The centrepin thread....

[TiggerXFM]

Just bought an old Trudex.

Here's one with a mint rapidex, got a box with the trudex, but the rapidex had been bought and put straight into a brand new effago case and just jever used, so no box with it. To be honest I only keep them as part of my bit of a collection.

 

[The one and only Harvey]

Blimey. That looks pristine. My old Trudex looks like its been through a war.

It is almost pristine. Please don't ask me what I paid for it, I won't tell.

I already have a J. W. Young John Wilson Heritage, and a black Okuma Sheffield pin. They are used for trotting. This reel is for general purpose, close to the bank, river fishing.

 

[John Step]

It is almost pristine. Please don't ask me what I paid for it, I won't tell.

I already have a J. W. Young John Wilson Heritage, and a black Okuma Sheffield pin. They are used for trotting. This reel is for general purpose, close to the bank, river fishing.

Yes a great general use reel. I bought mine in about 1960/61 if memory serves. I saved up my money from my paper round.
It cost me £3.18s.6d. or 7 weeks of getting up early before school.
There were skint years when we bought our first house and that reel was the one and only and used for everything.
Enjoy it.

 

[John Step]

Here's one with a mint rapidex, got a box with the trudex, but the rapidex had been bought and put straight into a brand new effago case and just jever used, so no box with it. To be honest I only keep them as part of my bit of a collection.

I have a later edition Rapidex too. It was bought for me when I retired. It has a fixed cage arrangement as opposed to a line guard. I cannot see from your photo but is that a caged spool?

 

[TiggerXFM]

I have a later edition Rapidex too. It was bought for me when I retired. It has a fixed cage arrangement as opposed to a line guard. I cannot see from your photo but is that a caged spool?

Your right John, the rapidex is a full caged drum, pretty naff (for me) if i'm honest as I can't wally cast with it because of it. I kept it along with the trudex because they are kinda from the same era. I might stick em on ebay when I get the urge.

 

[Arry]

I have pair of Rapidex's a later mkII and a Very early model... both boxed... both are lovely reels to use and I managed to get them VERY cheaply... I have more pins than rods now...

 

[John Step]

I have pair of Rapidex's a later mkII and a Very early model... both boxed... both are lovely reels to use and I managed to get them VERY cheaply... I have more pins than rods now...

I have one of those cheap and cheerful ones that Dragon Carp marketed. I have seen them since with different names such as Wensum etc.
I use it for short range carp as its very robust if a little heavy.
The thing is that the strong noisy ratchet acts as an alarm so no need for any electronic alarm when the carp bolts off.
As the reel is ridiculously free running it would shed line when windy. I have made a small washer from polythene and put that under the central screw. This slows it down for stillwater use.

 

[Arry]

Those pins were made for many retailers... the silver ones for Stillwater and Dragon, the black ones for Theseus, they are a good trotting pin as they are so free running... I was given a pin recently by a mate who has packed up angling due to poor health... its a Narrow drum Matt Hayes on but looks like a shiny Shadowlanda from Dam possibly... a lot are made by the same maker for different retaillers

 

[John Step]

Arry, my lust for a pin started at a place you know well, The Collier Row section of the Roding. One of the senior members, one of the stars, had what I think was a Rapidex. I couldnt stretch to that so I settled for the Trudex from Edko Sports in Nth Street, Romford.
One of my better buys.

 

[Arry]

I still dabble on the Roding... both my clubs have sections... my first ever Club Loughton AS had from the White Hart in Abridge, down to the garden center below Passingford Bridge, nowadays I fish above Passingford at Stanford Rivers and up to Langford Bridge

 

[Tinca Steve]

I used to fish the roding from buckhurst hill bridge up to abridge bridge, never had a ticket for any of it. Best chub was 6lb 11oz.
There was 2 carp in Jobies hole down by bank of england never got the big one but the smaller one was 19lb 13 oz. All that section now gone under the M11.

 

[Arry]

Most of it is heavilly overgrown now sadly, and many subsequent pollutions predation and illegal poaching have decimated it...

 

[TiggerXFM]

Just been and found the old pages I have out of the improve your coarse fishing magazine, march 1998....."centrepin reels on test".
It was done by Iain Toombs assistant editor.
The reels on test were the ....

Arnold Kingpin, it took 4 no4 shot to rotate and with a flick spun for 87 seconds. It weighed 292 grames and cost £119.95.

Richard Carter Avon classic, it took 10 no4 to rotate and spun for 53 seconds. It weighed 275 grames and cost £195 and £25 extra for a lineguard plus £5 post and package.

Shakespear Lincoln, took 3 no4 shot to rotate and spun for 35 seconds. It weighed 301 grames and cost £44.99.

John Wilson Heritage, it took 2 no4 shot to rotate and spun for 48 seconds. It weighed 286 grames and coat £250.

The Swallow, it took 2 no4 shot to rotate and cost 135 plus £5 postage.

BEST OF THE BUNCH
Adcock Stanton, it took 4 no4 to rotate and spun for65 seconds. It weighed 262 grames and cost £100.

Personally, and having had most of those reels I think the test was a load of tosh!
The Richard Carter reel it in another league to all those reels and beats them all by a country mile.
I was quite shocked to read that the Heritage was considerably more expensive than the Carter .

I forgot to say, the reason the Carter avon would have needed so much weight to rotate is because its a true pin and needs to be run in.

 

[Tinca Steve]

Still love my Stantons

 

[TiggerXFM]

Still love my Stantons

I like mine also, but that test wasn't much good really. As I said a true pin will not be anything like as free running as a ball race reel straight out of the box, or is unlikely to be. Also, a true pin is most free running when on it's back.
I think it was just the overall package you got with the stanton for the price was what got it the "best on test".
One thing I really dislike about my stanton reel is the ratchet noise .

 

[Arry]

I find a ball race pin a tad too free running... but on some rivers thats a bonus...

 

[Tinca Steve]

One thing I really dislike about my stanton reel is the ratchet noise .

Its great for waking you up when you doze off

 

[Sam Vimes]

I find a ball race pin a tad too free running... but on some rivers thats a bonus...

I generally prefer a true pin. However, at the height of summer, when the local river can be little more than a succession of almost still pools, a very slick bearing reel is preferable.

 

[TiggerXFM]

Be it a bush and pin reel or a bearing reel, the more free running the better for me.

 

[TiggerXFM]

I went to a local'ish club water this afternoon planning on doing a couple of hours freelining for tench. The place was packed with anglers and only one peg free! I would have gone home but had just bought maggots so dropped in the remaining peg. Anyhow, no one had caught anything when I arrived, even the long stay carp anglers. After about half an hour I did see one chap jump up when his alarms sounded off and he caught a carp. I managed to catch a few small rudd and one small tench...but....tench is tench and it was a tench more than everyone else .