Favourite heavy surf reel

[Deiter]

Yeah Nigel, i reckon you hit the nail on the head about it being a journey! I went from alveys to eggs to baitcasters, back to alveys and now i have settled on eggs again.

Its always good try what the other blokes are doing, just so you can sit back at the end of the day and say, "right, this way is better because blah blah blah, but the compromise is (and there is always a compromise) blah blah blah. In my relatively short years of fishing, or over a lifetime, fishing methods and personnal priorities (e.g. cost, effectiveness, comfort, convenience) change, and appropriately, your gear changes with it.

That's why i am not going to tell an alvey user that they stuck in the dark ages, coz his priorities AT THE TIME, are different to mine atm.
It is a different story, not to mention a shame, if that is all you ever try.

that makes 4 cents now

Damo

[CHRIS_aka_GWH]

and the preferred reel of the champion contest anglers for tailor, dart and whiting?


is there any of you guys on the boards he said knowingly

i have never met a gun whiting fisherman boat OR beach who uses an eggbeater.


i use a TSS4 on the beach for spinning simply because I don't like ripping nylon thru my fingers at speed constantly - you don't need its maximum speed as tailor usually prefer a slow to medium. Its sealed washers and well sealed casing travel well next to the alveys - non-metal parts reduces electolyisis. In 3 years of use with very little maintenance its still going strong.

chris

[rockfisho]

can't go past the Alvey's

they're made for the beach, and they're the only reels which allow you to wind in while still allowing you to keep your finger on the line. And they're designed to cop a hammering from the sand. I use the 650 C5 for the beach and the 650 A5 off the rocks.
The one to one ratio is also a real advantage when fishing for the heavy stuff.
and they'll last a lifetime if cared for

rockfisho

[spinner]

Rockfisho
Sorry mate, but Alveys are not the only reels you can keep your finger on the line when winding in. I have to keep my finger guiding line evenly on the spool with my ABU.
This reel is also made for distance casting in the surf and will also last a lifetime, as many other reels will, spin reels included., if taken proper care of.
regards, Reggy

[FNQCairns]

Penn 535, similar to the ones that held world casting records I understand, brilliant reel, can cast huge baits with big sinkers out for Jewfish and also sprint a slug out a mile for Taylor, my most enjoyable surf reel by far. Although I like eggbeaters and the alveys too.

cheers fnq

[CHRIS_aka_GWH]

Penn 535, similar to the ones that held world casting records I understand, brilliant reel, can cast huge baits with big sinkers out for Jewfish and also sprint a slug out a mile for Taylor, my most enjoyable surf reel by far. Although I like eggbeaters and the alveys too.

cheers fnq

i stood next to a south effrican (sic) at the last straddie classic down near the pin bar smashing tailor inside a back bank around midday - i had to wade to my hips with my 700c alvey on a 12ft powergraf (i didn't have the live fibre yet) to match his overhead on a 14ft. We were having a ball doing a smash and release session on fish that would never win a prize and he dropped in the old, "You guys should really get these reels and get rid of those big things". I promptly dropped my reel in the suds - and then threw a wet handfull of sand on it and said - "Your turn... " - he declined the offer.

Overheads cast further (with weight - THEY WILL NOT OUTCAST AN ALVEY WITH LITTLE WEIGHT), eggbeaters are better for spinning - nothing outlasts an alveys in the surf in the fine sand conditions of queensland - our sand is incredibly fine. Our best surf fishing tends to occur in on-shore conditions (that do not suit overheads).

They are a simple durable austalian made and owned product that gives a customer value for money - if you fish with an alvey you employ several aussies an you will catch fish.

chris

[Deiter]

....yes, and its just as well that alveys can be dropped in the sand and water without detrimental effects, particularly considering how many times you have to drop the thing to undo tangles in a session

[spinner]

Very interesting. In the pursuit of catching fish, I have never found it necessary or even helpful to throw a hand ful of wet sand over my reel, or to submerge it under water.
Chris, I have always found that most surf fishers do use a bit of weight to cast a bait.
It is a form of fishing that usually requires a long cast, and a bit of weight also helps keep the bait out
for longer, especially in onshore conditions.

Reggy

[_Dan_]

I have all 3, i use my Surf Champion for bait, eggbeater for spinning and the overhead on occassions when i have time to stuff around after i get a birds nest..

I prefer the alvey anyday, better feel in rough seas and also because sometimes i get caught out while wading onto gutters

Cheers

Dan

[CHRIS_aka_GWH]

.... and the overhead on occassions when i have time to stuff around after i get a birds nest..

RAOFL = luv it dan.

Very interesting. In the pursuit of catching fish, I have never found it necessary or even helpful to throw a hand ful of wet sand over my reel, or to submerge it under water.
Chris, I have always found that most surf fishers do use a bit of weight to cast a bait.
It is a form of fishing that usually requires a long cast, and a bit of weight also helps keep the bait out
for longer, especially in onshore conditions.

Reggy

Most might - but does that make it right

with regard to wet sand - i've posted this pic before and the tale but last september with two rods out I hooked this milky whaler - thinking it was a big greenback i fought it down the beach about 100m when the other rod when off - i was able to just put my rod down in the sand once i got it up clear of the beach traffic and go for the other rod - it is an interesting mindset that beieves a more complicated, less durable product is a better solution. I find the same with deep-sea - the ergonomics of using an overhead is all wrong - the action itself is compounded by torsion and gravity, thus the need for a gimble if using a belt - i swapped to an alvey 850CV and haven't looked back - brilliant reel.

chris

[Deiter]

CHris i hear what you are saying about using o'heads in deep water application. I too reckon that a well made alvey with a drag comparable to a quality game reel would be much easier to use and just as effective in 99% of situations. But i still use my tld's. The weight thing is a factor with the big alveys. Maybe an underhand o'head is the answer????

[HST]

the best surf reel is what works best for you not the bloke standing next to you , a bad tradesman blames his tools



my tools are all ok .
regards HST

[CHRIS_aka_GWH]

i notice you ride a bogey board HST - when you're ready to stand-up hey

(whose board horse is it on? stir, stir, stir)



if you'd just try an alvey you would have no need to keep buying overheads in the search for a decent reel.





Weight hanging underneath does little but stabilise in the application of simple levers to fishing. I can stand all night with the biggest heaviest surf reel ( a fibreglass 700c) hanging under a 14 ft rod and i'm a little guy. If i release my grip on the rod, the rod doesn't turn - its stable, the reel holds it in place - the torque is at its lowest potential.

I have a abu 7000c that weighs 500g that i run along side the boat alvey but with a decent blue on, its a prick to use as the rod torques under the pressure of the fish especially as you get close. The alvey 875BCV (thats the correct name I think) weighs about 1.5kg that you don't notice by comparison.

Finga and I were comparing missing bits from our left wrists the other day - which is why overheads cause me such angst - and he agreed. Alveys are easiest to use if you have a gammy wrist. Surely that means they apply less pressure to the fisherman. Isn't the aim of fishing to [s]drink the most beer[/s].... err... catch fish - not make things as difficult as possible for yourself.

I do agree dieter - an underhand overhead may be interesting.

chris

[jackash]

Alvey. Surf conditions are generally never easy, and what happens when ur bait is drifitng down the beach or being washed towards you, and you get a bite but you cant feel it coz you dont have contact with your line... obviously you are using an eggbeater and generally you miss the fish. Give me and alvey and you enver lose contact with the bait!
Cheers
Jackash

[HST]

i have more Alveys than Abu's , As for casting light weights alveys are still a long way behind the rest when it comes to a tournament casting ,HST