Alvey reels

[Na_Hampsha]

I am thinking of purchasing an alvey reel for saltwater use . I would be using it mainly for casting plugs and spoons .from 1 to up to 4 oz. I would also buy a rod that it would be matched to. I dont like using equipment that aint balanced. Well anyway I am interested in anybodys take on how well these reel work or dont work. I have read what is available on the internet and am now interested about actual use . Thanks
Frank From New Hampshire USA

[Big_Kev]

Frank , I have an Alvey light surf reel that I have been using for some twenty years now , I can still remember mowing lawns and washing cars as a boy to save the money to make the purchase .
Since this time it has caught many a fish and is still as good as the day I bought it at about a quarter of todays prices .
This would have to be my favorite reel I love it to death .
Recently gave it its first overhaul which it didn't reely(*pun*) need , for only a marginal price,due mainly to its simplicity .
You cannot go wrong with an alvey for in the saltwater for your requirements .
Keep a tight line Reel Hard .

[SteveCan]

Hi Frank - Welcome aboard!

I am a big Alvey fan, at my Dad's knee I saw him use them matched up to Rangoon Cane rods from the late sixties and early seventies before fibreglass became popular. I still have five Alveys in various sizes and states of repair. Mostly they get used off the beach, but I bait jig with a 5" model off the boat and the kids are estuary fishing with a 3.5' ancient bakelite reel that belonged to my Grandad. Alveys are near indestructible, sand and salt water bothers them not at all. I have seen old fishoes walk down to the water and submerge the reel in the surf to wet the line before their first cast. How many other reels could you do that with and expect to have them for 20 years or more?

I think their biggest advantage in beach fishing is the direct contact and feel you have on the bait even though you are on the end of a 12-14ft rod. You just dont get that all important feel from a threadline or an overhead. The rock fishoes too are always writing about the unmatched grunt you get right from the initial hit
that can stop that first run in it's tracks and keep your line out of the snags. Alvey's are a delight to fight a fish on, you have heaps of pulling power to recover line when you need to and once again, you have that direct contact and feel.

After that I suppose you are wondering why Alveys haven't taken over the world! Like the Alvey, the reasons are simple. First and foremost - they are slow to recover line at 1:1 This is a major disadvantage when throwing lures and you need to recover line quickly. I would also have to say that there are better drag systems out there too. Some people also say that the casting system causes line twist - In my opinion, they are no worse than threadlines in this area. The only fishing system where line twist is not an issue is in overhead reels.

Matched up with the right rod, you can throw light weights a long way with an Alvey. I have never used more than 8kg line from the beach with my favourite tailor rig (bluefish) being 6kg main and an 8kg trace. I have a light surf rod matched up with a 6" Alvey and 4kg mono and it's great for Bream, whiting and flathead off the beach.

Anyway - that's my two cents worth - remember it's only worth two cents...

But it's great to see an Aussie made reel (and a Queensland icon) being of interest overseas. I have some friends in the UK who use them. Be sure to let us know how you go if you do decide to get one.

Cheers
Steve

[thunder]

Well I know I'm going to cop a hiding for this but I just cannot get the hang of an Alvey

When I first moved here to paradise (QLD) I thought that to fit in I had to buy an Alvey because I saw all the success people had with them.

Well I've had 3 of them now the latest being a model 650BC.

I am buggered if I have been able to beach cast with any of them never mind about catch any bloody fish.

I end up jumping up and down on the beach cursing and swearing covered in spiderwebs and tangles, and of course everyone else on the beach fall over laughing at me.

I reckon that when you are born in QLD the first thing you hear is your father's voice telling you the sacred secret of using an Alvey, unfortunately I was not born here so I am not privvy to them.

So every couple of years or so I have to buy a new egg beater, I don't care, I still catch the odd fish so I guess to each his own, thanks to the fishing gods for eggbeaters.

[Big_Kev]

Thunder the secret words are ,
Bah ram u
Bah ram u
LOL .

[krazyfisher]

If your from NSW you might have to say it backwards
U mar hab
U mar hab
LOL

[spinna]

Hi na_hampsha 8)
well i must say that alvey reels will not let you down as they are easy to maintain and as for casting them well if your not to used to them just dont use to much wight and you will be ok. I use mine of the rocks and for blackfish and on the beach . I have abu overheads that i also use for all the same fishing but ive had most of my alvey reels for a long time and they have never let me down. 8)

cheers spinna

ps but as your not from QLD you cant blame the ref if you dont get the hang of it 8) winners are grinners

[imported_admin]

Thunder

Strange that you are having trouble with an Alvey. If you can #explain exactly what happens I am sure we can sort it out quick smart.

When you wind line back on the reel do you use your index finger to spread the line evenly across the spool instead of just winding it in and leting it pile in the middle, as in the pic


If it is wound on WRONG it will all come off at once instead of one coil at a time. I am taking a guess that this would be your problem.

Check out the Alvey section of the site for more info http://www.ausfish.com.au/alvey

[Scottie]

Frank, hello from Chicago. I became an Alvey advocate a year ago and absolutely love them. I use them to throw spoons and crankbaits for the salmon we have here in Lake Michigan. I would recommend the Alvey 6000BC-V with the Snyder Executive CR 126 (10 1/2 foot) glass rod. It has a cast weight rating of 30 grams which is a tad more than an ounce. However, I use up to 1 1/2 ounce spoons and other style metal baits with it too, no problem. I easily cast 100 yards using this set-up. I personally feel anything bigger is a bit cumbersome for continuous cast and retrieve type fishing. Also, I feel the 6 inch 6000BC-V retrieves lures at the proper speed. It's not like you're cranking your ever lovin' hand off or anything like that. Be aware that you have to lay the line on the spool with your index finger. At first I thought that would be a problem, but it's not and it becomes second nature. Be sure to choose the same hand drive as your current fishing gear. You could also consider the Jack Alvey special Snyder rod. It's a 12 foot rod with a cast weight rating of 1 1/2 ounces. I have one of those and love it. With it, I can cast even further than I can with the 10 1/2 footer. The 6000BC-V has a ratchet type drag that employs a belleville power washer. It's plenty powerful for these big Chinooks, and would be more than adequate for stripers and blues. If you have any questions, e-mail me.

Scottie---Chicago, Illinois

[reelcrazy]

Hi Frank

I'm in New York and fish the beaches of Long Island for stripers and blues.

While I'm an Aussie and grew up with Alveys on the beaches of east coast Aust, you won't go wrong in the salt with an Alvey rig on the NE Atlantic coast and estuaries.

The Atlantic wave action in the surf here is a lot different to the generally bigger rolling breakers of the Pacific beaches of home, there seems to be a lot more slop and cross chop in the smaller Atlantic surf.

So here's a few observations based on experience and hindsight.

I first purchased the rig (imported from Ausfish) without being fully aware of the local conditions, so naturally my decisions were based on conditions from back home.

Like you I throw a lot of lures and plugs in the 1 - 4 ounce range, (smiling bills, poppers and hopkins), so for the rod I got the 14'9" Regal S177, matched to the 650GRBC.

While it's an excellent rig, balanced, and will match the casting range of any of the best Montauk stripermen, the length is overkill for the local conditions.

The reel is heavier than the other Alveys, but the gearing (2-1) more than compensates especially when you need fast retrieve to entice blues (tailor).

So I can thoroughly recommend this reel.

The rod is another story, there's nothing in the advertised range to ideally suit conditions here, so think about having a custom rod made for you through Ausfish.

Alvey rods are specials, and having looked stateside I can guarantee there's nothing here that will suit.

With that in mind, here's my rod recommendation.

Rod material - glass not graphite. Reason is lure action. (To get a popper working properly, pause the retrieve, give the rod a two handed shake, this causes the popper to splash violently triggering more strikes - graphite is too soft in action to do this effectively). I know this from direct experience, I also own a Loomis graphite - it doesn't have the same action and doesn't trigger 1/10th the strikes as the glass rod does.

Ideal size is around 10 - 11 feet, long taper, heavy, but fast action tip, rated for up to 24-30lb line.

(For the local Aussie blokes, stripers [Morone saxatilis] fight like a combination Mulloway and a Barra, screaming runs and fight all the way to the sand (average in the surf 14-24lbs). Blues (tailor) are generally larger here - averaging 6-8lb and higher in the surf - eat your heart out boys.)

Frank here's a couple more things to consider:

Do learn how to properly rig the terminal end, pay particular attention to the swivel layout. Use top quality swivels.

Do get a rod bucket, the proper Alvey mount is low slung, I use one with less fatigue than with using my much lighter Loomis graphite surf rig.

Do spool up with braid - I've got 700 yards of 30# Power Pro - set your drags at 30-50% of line weight - the Alvey will handle it, I haven't smoked the drag yet.

And don't worry too much about importing from Ausfish, I can talk from experience here, Steve from Ausfish packs all his gear well.

Hope this helps, and good luck on the autumn (fall) blitzes, there's been a couple mid week off the long Island south shore already - think I'll have to start wagging work...

[Scottie]

Reelcrazy, I enjoyed your post, very informative. Having been an Alvey advocate for only a year, I love hearing as much about them as I can. You're right about top quality swivels. I always use ball bearing swivels whenever possible. And Steve Brown/Ausfish.com is the absolute best. I am always very pleased with his outstanding service.

Scottie---Chicago, Illinois

[reelcrazy]

Hey Scottie

No problems, glad to hear you are getting them.

Interested to hear more about the chinook in the lakes, didn't know those were up there, are they lake locked or do they migrate?

What types of techniques do you use on the lakes?

Couple of years ago was over in the Gulf Islands (canadian side) in the Pacific Northwest, disappointing fishing mainly, only bagged one 18lb chinook, and a couple of 8lb coho's.

The Canadians have absolutely decimated the herring fishery there almost to the point of extinction, and then they moan that the salmon runs are not what they used to be.

I'll save the rest of this comment for another post, it's particularly pertinent for the local debate on recreational fishermen versus commercial interests.

Tom

[Scottie]

Tom, the great lakes have been plagued my many ocean going species that are able to adapt to freshwater. The St. Lawrence seaway and unscrupulous ship captains emptying bilge water are the reason for this. One of the first invaders was the sea lamprey eel. It made its way into the lakes in the 1950's. It almost wiped out the native lake trout population until they found a selective poison that works on the eels in their breeding waters. Now the lake trout population is strong.
The Chinook and Coho salmon were introduced in the 1960's to control another invader, the Alewife, a member of the herring family. When I was a young lad the Alewife die off every spring was one of the most disgusting things you ever saw. So many of them would wash up on the beaches of Chicago that they had to remove them with front end loaders and dump trucks. Well, the introduction of the salmon took care of that problem and as a result turned the great lakes, particularly Michigan and Huron, into two of the finest salmon fisheries on the planet. There is two times a year that shore fisherman can catch these beauties. Late winter into spring for Coho (brown trout too), and late summer into fall for Chinook (steelhead trout too) and some Coho and browns. The rest of the year it's necessary to go out to deep water and troll for them in depths up to 200 feet. For the shore fisherman, casting spoons and crankbaits works well, and the bait fisherman can use spawn sacks for both the Coho and Chinook, and night crawlers for the Coho. These fish, particularly the Chinook, are extremely powerful, typically ranging from 13 to 26 pounds. Let me tell you, they're real reel screamers and a blast to catch.
There is a vigorous stocking program by the various states, but Wisconsin and Michigan have a pretty high success rate of natural reproduction due to the many tributaries in those two states. Plus there is a tremendous amount of forage for these fish, such as alewife, smelt, shad, and many other species of bait fish. In the spring, it's common to see schools of bait fish that are larger than two football fields and three to four feet thick. Amazing!
The rest of the fishing season I target the lakes many smallmouth bass, another very "game" fish and a thrill to catch. Then of course there's the perch, rock bass, crappie, catfish, largemouth bass, bluegill, the occasional walleye and northern pike, carp...........Ain't fishin' grand.

Scottie---Chicago, Illinois

[Gazza]

Thunder

Strange that you are having trouble with an Alvey. If you can #explain exactly what happens I am sure we can sort it out quick smart.

When you wind line back on the reel do you use your index finger to spread the line evenly across the spool instead of just winding it in and leting it pile in the middle, as in the pic


If it is wound on WRONG it will all come off at once instead of one coil at a time. I am taking a guess that this would be your problem.

Check out the Alvey section of the site for more info #http://www.ausfish.com.au/alvey #

Thunder , what Steve said.....and....

As my kids will tell their kids....

1.Have about a metre of line from rodtip to hook ,in the nine o'clock position

2.Start accelerating your swing (cast) to about the 2 o'clock position

3.3.3.3. LET GO of the line!! , then l-o-o-k backwards.....
IF ya bait's not on the ground ,it's in da water!!!

p.s. cut the tail (fork) off ya pillies ,good bearing swivel ,less twist!! and rewind slow-ish for the last 5~10 mtrs.......if rebaiting

Regards
Gazza

[thunder]

Well Steve and Gazza, never let it be said I am too old to learn, you guys must have been on the beach laughing at me when I used my Alvey.

Thanks for your advice, you have restored my faith in Alveys, so much so that I am off to Fraser for a week next Monday and I am going to pack my virginal, unused 650BC and have another go (only when I am alone on the beach). I'll let you know how I go.

Thanks again