Bought myself an Okuma Trent, the only centrepin worthy of the name I have ever had. and I hope to catch the odd barbel with it, as well as using it for trotting. My last centrepin was 40 plus years ago, a cheapo, that looked as if it were made of Meccano.

Anyway, I have a problem: I play fish left handed, and the Trent appears to be a handed reel. It incorporates a clutch and clicker, and although I may never use them in anger, it would be nice to be able to use them. But, if I load the line conventionally, the clutch and clicker do not work, being unidirectional. If I load the line in the unconventional sense, I then have to reel backwards to retrieve line. Has anyone dismantled one, maybe for cleaning, who might advise me as to whether it can be re-assembled as a left handed reel?

As far as I can tell Okuma do not make lefties, and even if they did, I would not really want to buy another.

hi jay,
so am i right in saying you play fish with the rod in your left hand? you said you play a fish left handed, so you need a right hand retrieve reel then surley? or have i miss read your post? i had a similar problem getting a left hand retreive fly reel a while ago.

Originally Posted by kev1911

hi jay, so am i right in saying you play fish with the rod in your left hand? you said you play a fish left handed, so you need a right hand retrieve reel then surley? or have i miss read your post? i had a similar problem getting a left hand retreive fly reel a while ago.

Correct, I hold the rod in my left hand. As most people reel in with their left, a right handed reel is surely considered to be left hand wind. ...I can understand the confusion. I probably caused it. ;-) AAAAARGGGHH!!

hi jay,
i thought so lol, i call the hand of a reel by nature of the side the winding handle is on i.e left side of reel = lefthand wind/rod in right hand, and vice versa for right hand reels,i myself am left handed but i fish right handed,so reel with my left hand, i thought the most common hand reels are right hand retreive which i think is the type your after? i think, do i,? phew confused myself now lol!

cheers

kev

Something to report at last. Still using the RH pin in LH mode. Have abandoned the clutch completely, although I may just use the clicker when a fish is running, mainly for dramatic effect, aided by a thumb on the spool rim.

To date I can still count the number of times I have used a pin on one hand, but today I actually caught something with my Trent. 3 chub betwixt 2 & 1/2 and 3 & 1/2. Very nice too, although the two smaller fish had both been savaged by the cormorants, one still having a raw wound. Both had been attacked near the dorsal fin. But all three fought very well on a new, but cheap, 15 foot trotting rod. Never had a rod with so much "bend" since a tank aerial I had as a kid. Very pleased with myself for I thought I was using the pin with at least an ounce of competence. Was even trying Wallace casting, something I had never heard of until January. One in two casts still resulting in overrun tangles, but the others were working. No great distances involved, but it does feel good, even artistic when you get it right.
Tomorrow I may have to go higher upstream, as I had hoped to catch grayling. Maybe Marple, weather permitting.

Hi Jay, Now theres something some of the lads on here wont know what your talking about-- tank aerial rods---i used to make them up myself and used them a lot, rock fishing off angelsey cought some good doggies with them also made a good pike rod.
For those who dont know what I'm talking about they were rods made from Ariel's from real tanks all metal blanks that you could bend right round

Barrie