From what I gather, anglers on the West Coast of Canada were among the first North Americans to adopt center pin style fishing from Europe. While drifting down large glacial rivers in small "drift boats" it was found that presenting baits, lures and flies under large cork and Styrofoam floats with a center pin reel was an ideal technique for big ocean run Salmon and Steelhead. It wasn't until the late 70's or early 80's that center pin reels started to show up in the Great Lakes regions of Ontario, Canada.
Ontario anglers have for many years, drifted roe bags and flies under floats for salmon and steelhead, but traditionally this was accomplished by using a short, heavy rod and spinning reel loaded with heavy 10-12lb test
monofilament line. Although the concept is still much the same, the equipment and techniques used have changed dramatically.
Today the roe, (eggs) from female salmon and steelhead are tied in small thumb-nail sized bags or sacs made of very thin cloth or nylon mesh in a variety of colors and used as bait. There are a number of other baits used for steelhead and salmon including flies and small plastic baits but for the most part, roe tied in small bags is the bait of choice among Great Lakes Steelheaders.
Strains of Rainbow trout (steelhead) were imported into the Great Lakes from the West Coast of Canada in the late 1800's and now have naturalized populations in most tributaries that drain into a Great Lake. Although there are naturalized self-sustaining populations, numbers of fish are augmented by stocking in several rivers and streams by both Canada and US states that border the Great Lakes. Pacific Salmon (Chinook, pink, Coho) were only introduced in the late 1960's and 1970's and although there are some isolated areas where these fish have thrived and become "naturalized", most salmon caught in the Great Lakes Basin originate from hatchery reared stocks.
Steelhead run the Great Lakes rivers in the spring for spawning purposes but "false" or "early" runs do occur throughout the year including winter runs. Our pacific salmon species all migrate up the Great Lakes Rivers and stream
in the fall with heavy runs in September and October. There have also been several Atlantic salmon stocking programs in the Sault Ste. Marie area of Ontario and although no natural reproduction has yet been recorded, the numbers of these returning Atlantic salmon are increasing each year. In
addition to the Steelhead and salmon sport fisheries that have been created in the Great Lakes area, Brown Trout have also been stocked and have a naturalized population in most areas. These brown trout are a "lake run" strain and achieve very large sizes when caught by anglers during their
spawning migration up-river in the late fall.
A dedicated angler in the Great Lakes area can fish for steelhead, salmon and other trout 12 months of the year in river and stream settings if he/she is willing to travel and put the time in searching out prime locations. During the spring migrations of steelhead, a good angler can expect to hook
into 40 -50 or more fish in a good days outing.
The Center Pin Steelheaders Techniques by Brendan O'Farrell
The anglers in Canada, specifically in the province of Ontario have adapted and perfected techniques using the center pin style reel to suit their home waters. The average rod length is a 13-foot light action 4 - 8 pound test line "float rod". These rods are manufactured by a number of companies and blanks can also be attained for "custom built" rods to suit each individual angler perfectly and to match
his/her angling style.
A center pin reel is obviously attached to the butt end and handle and usually spooled with 150 yards of Dacron backing and then 300 - 400 yards of 8-pound test monofilament line over top the backing. The way in which these reels are utilized is as follows. A small "tear drop" shaped float usually made of cork, balsa wood or even clear plastic for clear water situations is affixed to the main line. Below the float is about 6 feet of mainline and a small barrel swivel is attached to the mainline (approx. 6 feet under the float). Small "split shots" are attached then to the mainline between the float and the barrel swivel with larger "shot" under the float decreasing in size as you approach the barrel swivel. Then a light (usually 2-6 pound test) leader material line is attached to the other end of the barrel swivel.
The amount of "leader material" is depending on
the depth of river being fished, in this case it will be about 2 feet of leader material from the barrel swivel to the end where a small, #10 - #14 hook is attached. There is no lead split shot ever put on the leader material for the purpose of strength integrity. To summarize: 8-pound monofilament main-line, a small float attached to the main-line with approx. 6 feet of line dangling underneath the float to a barrel swivel. Lead split shot from the float to the swivel in approx. 8 - 10 inch intervals but 3 or 4 shot pieces close together on the mainline at the swivel. Then, a 2-foot piece of leader material (2-6lb test) from the swivel to the hook where a roe bag, or other bait is attached.
The reason for the center pin is: this rig is cast into the river up stream of the angler, while the float drifts down the slack line is picked up by turning the spool on the reel and now there is no line lying on the water. It's a perfect, slackless drift from the tip of your rod to the top of the
float. The actual current pulls the float, which in turns pulls line of the slowly spinning center pin spool. Because the line is pulled off in perfect unison with the float speed, a perfect drift and "natural" presentation is achieved.
Steelhead which are associated closely with the bottom of the river, see this bait drifting perfectly naturally towards them and will take the bait in turn pulling the float down below the surface. This is where the hook set is used. The thumb of the angler is depressed on the spool rim to set the hook.
If a battle incurs, the center pin allows an angler to fight
the fish utilizing his/her own thumb as a drag mechanism. Using a center pin also allows the angler to control the speed and direction of the float, this helps again in the presentation of the bait into hard to reach areas. The long float rod also helps to keep line off the water resulting in a very quick and perfect hook set when the float does go down (below the surface). In areas of "slow" current it is necessary for a very smooth running reel as the float is very slowly pulled downstream and the spool runs very slow but at the precise speed of the river current and float, the same is needed for fast current drifts. These techniques have obviously been adapted differently for different species and river conditions but this is a good outline of how a center pin is utilized for "float fishing" for steelhead and salmon.
Brendan O'Farrell
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