alvey reels, stripping guides and other stuff

[oldboot]

Having recently returned to fishing after a long absence a couple of things interest me.

No I'm an alvey man..... I just like the simplicity and being a native queenslander using an alvey is the right thing to do.

Now I have an assortment of alvey's of various ages ranging from brass backed timber spools to a spanking graphite backed lever drag.

the curious observation is the whole guide arrangements and rod layouts recomended these days.

the truth is that it may have always been the correct way tyo do it but the new avlety mantra seems a bit different to when I was a lad.

I'll start with the " alvey open runner"
How recent is this idea.......I can never remember seeing sucah a thing in the distant past.
I can sort of see the aparant benifit....... but who realy uses them and does it real matter.

I notice none of the alvey reels these days are fitted with an on reel stripping guide........ in the past I dont think I remamber seeing an alvey without.
I have some idea but can anybody shed any light on the disapearance of the on reel stripping guide.

In the past no normal pleb gave much thaught about how the rod was set up regarding runner layout.
I know the current runner recomendations go back at least beyong the seventies.
who realy worries about the current runner recomandations and how much difference does it make to you.
I can certainly see that the theory makes sence....... but how are users finding it in reality........ and how does this relate to the on reel stripping guide.

just a few things to think about.

cheers

[straddie]

Heya Oldboot

There are plenty of new things in fishing and plenty of old things that are just passed off as new.

You know in the 35 odd years I have been fishing with alveys I never really gave those "on reel stripping guides" much mind. I always pulled them off any reel I bought that had them on as they got in my way. The only benifit I could really see them offering was if you allow the line to go slack and there was wind about it may save the line sneaking round the back of the reel.

I like the open runners on my bigger 650 alveys as it does save the fingers from some damage. This might not have been such a problem back in the day when if I remember right even 9lb had .35 diameter or bigger as against most 6kg now being .3 or less. 6kg is the lighest I fish on my 650's and although I would like to go lighter that would require me to go smaller diameter with the associated line cuts. As the spool size goes down their worth becomes less.

Guide placement becomes more important as you chase more distance particularly with heavier line. if you are fishing from a boat it almost gets to the point of not mattering and I have used alveys on overhead rods that usually pack 6/0 penns or my little 320GTi.

[oldboot]

every thing old is new again.......oh yeh..... I've been picking up a lot of old fishing texts written in the 50's, 60's & 70's.......lots of stuff that you hear "personalities" sprouting as if it was a new idea are most certainly in them.

for example the "red stuff near the hook" thing had a revival in the seventies....I notice that has being sprouted as a "new idea" in recent times.

I do gather a lot of people ripped their stripping guides off their avlies......hence the number of old used reels with places where the stripping guide was.

I would have to agree that many things matter more or less depending on what set up you have and what you do with it.

sometimes casting distance is just not an issue.

cheers

[nigelr]

G'day oldboot.
'sometimes casting distance is just not an issue.'
How true is this statement! Sometimes the fish are literally almost at your feet.
Other times you will need to cast as far as possible.
There is a lot of interesting discussion to be found on the subject of stripping guides, be they alvey or otherwise, on the rod building chat board.
Cheers.