Center Pin Big Lakes?

[spinner1]

My buddy Ted Kirkpatrick invited me to
great lake fish again. He will supply all gear
and ALL i need to do is show up. Can even
stay at his house.

ted is quite accomplished at center pining.

Are there any negatives that go with center pining?

I am sick of sitting on my hands for 5 months in
Wisconsin waiting for small streams to open.

[deathb4disco]

Are there any negatives that go with center pining?

None that I'm aware of. It's just another addiction!

The 'pin is my favorite way to fish, hands down.

[ridgeliner]

The one negative I can think of is learning how to cast it. Casting it is not like anything you've done before.......at least not like anything I've done before. Most center pin rods are 12' to 15'. That might be a problem at some point but most of the time it is an advantage. It is just another way of fishing.

[deathb4disco]

The one negative I can think of is learning how to cast it.

My response to that would be:

1) "Learning how to cast" is the biggest excuse I have heard from people about starting fly fishing (aside from the cost of gear.) I would never let that hold me back from pinning or fly fishing.

2) You don't "need" to learn the Wallis cast to fish the 'pin. A simple loop cast will handle most situations and is very easy. I was fortunate to learn the 'pin from a couple of Englishmen. Neither of them used the Wallis cast. When I pressed one of them about it, he snorted and said nobody did that in England anymore. If you need to cast a long distance with a float, a spinning reel is a better choice.