Alvey reels
Printed From: The BaitShop
Category: Fishing
Forum Name: Gone Fishin'
Forum Description: Discuss freshwater, saltwater, ice fishing and fly fishing here. Where do you go, what do you catch, and how do you catch it?
URL: http://www.baitshopboyz.com/forum_posts.asp?TID=14246
Printed Date: 26 March 2026 at 22:30
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 11.10 - http://www.webwizforums.com
Topic: Alvey reels
Posted By: Guests
Subject: Alvey reels
Date Posted: 14 March 2008 at 23:32
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Anyone using Alvey reels? made down under...longest casts. sort of funny design. BEAR |
Replies:
Posted By: TasunkaWitko
Date Posted: 15 March 2008 at 05:34
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bear - never heard of them as i mostly use zebco 33 reels and have been very happy with them. what other information do you have? ------------- TasunkaWitko - Chinook, Montana  Helfen, Wehren, Heilen Die Wahrheit wird euch frei machen |
Posted By: waksupi
Date Posted: 15 March 2008 at 07:08
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Are those the ones, where the spool pivots forward to cast, then returns to sideways retrieve? ------------- Shooters Cast Bullet Alumnus http://www.castboolits.gunloads.com/index.php? |
Posted By: soggyshooter
Date Posted: 15 March 2008 at 07:32
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Have one we bought from cabelas along with an Alvey surf fishing rod. Great
reels. They take a bit of getting used to though. The reel comes with a DVD showing some of their other reels and some fun fishing footage. I doubt I will ever go back to either a spinning or levelwind casting reel for surf fishing. The Canadians use them for steeelhead and salmon fishing in B.C. Wouldn't mind having another couple to run with my downriggers. |
Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: 15 March 2008 at 11:48
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Yes, the reel pivots to be like a spinning reel or like a big fly reel. Been thinking of the Cabelas combo for surf fishing. Never done good surf fishing, think I might just not been able to cast well beyond the breaking surf. If you like it Soggy I'll take that as the push I need to order one. Planning to go to Oregon Inlet in August. BEAR |
Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: 15 March 2008 at 11:50
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Picture is worth a thousand words. Some interesting (different video). http://www.alveyusa.com - http://www.alveyusa.com |
Posted By: soggyshooter
Date Posted: 15 March 2008 at 13:45
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It took me a bit to figure out how to cast the alvey. Once I quit trying to
over power the pole and let it do the work casting was easy. Short of being there and showing someone how to read the surf describing how is hard. We fish the depresions in the beach. The waves break differently in the depresions. Once you find them you will find fish. Up here we use clam necks and sand worms for bait. Sometimes the big california mussels work too. |
Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: 16 March 2008 at 02:27
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I understand. Using your thumb to trigger the line is different. I have a lot of nerve damage in my hands and arms. I was sort of thinking that it might let me transfer the casting load more evenly than conventional gear. that rod is also very different, with the reel close to your body and a very forward front grip??? I presently cast a lot of spinning gear two handed, using my weak hand on the but to add last minute power. Most of the beaches that I fish have that same "trough" where the fish seem to go on incoming tides. Ocean fish seem more aggressive than freshwater, and it can be hard to sense the bit and set the hooks. I plan on using circle hooks, they actually set themselves in the corner of the mouth. Not sure about the bait. Figure I'll take a bait store recommendation...but I do like digging my own sand fleas off the beach. Give me something to do. What test line are you using? I'd figured on 14-15# with a long 20# floro leader? BEAR |
Posted By: soggyshooter
Date Posted: 16 March 2008 at 03:28
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I have the 600 C5 reel and the AL 625 rod. This is a bit heavier set up
than I really need but still works well. My main line is 18 LB. and leader is 8 -12 LB. I don't use a long leader. it's not needed. This will handle just about anything I may hook including the errant salmon if I fish off the jetties. One thing we have to watch is going with too light a weight. At times we get too much sinker roll and have had the gear start to wash up with the surf. Easy enough to fix. There are more variety's of fish if we go off the jetties. Rockfish of various sorts etc. Most of what we catch in the surf are red tail surf perch. A lighter set up is really all the is required if all you are going to target are the perch. II don't buy the cheap brass swivels. I like the stainless ball bearing ones. The brass swivels just don't seem to hold up against the wear the sand puts them through. I have had them fail at the hole in the barrel and pull apart. I have not had that problem with the SS ones. I also tend to pay more attention to the swivels since I had the brass one fail. The rest of our gear consists of sand spikes and a lawn chair. Most places that we fish we can drive to on the beach so everyrthing else is kept in the jeep. |
Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: 16 March 2008 at 03:58
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Sounds good. thsoe are the models I was looking at.
On those swivels notes, I understand. When I was a fishing equipment fanatic, I use to put the swivel in the drill press and sumerge in oil while leting it seat in. Lot of time but never had a brass one that was "seated fail. I have used the stanless ball bearing and had them fail, the shank pulled out. Maybe the problem is quality control. Testing them with a weight of a hammer might get the weak sisters out of our tackle boxes. BEAR |
Posted By: soggyshooter
Date Posted: 16 March 2008 at 05:14
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Interesting point on the swivels. Since I had a couple of the the brass ones
fail I started checking the stainless on their condition a bit closer. If I find any wear and the holes on the end of the barrel enlarging, I get rid of them. I guess if I had payed more attention to the brass ones I would have seen the early signs of them failing. It was after years of using the brass swivels before I lost one. I am happy with the performance of the ball bearing stainless and since I bought a large quantity of them that's what I use. I never seated the swivels like you did, just used them out of the package. Your idea of drop testing with a weight of some sort seems like a good idea. Will rig up a drop test to see what happens. Will have to brush up on the math to figure drop length and weight for each swivel size. |
Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: 16 March 2008 at 05:33
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Well Id think that a red brick witha a 3 foot piece of heavy wire, would approximate anything a fish would do. Might want to try it 5-6 times rotating the swivel thru 360 degrees looking for the weak point?
On my heavy salt water (sharks/trolling) I use those pigtail snaps with beaded swivels. Fast connection of heavy lines with my old hands. BEAR |
Posted By: soggyshooter
Date Posted: 16 March 2008 at 09:52
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I use snap swivels also for the same reason in saltwater and some freshwater. Brick, wire, 3 ft. drop. Interesting to test just to see how many, if any bad swivels get through. Would also be good for testing knot strength. The largest fish we target is halibut. I use a different pole and reel for that and braided line. The next largest fish is king salmon and ling cod. We do catch mud sharks (dogfish) at times. They're not that big. Up to about 5 ft. here, but most are closer to 3 ft. We just cut the leader at the boat. You may hook into a skate while halibut fishing but will break off most times if they have any size to them.i |
Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: 16 March 2008 at 09:58
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I love skate, delicious. Caught some 3 weeks ago. I clean and cook, wife loves them, but I never show them live/whole to her. I figure my rig will be for blues mostly some snapper, maybe a redfish (aka Drum).
BEAR |
Posted By: Peterbh
Date Posted: 20 May 2008 at 09:53
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I have a 6" Alvey but use it mostly for trolling. 1:1 retrieve but being so large in diameter, it brings in about 2' per wind with a great star drag. My surf reel is now an Axeon 90 which holds 1900 yards of 15# braid and is a nice if inexpensive spin reel with 4' retrieve per wind. ------------- 
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Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: 21 May 2008 at 01:42
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Through the generosity of a forum member I now have a 65 alvey and just received a matching rod from Alvey. Haven't had the time to cast it, but it looks impressive, can't wait. Turkey season is in full session now. WOW, there 1900 Yards of 15# test. that is 1.1 miles of line???? I could only hope to have a fish run that much line off on me. I pray for the day. BEAR |
Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: 21 May 2008 at 12:27
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Bear I agree having one run out that much line would be a blast
Rick |
BUT reeling all of that back in might not be near as much fun 
Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: 22 May 2008 at 00:04
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I've fished 1000 foot deep off the humps in the keys, so depth might mean more line for Peter's type fishing. In all honesty, the most line I ever had a fish run was fishing the flats and got a 30# hog fish. Couldn't stop him and he ran about 350 yards off my spinning reel. I could see the bottom of the reel so I dug my feet into the sand and turned the drag to solid. But that was just one time. Bone fish will take a fast 100 yards but then you get control back, and every other run they make is smaller that that first sprint. Fishing with 3# leader, I've had two trout this year take line, but that is rear thing to happen to me. I remember in the '50s when I discovered Field and Stream, they always cautioned to have extra backing for when the big one is on and runs while the reel screams. MY eyes got big at the excitement of that prospect. I still follow that advise and use lots of backing; but really haven't seen the need for it in my fishing 'experiences'. Can bluegills run the line off. BEAR |