Spooling a Alvey

[GutterGuide]

Hi everyone,

I've just got a brand spanking new Alvey , (6500BCVRR) and am going to fill it up with 30lb mono. Has anyone got a prefered way of spooling their alvey to get a firm and even run of line on the reel.

Cheers

Dave

[Dodge41]

Dave got this tip years ago from an old timer and works a treat.
Drop your spool of new line into a bucket of warm water and after soaking a couple of minutes, feed it through acouple of runners then on your and then wind onto the reel.
The line is lubricated by the water and you can set the tension between your fingers without any burning to the line or fingers, and laying in the water as you are filling the reel you don't have to worry about pencils or similar as a spool spindle.
Have used this method on 6 - 40lb line without any problems.
Richo

[Fishin_Dan]

Richo - I do that to load all my reels... The line seems to sit alot "neater" onto the reel. And the line at the back of the reel gets a small amount of lubricationso that if you ever do get down that far on the line, it shouldn't be all stuck under itself.

[Kiktz]

Have to agree with the Boys above.
I use warm to hotish warm and take my time to tension it on all the
way. it youtake your time and do it right the first time you won't have any headaches.

P.S the knot that you join your line on to your rell with make sure it sits
at the back of the reel so it will never get caught up when casting if you
ever run low on line

Cheers Aj

[theoldlegend]

Hi Dave,

Same as the replies above. I get wife to hold the spool after I've put a piece of dowell through it and wind it on through some guides on the rod. Keep working gradually from side to side when you're winding.

If you click on Alvey Reels on the main page, I think it gives you some tips on winding line on to your reel. Nice reel you got. I'm very happy with mine.

TOL

[GutterGuide]

Thanks fellas,

My main concern was not really the spooling even but more how tight to spool it on. Tight enuf not to fall off or come loose but not to tight that the line will not bind on under itself.. Which is a son of a ... when casting.

Dave

PS: TOL I'll be putting some pics up tonight of my finished rod!

[SeaHunt]

Yeah I got that one and also 650BC with the lever drag, I wont go into spooling up as I think the other guys have covered it well.
But 30lb mono ???
Are you going to use it for surf fishing? If the answer is NO , read no further.

It depends on a number of factors , but you wont get much casting distance with 30 lb mono. I have 30lb Penn 10X #on my 6500BCVRR now but have it on a 8 foot rod and drop it out the back of the boat have cast it (not far though) , had 20 lb on it before that and a week on Fraser surf fishing with everyone else had me wishing it was 15lb line. I have 12 lb penn 10x on the other Alvey now and it does the job for surf fishing and get good casting distance. I guess experience will soon tell you , but if you have not bought the 30 lb yet , talk to the guys in the tackle shop about your specific application. #

[GutterGuide]

Yeah Land based Bait casting and occasionally off the rocks.

I've got 20lb on my current beach/rock rod it does the job 70% of the time, every now and again i get a mother of all fish that will break me off in the shore break and also every now and again when you load the rod up a little to much and watch you 8 ball and bait head out into the pacific with no line attached. Perhaps I should opt for a shock leader...

Time will tell..

[theoldlegend]

Hi Dave,

Saw the pics of your rod and responded to you under that thread. Now back to the Alvey.

As SeaHunt said, the heavier the line, the less distance you will get. I've been using Platypus "Platinum" line, which is thinner than most other brands for the same breaking strain. Drew (SURF_SNIPER) put me on to Platypus "Super 100" whis approx 10% thinner again than the "Platinum" line. It's dearer than other brands, but you might get better results.

Just a thought.

TOL

[theoldlegend]

Hi SeaHunt,

Saw your post where you've got an Alvey 650BC with the lever drag. Have you had any problems with the lever gradually moving around the spindle over time to the point where it hits the handle?

Mine did that, so I removed the handle and moved it around on the spindle, but over time the lever gradually crept around again. Rang the manufacturer who offered me a star drag nut & handle free.

Didn't take his offer up, but went and got the set up that's now on the 650BCVRR and am very happy with that. I'm a great believer in the theory that if you've got a flash and high tech looking reel, then people will think that you must catch a lot of fish. If only they knew the truth!!

Just wondering,

John
TOL

[OzChris]

some other tips - using thinner lines on alvey reels tends to create more line twist over time than thicker diameter lines. I personally prefer schnieder line, seems to not twist as much as others.

Also when spooling have a slight taper on the line.. Going from smallest amount of the line towards the handle gradually building up to the back of the reel. You'll find it casts slightly further.

[SeaHunt]

Hi John, (TOL) ,
I havn't had any problem with it yet , though it hasn't seen much action either, just the one week on Fraser really. And it probably wont see that much action either, it seems a fair bit heavier than the 650BCVRR after casting it for 4 or 5 hours for 6 days in a row anyway. Probably take the heavy line off the 650BCVRR and go back to using it.
Actually I had the 650BCVRR for a year or so and went back to get another one so I could have two different line classes available, you know chase whiting, dart or flattys while waiting for the tailor to come on, anyway they were out of 650BCVRR 's so I took the BC instead, wish I hadn't now.
One good thing about the lever though is you can take one look at the lever position and know roughly how much drag you have on, it's seems easy to bump the star drag out without realising it.
BC
the Hunt

[SURF_SNIPER]

just got to remember in relation to using warm or hot water to lubricate the line that mono will expand a fair bit under warmth/ heat. if you spool the expanded line on with a little to much pressure when it cools down and contracts it can warp and disfigure the spool of your alvey.

have seen this affect before,

[turnips]

I wind mine on by mounting the reel on a rod and winding on through a couple of runners, not worrying too much about the tension. Then when I am next in the boat I drop a few metres over the side, power on and it will pay out nicely. When you have emptied the spool (make sure it is tied onto the spool!) slow the boat and wind it back onto the reel under tension. Vary the boat speed to acheive the desired drag on the line. I would not recommend doing it in a busy waterway!

[GutterGuide]

That's all good in a boat,

As i just spooled up my alvey a little to loose I had to cast it into the surf an walk a few hundred metres down the beach to get a good tension on my reel.

When you fill a 6500BCVRR full of 30lb its still a fair walk away from the esky !

Dave