Centrepin Techniques: Harder to Learn Than Fly Fishing

The deadly effectiveness of centrepin fishing tells us much about the importance of a drag-free drift. “In fly-fishing, if we can get 10 feet of drag-free drift, we’re delighted. With a centerpin system, I’ve often let a lure run drag-free for 100 feet before stopping it, and in some rivers I could have let it go until I ran out of line. The long rod serves three purposes: It keeps the line off the surface, lets the angler use very light line (usually four- to six-pound test) for big fish that might be line shy and allows the use of terminal rigs with the float 10-12 feet above the lure.” Eric Sharp in the Detroit Free Press.