The Traditional Fisherman's Forum

Hi all, im new to the forum and also new to Centrepin fishing.
Anyhow after much searching around ive managed to find a couple of old centrepins to get started. one is an old 4 5/8in early Stanton type and the other is a narrow drum Speedia.
I have had a couple of outings with each reel, and enjoyed myself with both, catching a few fish too which was a nice bonus.
Out of the two, I have to say I am really impressed with the Speedia, although a bit slower on retrieve everything else just feels so right, I can understand now why its such a sought after reel.
Looking at some other posts on here it seems that a few members have fitted arbours to their reels, have these made much difference to the speed of retrieve and would they cause the reel to be more prone to tangles ?

For me - - no - - and no! For Speedias, enhanced by a neater line lay. Similar results for my Adcock Stanton.

Arbours for both of my reels above are available.

They are very nice reels, I have a wide and narrow drum both fitted with arbours and I suppose as they make the circumference longer they must speed up the retrieve but the reason I fitted is to stop the line kinking.

Thanks for the replies, I guess I should try the Speedia with an arbour and see the difference myself.
Are the arbours still available, and if so what do they cost?

I know it's not the best thing to do, but I've just filled my centrepins with line. It gives a faster retrieve without worrying about special arbours.

Hi regarding Arbours,

Jack is soon on his Christmas break from UNi, and has promised to make some to fit the Avon, Speedia, and look into the Stanton and others. He has already contacted users of the arbours purchased via here, and will make some small minor modifications. I'll get back to you soon

That's good news Barbelseeker. I replied to Jack's email. His arbours work very well on my G&Y Avon reels. I hope he might be able to produce some for the Crown and Jecta series and even some fixed spools. Saves a lot of fiddling with cork tilling etc and is a far better solution than miles of backing in my opinion.
Airsprite, provided you dont overfill a 'pin, thumb control and religious use of the ratchet will keep you out of a tangle. It takes a little getting used to but quickly becomes 2nd nature. You can try with line exiting both the top and bottom of the spool as there are advocates of both, it really depends on personal preference. Welcome to the direct contact world of fishing the 'pin, I'm sure you won't look back

I have a couple of Jack's plastic arbors on my Speedias, and the certainly stop the line from kinking.
Not sure which colour I like best - the black is more discreet, but the beige looks more like a cork arbor?
I love these reels, as you say, they just feel 'right' in the hand.





The reel on the left dates from 1951, it's stamped on the box. Never been used.
Although the other reel is tatty, it's more special to me, having had a new foot crafted from a bar of brass by Watermole, to replace the old broken cast metal foot. It also has the little brake wheel, giving better control.
Can anyone tell me which of these reels is the older, please?

Thanks Barbel Seeker for the reply, I would definitely like an arbour in black, if its possible.
My reel looks the same as Banksy's reel on the right, with the brake wheel. Not sure how old it would be, but would be nice to have an estimate of its age.
How does the brake wheel opperate ?

Banksy wrote: ↑Wed Dec 07, 2022 4:19 pm I have a couple of Jack's plastic arbors on my Speedias, and the certainly stop the line from kinking.
Not sure which colour I like best - the black is more discreet, but the beige looks more like a cork arbor?
I love these reels, as you say, they just feel 'right' in the hand.





The reel on the left dates from 1951, it's stamped on the box. Never been used.
Although the other reel is tatty, it's more special to me, having had a new foot crafted from a bar of brass by Watermole, to replace the old broken cast metal foot. It also has the little brake wheel, giving better control.
Can anyone tell me which of these reels is the older, please?

The reel on the left, with the centre 'pill' on the spool is the older of the two. They mimic the 'pill' on the reel back on both versions.