I guess I have a few questions on the subject.

First, how is Centerpinning actually done?  I've seen the rods and reels and assume it is a drift type presentation, but how do you cast?  Do you just lob it out there?

Second, why do so many people hate Centerpinners on the streams?  I've never fished near someone who was using a centerpin set-up, but there are a lot of posts in other forums that hate these guys.  Just wondering why.

Because pinners outfish snaggers and haters 10 to 1.  Really.

How to cast:

Upon doing a little research, it appears this would be a great technique out west on the big streams.  Would something like this work on smaller streams like the tributaries of Lake Eire, especially with the types of crowds there are?  I would assume making a long drift would anger a few people and I don't know if there is enough room to swing around a 13+ ft. rod.

I use a 13' rod for small lake Ontario ditches.  Who cares what others think.  Get there early, stake out your spot, and get fishing.  If someone's in your way, or steps, talk/ask them.  The ONLY difference between pinning and fly or spin fishing is that you stand at the top of the seam and drift down.  The rest stand below, and cast up.  The reason it works so well is the fish only sees the bait first.  When you cast upstream, the fish always sees your line first.

Here's a pinned trout from a small ditch that's not but 10' wide:

Upon doing a little research, it appears this would be a great technique out west on the big streams.

Its been slow to catch on out west.  Its pretty much status quo for Great Lakes Tribs.  Western anglers are loath to give up their drags, and don't feel that the gear is strong enough for their bigger fish.  I think they just need to spec some slightly heavier rods, and they'd be fine.  They're already doing the EXACT same presentation when side drifting eggs from a drift boat.

J Francho, thanks for all the great information.  I was just wondering a few more things.  It seem the benefit of Centerpinning is presenting the fly/jig/bait first to the fish and being able to allow your float to naturally find and follow the seams without introducing drag into drift.  Couldn't that same concept be achieved by a noodle rod and an open bail on a spinning reel during the drift?  I guess I am just missing the exact reason for the Centerpin reel when it possibly seems that a spinning reel, which has several advantages over a Centerpin reel when fighting the fish, is advantageous to the drift.  Again, thanks for all the great information and sorry for all the questions.   

The part your missing is the bait is on a drag free drift, not necessarily the float. Yes, you can spin fish with float rig, and many do, as I did for years. I also still employ an 11' casting rig for this as well. Mostly for salmon (I'm lazy and like the drag, and its a bit easier in the wind), and really, all you do is pitch cast to the top of the flow.

Here's the big thing that separates heroes from zeroes:

You want the float to be "cocked" as it trots downstream. This means, you'll have some tiny bit of resistance, as line pays out. This allows some control to the rig, allows you to actually feel the take, and keeps your line off the water. You can pop the bail open on a spinner, and pay out line between your thumb and forefinger. With a baitcaster, you can thumb the spool. Neither is as efficient as a pin.

In either case, when the float goes down, you must engage the reel, and set the hook. It can be done, but the pin is a better way to manage things.

The sheer mass of the spinning arbor full of line (lots of line too - mine holds 200 yards of 30# braid backer, and 330 yards of 8# mono) develops a rhythm as line pays out. You pinky gently feathers the spool to control the amount of line and speed of the drift. Current is very dynamic, and complex. Especially when you go over 3' deep. Your shot pattern (more later on this), choice of float shape, and type of run you're fishing has a great effect on the presentation.

As your rig progresses through the drift, the speed changes. Slack line is a big no-no. You won't be able to tell if you're hung up on the bottom, or if its a fish. Also, "checking" the float, or stopping the drift, will cause the bait to pop up, and swirl in the small eddies deep below the surface. You can also allow the bait to hang, and pop free suddenly, and drag the bottom, by using some resistance to the float above.

That 1:1 ratio, heavy, free spinning spool is the most sensitive way to accomplish all this.

Not all takes are dramatic "Float Down!" deals. When you feel a fish, or the float does something weird, its as simply as locking the spool with you ring finger, and lifting the rod tip.

It isn't easy. Some guys get it quick. I was able to cast easily, but catching, that was another story. Took me at least a season to feel like I had a shot at bigger fish. The key is to really know what your leader can take, and use that long blank to take the power out of the fish. Side pressure........

Raven's website has some awesome info.

Here's two key articles to get you started:

http://www.anglersinternational.com/Float%20Selection.pdf

http://www.anglersinternational.com/Shotting%20Patterns.pdf

Bottom line:

You gotta get bit first, before thinking about getting them in.  You'll get bit more with a pin.

WOW...all that information is awesome!  Thank you for all the help.  I might have to give it a try (that's of course I don't get thrown into the streams by those around me as I walk down the streamside with a centerpin rig).

You wouldn't cast upstream into where a guy was swinging a fly, right?  Same thing.  Let them know what you're doing, and use the same etiquette you'd use if you had a flyrod, spinner, or if you were in a bass boat on the lake.  When you are fishing your spot, you assume a certain amount of water.  The same goes for others.  Don't drift into their water.  Besides, you'll be after fish they can't target - fish relaxing in the deeper holes.  They are after fish they either see, or ones in the riffles and on the move for food.  Pinning is more like bassing.  You're practically willing them to bite by putting food in their face, over and over.

For me fishing has always been about learning and this was some quality learning.

I've never fished steelhead but this was still very interesting. Got my mind working about the finer points drift fishing and how it might be applied to species I fish for more regularly.

For me fishing has always been about learning and this was some quality learning.

I agree...this is some great information.  If this was a Steelhead forum, this thread would have a sticky on it.

As are as my style of Steelhead Fishing, I like to fish the fast rifles while long line nymphing.  Not many people seem to fish this water, which helps me get away from the 30+ people crowded around the pools.  Though, this Centerpinning seems like it could be another technique to help catch fish, particularly in water that I wouldn't be able to get in the proper position to fish with my style of nymphing.  Thanks again J Francho for the great information.

You want to know something scary....?

The same places that hold INACTIVE steelhead in winter (the ones pinners target), hold active smallmouth in summer.  In the same water.  That's somewhat useful info, but what's next was an epiphany this past summer.

Multiply that small river spot by 10,000 in size.  Pick your smallie lake.  Find that pattern on your lake, and line it up.  I'm talking wind, light, current, breaks, everything.  It will match for fish holding locations.  At least it has for just about every good day this summer of smallie fishing.

I can find analogies to these trout streams in my best days on Lake Ontario and Erie, Finger Lakes like Keuka and Cayuga, and even reservoirs like Black Lake.

The more you fish, the better you fish.

Slow day for me, water was chocolate milk.  Another in our group stuck a nice fish though:

Nice fish.  I assume that was on a trib. to Lake Ontario.  What type of flies/lures do you use under the float?

Yes, a larger trib in WNY.  Can't really say which, but you've got similar water with similar runs off Erie.

That fish was caught using a chartreuse bead, pegged just above the hook.  Stonefly, wooly bugger, ESL, Estez eggs, glo-bugs, nymphs and streamers all work well.  Little trout worms by Berkley, dough, and small steelhead jigs are good as well.  I stick to mostly plastic worms, beads, and spawn sacks.

Took my some out yesterday, and he nailed a creek chub, two small rainbows, and a monster 29" colored up buck steelhead.  He used a spinning setup.

Yes, a larger trib in WNY. Can't really say which, but you've got similar water with similar runs off Erie.

That fish was caught using a chartreuse bead, pegged just above the hook. Stonefly, wooly bugger, ESL, Estez eggs, glo-bugs, nymphs and streamers all work well. Little trout worms by Berkley, dough, and small steelhead jigs are good as well. I stick to mostly plastic worms, beads, and spawn sacks.

Took my some out yesterday, and he nailed a creek chub, two small rainbows, and a monster 29" colored up buck steelhead. He used a spinning setup.

You got to post a picture of that 29 incher.  I love when the males are in full colors.

It was cold, and phone batts and camera batts went dead.  Suffice it to say, it looked like this ugly devil:

I like them dime bright.  They fight harder, and if you're keeping them for the table, they taste better.  Like this fish:

But, they are pretty somewhere in between....

I love the coloration of the fish in the third picture.

Since there has been such great information and lessons learned in this thread, I have another question dealing with Steelhead coloration.  I always thought that the longer a Steelhead is in the streams, the darker they get.  Well, the fish in picture 1 was caught less than a half mile from the mouth of the stream and the second fish was caught 2.2 miles from the mouth of the stream.  So why would the fish caught much closer to the mouth of the stream be that much darker?  I guess the fish in picture 1 could be rather lazy or the fish in picture is overly ambitious.

1st pic is a buck, and looks ready to spawn.  2nd pic is a hen, and she's probably following food.  Not all runs are spawning runs.  Browns follow chromers in spring, and vice-versa in fall.  Also, there are MANY strains of rainbow out there.  I know in NY, they work with at least three strains, and there are more naturally reproducing as well.