So! You’ve purchased a pin, you’ve got a drift rod, and now you’re wondering, “How do I set it all up?”  Great question!  Let’s begin with the reel itself.  Most modern centre-pin reels are made from aluminum, whether milled or cast, and are susceptible to environmental changes.  Installing monofilament line directly onto the spool can torque the aluminum spool out of round.  In short, these forces have the potential to destoy an expensive reel.  Not something we wish to experiment with, as the damage could be permanent (and costly).  Similar to a fly reel, it is necessary to spool the reel with backing.  The most common choice of backing is Dacron in 20# test.  The Dacron backing accomplishes two functions: 

      Now that your reel is backed with the appropriate amount of Dacron, what line to use?  As a beginner, choose the cheapest line available.  Until you master casting directly off the spool, you’ll appreciate the savings of using the budget products over the high performance, high investment lines.  As you become more proficient at casting without line twist and bird’s nests, consider specialized lines that float.  Siglon F & FF, IronSilk, and several others are formulated specifically to float or sink at a slower rate than ordinary mono.  With any line you choose, a coating of fly line floatant/dressing goes a long way to keep the line on the water instead of in and helps to eliminate “bedding” on the spool.  Line “bedding” occurs when the individual strands compact against one another and bind within the spool.  The dressing lubricates the line and allows it to feed off the spool easily.

      For Great Lakes Steelhead, a mainline between 8-15# test is certainly adequate.  Be careful to take note of the line’s diameter.  You may be surprised at the diameter of some as compared to others.  You’ll have to experiment with what line and in what test works best.  Float and split shot will be installed at the end of the mainline before the swivel.

     From the mainline you’ll either tie off to a leader in a direct line to line connection (blood knot or surgeon's knot) or to a micro swivel.  Raven offers a XXXS micro swivel with a 20# breaking strength that is just about the size of an ant.  The best choice being the smallest swivel that will support the fight of the fish.  The swivel's function is to cope with the head shaking line twist created by running steel and, to some degree, from casting produced line twist.  Attach the tippet line to the other end of the swivel and terminate with the offering of choice.  It is advisable to step down 2# in tippet line test.  An example would be 12# mainline tied down to 8, 6, or 4# tippet.  In the event of a snag, you’ll appreciate the ability to retrieve everything but the hook when the lighter tippet breaks off.  I favor fluorocarbon tippet because of its invisibility to fish and the abrasion resistance.  Another technique is to utilize a shot line with a swivel tied on either end.  Revised the connection would be mainline, swivel, shot line of 18-24" with various sized shot, swivel, tippet, and ending with the offering.

     Centre-pinning is extremely versatile.  Try not to limit yourself to just chucking spawn or floating flies. Night crawlers, leeches, minnows, jigs, trout worms, maggots, and beads can all be used quite successfully.  Depending on the river conditions, one may work better than another.  Experiment with what works best for you and note what factors were at play when you had a great day out.  Switch things around and/or compare notes with other ‘pinners to see if you recognize trends based on clarity, flow, the holding position of fish, water temperature and the time of year.  You’d be surprised what patterns will appear as you gain experience on the river.