Centerpin fishing, also called float fishing, is a fishing technique which uses a noodle or mooching rod, reel and Roe or fly. The method is used behind boats for steelhead fishing in salt water, and is currently popular with freshwater salmon anglers who drift floats downstream.
Although centerpin anglers (sometimes called "pinners") use a fly, it is not fly fishing. Centerpin fishing is primarily for catch and keep fisheries. The long lengths of line involved in the technique make a long retrieve of the fish, usually exhausting the fish to the point it can no longer continue upstream to spawn. Furthermore, the lack of reel drag make it harder to release the fish unharmed. The technique originated in Europe. It is a stealthy method of fishing, effective for catching many of the highly prized European rough fish.
The popularity of centerpin fishing in N. American Great Lakes tributaries has dramatically increased in recent years. However, this has caused some animosity between traditional fly anglers and "pinners" who have a tendency to employ long drifts of several hundred feet catching fish from the feet of unsuspecting fly anglers.
The best type of float to use for centerpin fishing is a planing float that planes to the left or right and flips direction when given a little tug by flicking the rod tip. The patent titled "Planing Floats with Lateral Motion Control" is property of BulletBobber Enterprises at www.bulletbbber.com. Being able to make long drifts and steer sideways when desired makes centerpin fishing more effective by broadening the reachable area from a fixed position.
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