How To Set Up A Centerpin Reel

I have set up over 100 Centerpin reels for myself, my clients, and for customers in my tackle store, but you can set up a centerpin reel at home with these tips.

To set up a Centerpin reel, you will first need to know what hand to reel with, then you put backing line on, and then you will need a good floating mainline that works on a Centerpin reel.

Once that is done, proper reel placement on the rod handle, and securing the reel is very important.

Do you know where to place the reel on the rod for best performance? I will explain.

This page covers exactly how I set up a centerpin reel — spooling, backing, line connections, and the exact process I’ve used when teaching hundreds of anglers on Great Lakes rivers over 26 years of guiding. For the full centerpin technique after your reel is set up, see centerpin fishing for steelhead. For all the gear you’ll need, see centerpin fishing gear. This guide also covers how to mount the reel on the rod, how to hold and grip it, and how to cast it.

What Hand Should I Reel With?

Centerpin reels free spool both ways and there is no drag on them so they can be used for right-handed retrieve or left-handed retrieve without any adjustments. You simply put the handle on the right or the handle on the left of the rod, and start putting the line on so it goes on and comes of the bottom of the reel.

Are you left-handed or right-handed? It really does make a difference when setting up your Centerpin reel or with any fishing reel for that matter, and I will give you my advice to new anglers!

In my experience, many guys use the wrong hand when using their reel and they don’t even know it. They think they are right-handed, which to them means they should reel with the right hand, but that is wrong!

I have taught thousands of anglers how to use a Centerpin reel as well as baitcasting reels and spinning reels which is why I know for certain that if you use the proper hand you will be able to catch more fish for many reasons.

I also know using the wrong hand can cause lots of problems and make learning to fish more difficult. As a guide, not using the right hand makes my job harder, and for you, as an angler, you will struggle.

My rule of thumb is that if you are right-handed, you need to use your left hand to reel, and if you are left-handed, you need to use your right hand to reel. There are some exceptions to this rule which I will explain.

Why do I recommend doing this?

I see many anglers lose fish, have poor hook sets, do bad casts, and simply have a hard time with Centerpin fishing because they are trying to reel with the wrong hand.

It might sound weird to reel with your opposite hand, but think about it this way.

If you are right-handed, 90% of your fishing should be done with your right hand which includes holding your rod with your right hand, casting with your right hand, controlling the speed of the reel and working the reel with your right hand, setting the hook with your right hand, and fighting the fish with your right hand.

All these very important things should all be done with your dominant right hand, and your left hand or non-dominant hand (which I often call my dumb hand) only needs to reel the line in. It’s as simple as that.

It makes no sense to set the hook with your weak and slow arm or to fight large fish with that same weaker uncoordinated arm.

The non-dominant hand just needs to go round and round and the dominant hand does everything else that is important.

To me, trying to learn how to work and control a Centerpin reel or any fishing reel with your non-dominant hand is like trying to learn how to play darts, throw an axe, or write with your non-dominant hand. You could do it, but why would you?

The only exception to the rule is that if you are an older or very experienced angler that fishes all the time and you have already learned or trained yourself how to reel with the wrong hand then I would say stick with that hand when using a Centerpin reel.

Anglers that fish less than a dozen times a year, do yourself a favor and switch your reels to the proper hand.

How To Set Up A Centerpin Reel: Where To Put Your Reel

Then, you need to put the reel in the proper spot on the handle. If you have a fixed reel seat handle you can skip this part, but, I explain the different Centerpin rod handles and which ones are better.

Fixed Reel Seat Handles

Some rods have a built-in reel seat to secure your reel. You can see this in the picture above. These are known as “fixed handles” and with these rods, you don’t have an option of where on the handle the reel goes.

This type of handle locks the reel in very securely, which is an advantage over other reel handle types, but the spot where the reel goes may not be optimal, and more often than not, the fixed reel seat handle are not in the best spot.

Because companies that make these rods know that some anglers prefer the reel low on the handle and some prefer it high on the handle, most “fixed reel” handles are placed in the center.

My personal opinion on the Centerpin reel in the middle of the handle is that it is an OK spot, but it’s not great.

I know there will be many guys out there that will disagree with me on this but I’m not here to argue about it. When guys disagree with me, I tell them to simply look at all the rods designed for spinning reels and baitcasting and where they place reel seat on those rods.

Musky rods, saltwater rods, bass rods, almost all rods have the reel seat high on the handle with lots of butt section.

On spinning rods and bait casting rods, especially the ones used by the top tournament bass anglers, and fishing guides the reel is always near the top of the handle. There are multiple good reasons why it’s placed there and why these experts prefer it.

These same reasons are why I recommend that you also place your Centerpin reel high on the handle if possible.

I would assume that if putting the reel near the middle or bottom of the handle on spinning rods and baitcasters was better, all those experts that help companies design rods would be making and using rods with reels there, but they don’t.

Sliding Rings Rods: Flexible Reel Placement

On other centerpin rods that use what is called a “sliding rings” handle, you have the flexibility to put the reel anywhere on the handle. I prefer these handles over most fixed reel seat handles, but they often cause confusion for new anglers.

I have seen, and have even done this myself back with my first centerpin reel about 30 years ago where the reel will fall off the rod. This might mean your reel lands on the rocks and is permanently damaged, or it could land in deep water and be difficult or impossible to retrieve.

All the times I’ve seen this happens is when guys are fighting fish.

Therefore, you want to secure the sliding rings with some sort of tape. I use electrical tape with one or two wraps maximum. I have seen guys use hockey tape, electrical tape, and masking tape.

Here is the exact way I put a Centerpin reel on a sliding-ring rod: hold the reel and point your index finger straight out along the rod – set the reel so your fingertip sits about half an inch from the rod blank. Line the reel up perfectly with the guides, pull the sliding rings tight to the reel seat on both sides, then add one or two wraps of electrical tape. Guide tip: never dent the outer rim of the spool (the fighting rim) – a dent will hit your hand over and over while you fight a fish.

I cover exactly how to hold and grip the reel in the How To Hold A Centerpin Reel section further down this page.

Now that you have your reel on the right way and you have your reel in the right spot and it’s secured you will need to put on the line. There are two types of line used when setting up a Centerpin reel, and both lines need to be the right types of line and ones that are proven to work with Centerpin reels.

Do You Need Backing On A Centerpin Reel?

Most Centerpin reels will hold over 1200 feet of fishing line, so most anglers add a backing line on the reel before adding the mainline. The backing is almost always part of the Centrpin reel setup.

Some Centerpin reels have a shallower spool so you may not need backing or as much line.

The backing is a line that is either made from a monofilament line, braided line, or a Dacron line and is mostly used as a filler so that you can use a typical 200 to 300-yard spool of good floating Centerpin line on top of it.

Many anglers, including me, will use the same Dacron fly line backing line that is used on a fly reel. The backing that I like to use is the Cortland backing from FishUSA.com.

When adding the backing line to the spool, you want to fill only about 1/3rd to half the spool with the backing line. Often, it is recommended to use the manufactures recommendations on how much backing and line to put on the reel.

We put the backing on the same way we do with a fly reel which you will see in some of the video links below.

To attach the backing to the reel, use a simple Arbor Knot or a Uni Knot. Watch how to tie the Arbor knot to the reel.

I put backing line on my centerpin the same way that it’s done on this fly reel.

Once you have the backing tied on, I use a Uni to Uni knot to attach the mainline. Watch this video to see how to tie the Uni to Uni knot.

What Line To Use On A Centerpin Reel?

I mostly use 8 or 10-pound Raven Mainline for Great Lakes steelhead fishing, and it comes in spools of around 800 to 1000 yards depending on the size, but most fishing lines come in spools of 200 to 300 yards and will barely fill an empty Centerpin reel.

When it comes to Centerpin fishing, not all fishing lines are good. The best Centerpin lines will be thin, strong, and should be buoyant, which is why I recommend that you check out my page on 5 Best Centerpin Lines so you make sure you get one that works.

Some conditions and some rivers might require a heavier or a lighter mainline. Check out my page, What Pound Line Is Best For Centerpin Fishing.

How To Put Line On A Centerpin Reel?

Having the right amount of line will help you fish better, will help you cast, and will help you avoid problems.

If you don’t fill the spool up enough it may make casting more difficult especially if you use the side cast, and the more line you have on the spool the larger the surface diameter of the spool is so the uptake of the line is a bit faster.

I use the Berkley Portable Line Spooler Max for all my reels to make sure that I get no twists and to be sure I get the line firmly and evenly on the spool. You can get it through this FishUSA link.

How To Hold A Centerpin Reel

When you hold a Centerpin reel, your hand is always on the rod and the reel at the same time. The grip needs to be firm on the rod, but it also has to let you cast, stop and control the speed of the spool, and use your hand as the drag when a fish runs. Hold it wrong and your casts, hook sets, and ability to fight big fish all suffer.

Balance the rod first. With the reel set high on the handle (as covered above) you can tuck the butt section under your forearm or armpit, which balances the rod so well you can hold it on one finger. That takes the strain off your wrist so you can fish all day.

There are four grips that all work. I usually start new anglers with the grip on the left because it gives a solid hold on the rod while still letting them control the spool. I personally use my two middle fingers on the rim of the spool for speed control, hook sets, and drag. Try all four and use whichever feels most comfortable for your hand size – just make sure you can control the spool and set the hook with it.

Loosen your grip. A lot of anglers grip the reel like they are trying to crush it, and their hand is aching by the end of the day. Once the rod is balanced you do not need a death grip – relax your hand, keep smooth steady pressure when fighting a fish, and lighten that pressure the moment you need to give line.

How To Cast A Centerpin Reel

There are three main casts I recommend: the Side Cast, the Spinning Side Cast, and the Wallace Cast. The Side Cast is the easiest and the one I teach most new anglers. With a heavy float and leader you can cast a Centerpin reel over 100 feet, but a typical cast is around 60 feet, and most anglers never need more than 50.

The Side Cast: Pull line off the side of the reel with one hand, swing the rod, and let the line come off the side of the spool and out toward the fish. It is easy, accurate, and casts far. The one downside is line twist – if it gets bad, cut your mainline 2 to 5 feet above the float and add a micro swivel there, then make a few long drifts and the twist comes out. Some of my best clients run a small swivel above the float all the time and never get twist.

The Spinning Side Cast: A combination of the side cast and the Wallace cast – you slowly spin the reel while performing the side cast. It is still easy and it takes some of the twist out of the line.

The Wallace Cast: Harder to learn but arguably the best cast once you have it – long, accurate, no line twist, and no trouble with wet sticky hands. You pull the line down and start the spool spinning at the same time you cast the rod forward. Pull too fast and the spool over-runs into a bird’s nest; pull too slow and it will not go far. Get good at fishing with the Side Cast first, then learn the Wallace Cast.

Two other casts exist – the Drop Line cast (a last resort that tangles easily) and the BC Swing cast (good on big western rivers with large floats and heavy weights) – but the three above are what I use and teach. Casting is hard to explain in text, so watch the two casts I recommend on YouTube here.

Centerpin Leader Setup

Part of the complete setup of a Centerpin reel is the float and the leader that you use. That is a whole other article, so I recommend that you read my page Steelhead Leaders: Best Float Leader And 2 Proven Setups

Centerpin Reel Setup FAQ

What hand do you reel with on a centerpin reel?

If you are right-handed, reel with your left hand, and if you are left-handed, reel with your right. Your dominant hand should hold the rod, cast, control the spool, set the hook, and fight the fish – the non-dominant hand only needs to turn the reel.

How do you put a centerpin reel on the rod?

Place the reel high on the handle, about where your fingertip sits half an inch from the blank with your index finger pointed out, line it up with the guides, and secure the sliding rings with one or two wraps of electrical tape so the reel cannot fall off.

How do you hold a centerpin reel?

Keep your hand on both the rod and the reel, with the butt tucked under your forearm or armpit to balance the rod. Use your middle fingers on the rim of the spool to control speed, set the hook, and act as the drag, and keep the grip relaxed rather than tight.

How do you cast a centerpin reel?

Start with the Side Cast: pull line off the side of the reel, swing the rod, and let the line flow off the spool toward the fish. As you improve, learn the Wallace Cast for long, accurate casts with no line twist.

Tight Lines

Graham