$1000 stella versus an old alvey

[GPB]

Have a look at my avatar, that's my jigging one , I have a couple of models for Popping and lighter jigging, I also still have a Alvey Reefmaster and a couple of small Alveys left from the 5-6 I have owned in my last 35 years of fishing, although I haven't used any for 20 years since I started using overheads [Sealines and then TLD's] and spinning reels [Shakespear Sigmas and Penn]. I sold a Alvey 925 last year as nobody has used it when reef fishing from my boat for 12 years as they prefer overheads like TLD's and Tekotas etc.
It all comes down to personal taste.

[TheRealAndy]

IMHO anyone who spends 1000 on a reel has rocks in their head. I challenge anyone to catch more fish on the $1k reel as opposed to a $150 reel. Its bullshit, and makes no difference.

[GPB]

Reality Andy.
Put it in perspective: If a fisherman who smoked a pack a day gave up, he could buy a Stella 8k in 8 weeks or a Daiwa Certate Hyper 4k in 7 weeks with the money saved , personal choices not bullshit

I would rather chase an GT or Ambo on a Stella then a Alvey Reef Queen [top deckwinch] which is still going to cost you $650 .

[Tetsuo]

Real Andy,
If you are fishing for big kings or samsons , of course the stella will catch more fish because the $150 real you thought looked so fantastic for the price would sh!t itself on the second fish, not to mention the stella's drag could stop more fish from hitting reef. I use diawa not shimano but if you havn't used a good reel you have no idea

[banshee]

IMHO anyone who spends 1000 on a reel has rocks in their head. I challenge anyone to catch more fish on the $1k reel as opposed to a $150 reel. Its bullshit, and makes no difference.

So which $150 reel would be your choice for jigging........and what would the wager be for the said challange should anyone be stupid enough to take you on?

[PlasticFantastic]

Why is it that it seems to be the norm to spend a few grand on a set of golf clubs to wack a silly little ball around a padock but as a fisherman if I tell someone my cars value doubles when I put my fishing gear in it they think i'm crazy. Here's an interseting one jigging for Dogtooth Tuna with a 400gm jig in say 100m of water with a Alvey, all I can say is good luck.

PlasticFantastic

[budge]

I think it all comes down to people fear what they do not know. No one is saying you need to buy a thousand dollar reel to go fishing but in some circumstances the quality of real that you need for an certain fishing style necessitates the high quality that is produced in such a reel. Sure you can get away with cheaper stuff but how long will it last in extreme conditions. The other thing i see a lot is that we Aussies love the tall poppy syndrome, if someone has something that we can not afford we say you don't need that, why would you waste your money. Only a certain select few of the population say how can i put myself into the position of being able to afford that or what are the benefits of having such items. I guess our population has just developed a heavily defeatist and cynical nature over the years, I suppose that goes to aid in the age old saying of the rich get richer.

[spears]

I would say on the average most people who are regular fisho's would have reels pricing from$100 to $500 probably average a $300 to $350 reel..

[tony2dogs]

I have been using a 5.5 inch Alvey for about 25 years.

I don't look after it except to say: the maintenance routine has been to dunk it into saltwater. It works fine. If the reel sounds a bit crunchy on the wind - well loosen that nut in the middle and dunk it again to wash the sand out. It gets a fresh water spray at home mainly for the sake of the line, the rod bindings, and the smell.

It's hooked up on world record Queenies (that don't count unless you're in a club and all the rest of whatever), metre + barra, macks, grunter, mongrel dart, trevally, flatties, jacks, bream, whiting and one particular extreme fishing moment when a 16 kg golden trevally towed me and the reel fully submerged for a good 5 min before I got into the tender (and it's videotaped) - basically everything in Qld waters. The difference is clearly the ABUSE and saltwater.

The eggbeaters I use for baitfish and the kids, a stella? No offence but WTF is that? Sounds like that beer that I got drunk on at that rich dudes wedding.

In saying this, as easy and reliable as an Alvey is, for me it is easier for the kids to stick with the eggbeaters. Whether it just be a shielded life, laziness, or lack of funds, I reckon it's whatever you were brought up on. As for $1000 for a reel, well I've just bought about $800 worth of gear for a Hinchinbrook trip that got me an abu baitcaster, shimano rod, a Penn level wind combo, braid, a stack of soft plastics and hard bodied lures.

If you can afford $1000 for one reel, well, maybe if you drop it you can afford another one. It's like when my old man bought the latest model Ford LTD for whatever price, he then complained about how much it cost to get it serviced - like what did he expect.

If I was a rich dude maybe... but on my wage I think I the $800 plus the other trip expenses is where the fun is for now.

It's all good.

ps. I knocked the Alvey off my workbench 2 months ago - the spool cracked and it cost me $27.50 for a new one. Maybe I should have spent the thousand after all.

[breamnut]

As TonyM writes:
I don't think I've seen a single person on this post who's said they own a Stella?




Well then who's got a $1000 stella.Speak up

How about some people go out and buy a Gloomis rod $400 and get $150 worth of line onto a $600 stella and cast plastics to catch a 30cm bream.would of spent $1150..Do you really need all this elite stuff to catch a 30 cm bream.

not stella's as i dont use shimano spin reels but daiwa certates ,sol's,tierra and saltist.
guys who fish with lures usually have better quality gear because fishing with lures puts alot of stress on a reel with all the casting and winding. its ends up costing less buying a good quality reel then a few cheepies and there much nicer to use.
yes i also use good quality rods and you cant understand this untill you get experiance lure fishing and you will find that cheap stuff just isnt up to the task.
with a good quality graphite rod they are much lighter and more sensitive.
its also the places we fish to catch bream that we use quality rods,reels,lines,hooks everything!
there are a alot of people on these forums who use good gear and fish tournies and guys who dont fish tournies but know the importance of quality tackle.
you cant argue with over a hundred people fishing these comps every time the are on and its only getting bigger!
not just bream that we use this tackle for. with such good braid out there guys can use 15lb which is like 4-6lb mono! and the reels can put on so much pressure that you can easily just tie on a new leader and lure and go target some bigger fish like jack.

[udlman]

It'd make my day to see someone chucking lures at impoundment Barra in the sticks with an Alvey

I have seen it quite a few times. Barra and bass on alveys and 9ft surf rods, really pulls them up quick.

At least with an alvey on the reef, U catch a couple of fish, get gorilla arms, go home and leave fish for next time. With the high end reels, u don't get buggered, therefore catch and take more fish, therefore reducing the numbers for next time.


Brad

[breamnut]

I have seen it quite a few times. Barra and bass on alveys and 9ft surf rods, really pulls them up quick.

At least with an alvey on the reef, U catch a couple of fish, get gorilla arms, go home and leave fish for next time. With the high end reels, u don't get buggered, therefore catch and take more fish, therefore reducing the numbers for next time.


Brad

that is the stupidest thing ive ever read on these forums!

[countbaysea]

My stella and hyper certate has payed for itself from the amount/quality/enjoyment of providing a feed over many years of hard fishing. If i had to go and purchase the fish i have caught over the years it would well be over $3000. This gear is still like new and will last a lifetime. As Breamnut says it is the versatility in these reels (popper/lure, troll bbounce) that attracts them to buyers. i still use alveys now and then from the beach but mainly a tss4 or plastic gear.
Consistant 36kg of standup in a spin reel who would of thought?
I dont smoke, take drugs or drink alot. Fishing is my vice.

[spears]

My stella and hyper certate has payed for itself from the amount/quality/enjoyment of providing a feed over many years of hard fishing. If i had to go and purchase the fish i have caught over the years it would well be over $3000. This gear is still like new and will last a lifetime. As Breamnut says it is the versatility in these reels (popper/lure, troll bbounce) that attracts them to buyers. i still use alveys now and then from the beach but mainly a tss4 or plastic gear.
Consistant 36kg of standup in a spin reel who would of thought?
I dont smoke, take drugs or drink alot. Fishing is my vice.

You have worded the stella as "versatility" which makes good sense and i myself would love to have a stella or saltiga and have that versatility in my fishing but find it hard to fork out between $700-$1000 for a reel.

So the question i'm going to ask from the large variety of fishers here is what other reel would serve us in versatility where we outlay less amount of $$$ and are able to get some thing still decent..spinning reels only..

looking forward to your reply guys cause i'm in the market for something good..

[GPB]

Yes countbaysea, 'I TOO AM A TACKLEHOLIC' .

Brad [udlman], that was a stupid statement , the amount of fish that gets taken home comes back to the person fishing, on my boat we take enough for a couple of feeds [fresh], we never chase bag limits and freeze nothing.