a big fish is inevitable on a pin. I've found that heavier, thicker diameter, lines are more susceptible to it. To alleviate it is just a matter of trotting a touch further than the last fish you caught and retrieving without the extra tension of having a fish on. You may have to assist the line to come off the reel when doing this trot.
 
I once asked a tackle dealer to assist me in loading a pin with some line I'd just bought from him. Despite my protests he insisted on loading it as you would for a fixed spool reel ie. off the side of the spool. It was severely twisted and was binned after a couple of trips.
 
Forgot that one Chris Jones the reason you have to use braid on a sidecaster like my Rolling pin ,wonder if Cliff has a rolling pin ?
 
That's your problem Cliff , Gary mills pins are renowned for causing line spin. I will kindly go out of my way and swap it for a nice Rapidex, Trudex, Okuma or Aerial that will never twist the line for you and even pay the postage. 😁😁😁😁😁😁
 
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