Centerpin Fishing Gear: A Guide Recommended List

As one of the top centerpin fishing guides in my area, my guides and I spend hundreds of days on the river every year using and testing out lots of Centerpin fishing gear.

This article was originally made for my clients as an ongoing reference to help them choose the right gear for Centerpin fishing because, often, the advice on fishing forums or on the river is confusing or just wrong. It is updated annually.

Essential gear for Centerpin fishing will include a Centerpin rod, a Centerpin reel, a good Centerpin line, a float that is designed for river fishing, the right leader material, swivels, weights, hooks, and baits.

Centerpin Fishing Gear Table

Category	Gear	Recommendation
Best Centerpin Reels	Okuma Sheffield	Best under $250
	Raven Matrix Fully Ported	Best under $350
	Kingpin Zeppelin Centerpin Reel	Best Overall
Best Centerpin Rods	Lamiglas “The Closer” Centerpin Rod	Best Rated Centerpin Rod
	Raven IM8 Float Rod	Guide Recommended
	Shimano Clarus	Best Budget Rod
Best Centerpin Line	Raven Main Line	Best monofilament line for Centerpin reels
	Sufix 832	Best braided line for float fishing
	Sufix Elite	Most popular and best for spinning reels
Best Floats	Raven FM Float	Best of the Best
	Drennan Loafer floats	Best For clear water
	Sheffield Floats	Good multi-purpose clear float
	Blood Run Floats	Popular Float
Best Leaders	Drennan Leader	in 3 to 6 pounds
	Seaguar Abraz-X	6 to 8 pounds
	RIO Fluoroflex	8.5lb
Best Weights	Sure Shots	in size BB and AB
	Blackbird split shots	in size BB-1 and BB-2
Best Swivels	Raven micro swivels	small to XXX-small
Best Hooks	Raven Wide Gape Specimen Hook	in sizes 6, 8, and 10
	Raven Sedge Hooks	in sizes 6, 8, 10
	Gamakatsu Octopus hook	Sized 6 to 10

Other gear includes tools like nippers, forceps, scissors, and landing nets. You will also do better along the river if you have wading gear, such as waders, vests, or packs, and appropriate clothing, especially if you fish in the winter.

The gear you use to centerpin fish is important. I have seen guys come out on guide trips with the wrong gear or bad gear, and they really struggle to learn or fish properly. Don’t be that guy! Everything I recommend is the gear I use, and I use it for good reasons.

What Centerpin Fishing Gear Do I Need?

Let me just start by saying that all your Centerpin gear needs to work well together.

Having a great rod and reel only goes so far if you are using the wrong line, leader, wrong hook, or the wrong float.

I’ve seen guys come out with really nice reels and rods but the wrong main line, and they struggle with it all day. I’ve also had guys come out with me after trying to learn and catch fish on their own, and they fish well, but then I determined their leader was so thick no fish would bite.

If you want to be one of those guys who seems to catch a lot of fish every time they hit the water, then getting all your gear right is the first step.

The Best Centerpin Reels

Let’s face it, the Centerpin reel is what makes Centerpin fishing what it is. Centerpin fishing is simply float fishing but with a Centerpin reel. Some anglers even call them float reels.

You could float fish with a spinning reel, but a Centerpin reel is so much better at controlling your drifts and giving you a better presentation.

Are More Expensive Centerpin Reels Actually Better?

More expensive Centerpin reels are better for many reason, but that doesn’t mean you will catch more fish just because your Centerpin reel is more expensive.

I will catch just as many fish on a $199 Okuma Sheffield as I would on a $1000.00 Kingpin reel, and trust me, I have used both.

The reason for this is that a Centerpin reel is very, very basic. It simply holds the line, and it spins: That’s it!

In fact, the more expensive Centerpin reels have better bearings, and they might spin a little better or smoother, but it’s such an insignificant difference that I can not honestly say that I could catch more fish with a $700 reel than I could with a decent $200 reel.

Let me just say when it comes down to catching fish on most Centerpin reels, it’s not the reel that catches fish, it’s the user!

So the difference between a $700 dollar reel and a $200 reel is the smoothness of the reel, the finish, probably better handles, a weight difference, and the looks. Oh, and bragging rights!

The upside to a better Centerpin reel is that it will likely have fewer problems, and it will probably last longer.

My suggestion is to buy the best reel you can afford over $170.00, otherwise you may end up with junk that will make it harder for you to learn and harder to catch fish.

If you want to see more Centerpin reels, go to my page 23 Best Float Fishing Reels: Buyers Guide.

Best Line For Centerpin Fishing

The line you put on your reel is very important. Some lines cast better, some come off the reel and fish better, some are thinner so they sag less, and some are more buoyant. All of this adds up to better fishing and more fish.

The line that you put on your Centerpin reel should be a monofilament line or braided line, and it should be thin, strong, supple, and buoyant. Not all mono lines are good for Centerpin fishing.

There are times when you may need a heavier line but remember that a heavier line can cause more problems like line sag, sinking line, poor casting, and even more line tanglers. For this reason, always go with the lightest mainline as possible.

See more about that and lines that I recommend on my page 5 Best Float Fishing Lines.

Before you put your line on your reel, with many Centerpin reels you will need a backing line. The backing line is simply a line that goes on first and goes under your mainline.

The backing simply fills up the spool so that you do not need to put as much mainline on. A full spool is best, and the fuller the spool, the faster the line and your float will reel in. A full spool tends to cast better as well.

The Best Centerpin Rods

The next piece of essential Centerpin gear you need is a good Centerpin Rod. I actually think it’s better to spend more on a rod than to spend more on the reel.

Centerpin rods are long for a reason. Most Centerpin rods are between 12 and 14 feet long. You may find 14 and 15-foot Centerpin rods are more common out west on the bigger steelhead rivers.

Whether it’s 12 feet or 15 feet long, the extra-long Centerpin rod allows you to keep the line off the water for a better and longer drift, and the extra-long rod also protects your light leaders when fighting big fish.

For small creeks, a 10 to 12-foot rod could also be a good choice, especially if there is a lot of bush that you need to walk through or fish under.

For medium-sized rivers of 25 to 70 feet wide, a 12 to 13.5-foot rod is a great choice. For very large rivers that are 70 feet or wider, a 13 to 15-foot rod is a good idea.

You also need to consider what reel handle type is best for you. I prefer the sliding rings reel seat over the fixed rings.

For more on handles and how to secure the reels, as well as a complete Centerpin rod sizing chart, go to my page 7 Best Centerpin Rods: Buyers Guide.

The 3 Centerpin rods that I recommend are:

• Raven IM8 Centerpin Rod – This is the rod I guide with and is one of the most popular rods. Check Price at FishUSA.com
• Raven RPX Centerpin Rod – Another popular rod. You can check prices at FishUSA.com
• GLX-Loomis Centerpin Rod – The 13-foot Medium light is a great rod for most great lakes fishing. Check Price at FishUSA.com

The Best Centerpin Floats

Floats are important. The right float can improve your presentation, meaning more fish in the net. The wrong float will make it harder to get a good presentation.

I use different floats for clear water, shallow water, nervous fish, and in normal conditions. Knowing what floats to use and when will help you catch more fish.

The best float for Centerpin fishing on most medium-sized rivers around the Great Lakes region is the Raven FM float. Raven FM floats in a 4 to 6.2-gram size are the ones that I guide with most of the time. West Coast rivers where more weight is required means you may need floats 12 to 16 grams. You can get them at FishUSA.com

For clear water conditions on smaller steelhead and trout rivers, I use the Drennan Loafer Floats in the size 2 to 4 grams.

For more information on the best floats and how I rig them, check out my page 5 Best Centerpin Floats For 2021

The Best Leaders For Centerpin Fishing

There are right leaders and wrong leaders for Centerpin fishing.

I use three different brands of leaders, and I always use fluorocarbon leaders when steelhead fishing. The best leaders for Centerpin fishing are

• Drennan Leader: in 3 to 6 pounds – Very popular – 4 pounds is my go-to size for steelhead in the Great Lakes region. 5 and 6 pounds is good for west coast steelhead.
• Seaguar Abraz-X: 6 to 8 pounds – 6 and 8 pounds – 6lb is ideal for Great Lakes steelhead, 8 and 10 pounds is good for bigger river steelhead.
• RIO Fluoroflex 6lb to 8.5lb – 6lb is ideal for Great Lakes steelhead, 8 and 10 pounds are good for bigger water and West Coast steelhead

Many leaders are not rated properly, and since Steelhead can be line-shy it’s essential to use the right leader. The wrong leaders will either mean no bites, or it could mean too many break-offs.

To learn how to set up your leader properly, go to my page Steelhead Leaders: Best Float Leader And 2 Proven Setups.

The Best Swivels For Centerpin Fishing

For all my Centerpin leader setups, I use the Raven micro swivels. Good swivels are the XXL Micro Swivels from Raven or Blackbird.

The Best Weights For Centerpin Fishing

I use a lot of weight when Centerpin fishing. I use something called a shot line, which is a slightly thicker piece of line that is meant to help my split shots, the shot line goes between my mainline and lower leader.

The best-split shots for Centerpin fishing are the Sure Shots in sizes BB and AB, or the Blackbird split shots in size BB-1 and BB-2.

The Best Hooks For Centerpin Fishing

Hooks are a very important. Not all bait hooks are good and you should be picky about your hooks because if you think about it, the hook is the only thing that is keeping that fish connected.

The best hooks for Centerpin fishing will be short shank hooks with a large gap, and they will not be too big for your bait and also not so small that they will tear out of the fish’s mouth easily. The best hooks for Centerpin fishing are the Raven Specimen hook and the Raven Sedge hooks.

You should have these hooks with you when Centerpin fishing:

• Raven Wide Gape Specimen Hook in sizes 4, 6, 8, and 10 – My favorite all-purpose hook. I use the size eight and size ten the most.
• Raven Sedge Hooks in sizes 6, 8, and 10 – These are good hooks for a stealthy presentation. I use sizes 8 and 10 for most steelhead fishing.
• Gamakatsu Octopus hook: Sized 6 to 10

For more info on the best hooks and why I use the ones that I do, go to my page 4 Best Float Fishing Hooks.

The Best Baits For Centerpin Fishing

The bait is important because with out the right bait, it doesn’t matter how good your gear is.

I use a lot of plastic worms, beads, spawn bags, and flies. Knowing when to use them and what sizes and colors are best in different conditions can be a bit confusing. Check out these great pages of mine:

• Fishing With Beads: 5 Guide Tips For More Fish
• Fishing With Worms For Trout and Steelhead: 10 Guide Tips
• Spawn Bags – Guide Secrets For More Fish
• 5 Best Flies For Steelhead – An Expert Guides Advice
• 4 Best Steelhead Baits

The Other Centerpin Gear

Having the right waders, boots, wading jackets, and all the other stuff that will make your day on the water more productive and more comfortable is also something to consider.

I cover stuff like the waders and other gear that you would wear, as well as the tools I use, which include forceps, nippers, and nets, all on my page River Fishing Gear: Everything You Need To Succeed In 2021.

The Centerpin Fishing Leader Setup

The leader setup is important and this is something that many of my customers want me to show them. If you set this up right, you will be able to present your bait better, and that will mean more fish in the net for you.

Check out my page 2 Float Fishing Leader Setups From A Pro River Guide.

The Final Step – Learn How To Centerpin Properly

Now that you have all your gear, you just need to know how to use it.

A good start to help you learn to Centerpin fish better and for my four fundamentals of Centerpin fishing, visit my page Float Fishing: Tips From A Pro River Guide For More Trout.

Winter Centerpin Fishing

Some of the best Centerpin fishing for steelhead happens in the coldest months, and if you are not prepared you can freeze.

My guides and I are often standing in waist-deep water for hours and for days and days every year. If you plan to do winter fishing, and you want to know how I stay warm and comfortable, you should check out these two pages.

• How To Keep Fishing Rod Guides From Freezing – 3 Guide Tips
• Fishing In The Winter – Stay Warm With These 10 Tips

Tight Lines,

Graham