Alvey Reels

[Girgis]

I do a lot of beach fishing and I am considering purchasing an Alvey reel. However, I have heard conflicting reports about them.

Pros
Durable
Good for sandy conditions
can cast further
can quickly change the drag setting (lever drag)


Cons
get line twist
you need to use your finger to guide the line onto the reel
difficult to use
need a suitable rod

I really havent made up my mind whether to purchase one or not. Some people I talk to love them and some hate them.

I was wondering if anyone could shed some light on the matter.

cheers

[CHRIS_aka_GWH]

g'day girgis,

welcome aboard !!!

Beach is my thing & I use nothing but alveys in the surf, even when flinging chromes.

I can't fault your list of pros, for durability nothing beats an Alvey. I've got Alveys I won in schoolboy comps in the late 70's- early 80's that I'm still using with original drag washers still going strong.

Your list of cons - the line twist thing is a fallacy - all line regardless of reel gets twist in the surf, there is so much water movement but the problem is easily solved. You reduce it by using two appropriate sized swivels in the rig & every second trip to remove any twist either trail the casting length of unweighted line behind your boat or have a mate walk it out down the beach & then wind it back in.

I regard fingering the line back onto the reel as an advantage in the surf - it means you are always in touch with your line & feel bites or slack line your rod will not detect. Winding it back in firmly also helps reduce twist.

Another advantage is the ability to easily backwind in the surf. This lets you feed line to a fickle bite, a livie to move freely or allow the bait to wash around more naturally with the wash & tow of the surf.

Difficult to use??? So are baitcasters when you first start casting but practice makes perfect. As a kid we used to go up the local oval and practice casting just with a sinker tied on - 25 years on I can land a cast more accurately over a short distance with an alvey than most baitcaster owners - you've already covered their abilty to cast big distances.

Have a look at the guys who win the comps on Qld beaches & you'll see a variety of rods - you'll only see one brand of reel.

I've got all sorts of reels in my arsenal & they all suit a different purpose. Alveys are king of the beach in my opinion - they are money well spent.

seeyainthesurf,
chris

[banshee]

G'day Girgis,If I'm geting line twist I simply wind the line on backwards every fifth cast or so,fire out the cast and the problem is fixed.Guiding the line back on becomes second nature, you wont even realise your doing it after a couple of trips.Your third point was brought up on another topic,I for the life of me cannot see what is "hard" about using a sidecast reel.I simply pinch the line to the rim as it's rotating and fire out the cast,I manage this day or night of the rocks or on the beach.The main difference in rods as I see it is the positioning of the reel seat(much lower on the blank)and the first runner wich is normaly a large stainless ring used to tame the coils of line rather than choking them.Like I've said else where,I've had mine along time and I think it's got a lot left in it yet.Best thing is I have never had to spend a cent on repairs or services.

[mackmauler]

Personally if I was standing on the eastern side of fraser or straddie without my alvey, it just wouldn't be the same ;) I like the heavy alveys, the good old fashioned variety you can crack a pippie on the back of, Thats another thing, heavy rods need heavy alveys, counter balances nicely that way.

Rob

[SteveCan]

I also am a major advocate of the Alvey reel. I have problems with line twist on threadlines that I use for high speed spinning, but never on my Alveys. The system has so many advantages off the beach and even the rocks, I only wish they had a faster retrieve - I would use nothing else if that were true.

There are three main fishing systems that I use, Threadline, Overhead and Alvey. All have their strengths and weaknesses, but for the beach - especially bait fishing, the Alvey has no peer.

Cheers
Steve.

[nhoj]

I still use my original Alvey that I purchased 44 years ago and it has not had any replacement parts or service. Everyone talks about line twist. I have only experienced it once when I purchased a cheap line. If you use soft line and a swivel than it is not an issue. Their great advantage on the beach is that sand does not phase them. If they happen to fall in the sand, just rince them out in the sea on your next cast and your away fishing. Cant go wrong with an Alvey.
Regards, John.

[CHRIS_aka_GWH]

john,

your point about the brand of line is so relevant. For the last 3 years I've been running Berkley Trilene (a low stretch nylon) on my Alveys in the surf. It is the best line I've ever used in the suds but it does cost a few more $$$. I only use one swivel in the rigs too. It seems to have no memory & casts like a dream.

chris

[nhoj]

Chris,
I use the berkley line myself and find it is definately worth the couple of extra dollars. I even find using it that I don't have to run the line off and respool it. I only ever use one swivel.
John.

[banshee]

G'day SteveCan,my local tackle shop owner showed me a geared Alvey last year I have never seen one before or since,but they're out there.

[SteveCan]

Yer - I have seen the geared Alvey's too - 650GBRC - but besides the considerable extra expense (about double) It just doesn't feel like an Alvey to me. Perhaps I am being a bit silly - but maybe not. I reckon one of the major advantages of the system is the direct contact and sensitivity you have to the bait on a 1:1, you might lose some of that in a geared reel (someone tell me if iam am wrong here - I haven't used one yet). I would think that gearing puts much more emphasis on getting your drag right too, whereas I usually have the drag set light and use my hand to apply pressure to a fish.

I would be interested in feedback from anyone who uses a geared Alvey - I have not seen one in the wild yet...

Cheers
Steve.

[reelcrazy]

Steve

I've got one of the geared Alveys fitted with 700 yards of 30lb braid, the gearing is one of the reasons why I bought it, the 2:1 retrieve is fast enough to give the metals the speed necessary for a good action to get the attention of some of the faster finny friends.

Everyone fishes a little differently, my index finger and rod action give me all the sensitivity I need to work a fish.

The reel is definitely heavier than the rest of the Alveys, but this balances out fatigue wise with less turns on the crank.

Set right the drag is great, I usually set it light, and palm the spool when working the fish, and I've noticed no lack of sensitivity.

I'm thinking of making a custom boat rod for the Alvey, figuring that with the gearing and the excellent drag it will make a fairly inexpensive but good bottom bouncing/trolling/jigging outfit.

Trust this helps.

[SteveCan]

Reelcrazy, well - now you have me thinking, I reckon that you are on the money with the geared reel for bottom bashing - it had occurred to me as well. Fishing at Palm beach reef before Christmas I saw two boats gettting their bag limit of spotties while everyone else was getting zilch. It just so happened that they were using Alvey boat rigs...

I am not saying that the Alvey reel was responsible for catching the fish, just that the Anglers who were getting the fish had chosen them. I would think that the people who catch the fish have put a lot of thought into how they are going to go about it and what they are going to do in terms of rigs, gear etc. and their choice was Alvey.

Sure - with only 20 odd metres of water at PB reef an Alvey is no drama. once you get much deeper than 40 though and it becomes a lot of work to wind an Alvey in. I reckon a geared Alvey might come into it's own in the deeper water. I use a 5' Alvey for my bait jig at PB reef and it catches a lot of good fish - but it's too small for deeper water.

So now I have a dilemma - do I go ahead with my plan to buy the 650C5? - or do I go whole hawg and get the 650GBRC?. What a nice problem.

I better go down the tackle shop and check them out again! - Darn what a hassle ;D ;D ;D

Cheers
Steve.

[neptune]

I own a geared alvey, the only problem with it is the drag it creates on the bait against the water when you wind it in. The alvey really gets moving when you wind fast and when you want to check your bait from the deep you nearly have to pump and wind to do it as the force exerted on the bait can be quite a lot.

[reelcrazy]

"I own a geared alvey, the only problem with it is the drag it creates on the bait against the water when you wind it in. The alvey really gets moving when you wind fast and when you want to check your bait from the deep you nearly have to pump and wind to do it as the force exerted on the bait can be quite a lot."

This is true of a high speed overhead reel as well.

Arguably the drag on the Alvey is equal or superior to that of overheads costing twice if not three times as much.

Anyone care to offer advice on a good boat rod set up for the Alvey to a budding novice rod builder, blank, guides and spacing?

Thanks

[Girgis]

Well, I finally bit the bullet and went out and purchased an Alvey. I purchased a 6.5' lever drag model. I was extremely happy with the reel and it is the best for the beach.

I didnt like the lever drag though so I rang Alvey and told them that I wasn't happy with lever drag. They asked me to bring it in to them, so I did and they changed it to a star drag for me, free of charge. The best service I have ever had.

A very big thankyou to Alvey.

Now i am extremely happy with the reel, I wouldn't use anything else on the beach

However, if I had my time again I would definitely buy the 650C5.

Cheers