KOOSKIA -- Travis De Boer of Winchester is hooked on an old form of fishing that is making a comeback among serious salmon and steelhead anglers.
Last spring he started centerpin fishing for steelhead and continues to use the throwback method to pursue spring chinook salmon.
Centerpinning is a form of jig-and-bobber fishing or float fishing. The rod-and-reel combos look a lot like a spey fly-casting outfit. The rods are 13 feet long and the large arbor reels spin freely around a center pin. There is no drag. To stop or even slow the reels, anglers have to apply pressure with their fingers. The free-spooling reels can be prone to backlashes and tangles, but they offer a nearly drag-free drift as the current pulls a float downstream.
"It's absolutely deadly," said De Boer, a former Army Airborne Ranger who now operates Guerilla Guide Service and dabbles in outdoor writing. "I don't know if I'm going to be picking up a gear rod anymore, just centerpin and fly rods."
The long and noodlely rods absorb the violent head shakes and line-pooling runs of adult chinook and steelhead so much that anglers can use surprisingly light line. De Boer rigs his outfits with 12-pound test running line and 10-pound leaders. He said some centerpinners use 8-pound leaders, a sharp contrast to the 20- to 30-pound test leaders used by many anglers.
"It's intense," he said. "If you just believe in the gear and get a feel for the drag, it's amazing what you can do even on 8-pound test, and do it ethically. The big, long rods just really absorb the shock."
Casting is a challenge, as is fighting a fish without the aid of drag system.
"For drag, you can palm it or you can wedge your fingers right in there," he said, pressing his fingers against the spooled line. "It takes some time to learn how to consistently land big fish."
The handle side of the reels are not connected to the seat. Instead, the seat is cantilevered with an opening that allows anglers to spool line off the side. The opening also gives them quick access in order fix tangles and rat nests. Modern reels also come with a clicker switch that prevents free spooling. De Boer activates his when he is doing things like changing bait or tying on a new jig to prevent line from falling off the reel and making a mess.
Centerpinning is difficult and can be frustrating, but De Boer likes the extra challenge of retro-gear and enjoys learning new ways to fish.
"I like that it's just you and the fish and not a lot of gadgets and technology getting in the way," he said.
"I like the challenge of just being primitive. It's just you and the fish, a spool and a string."
He first learned about the method when he purchased a book on float fishing. The book was about centerpinning, but De Boer just used it to learn how to rig traditional rod-and-reel combos for float fishing. Some time later, he started reading articles about centerpinning and decided to give it a try.
"It actually predates fly fishing. It's an old, old, old method of fishing."
