Any fishing reel experts ?

Captain Coochie

Captain Coochie

Well-Known Member
Joined
19 Apr 2003
Messages
13,583
Location
London
Visit site
Ive been given one of these ........


Old%20reels2.jpg




Its an Alvey and i know the guy that left it to me used to sea fish in Australia . But what am i supposed to fish for with it ? Im hoping its for beach casting and not big shark type things :eek:
 
The clip on the bottom allows them to be rotated through 90 degrees, side on to the rod for casting. They would still work but many better options exist. They'd be a simple option to use off a boat if you want to have a go without spending a few pounds on something a lot better.
 
Yes its an Alvey. I have two of them, one I bought when I was 14 so its only 47 years old. Both are still in use. Mine are the timber versions like yours, new ones made today are fibreglass or plastic depending on size. Parts are still available. I presume yours are either 5.5 in or 6 in spools. I would suggest carefully sanding the spool and a revarnish, when fighting larger fish the drag effect is a palm on the edge of the spool keeping your thumb clear of a fast rotating spool.

I have just retired from 26 years as a professional fisherman. Even though my Alveys were not used in this game except when fishing for a feed, I shall be keeping and using them till I peg out.
 
I took that picture from the Alvey site , the one i have in front of me is pretty much mint . It has 400/A3 on the bit that looks like a feeler gauge . Its a pretty thing that will get used for fishing :)
 
Cuchilo said:
I took that picture from the Alvey site , the one i have in front of me is pretty much mint . It has 400/A3 on the bit that looks like a feeler gauge . Its a pretty thing that will get used for fishing :)
Click to expand...

Sell it to a collector and buy something more modern. They seem to be worth quite a bit on Ebay.
 
>But what am i supposed to fish for with it ?

Where you fish and how you fish determines what you catch, rather than the reel. Although there are some specialist reels e.g. trout fishing.

>beach casting

What you've got is a free spinning spool, if it runs free on the cast you will end with a birds nest which you can't untangle and have to cut free. If you control the line during the cast you won't get much distance. Much better for beach casting is a fixed spool reel.
 
If you cast with it as it is designed, with the spool at right angles to the rod, the line comes off like a fixed-spool reel. As you re-wind in a conventional manner, then every time you cast you put more kinks into the line. Probably no worries over short distances but you may want to use swivels near the terminal tackle.

I started fishing with my dad from Thorpe Bay sea front and wooden reels were all we had and all the older generation could afford; multipliers and fixed spool reels were coming in but at a price. I remember your reel as being quite 'cutting edge'. Enjoy your ownership of something people at one time envied.
 
Shearwater said:
If you cast with it as it is designed, with the spool at right angles to the rod, the line comes off like a fixed-spool reel. As you re-wind in a conventional manner, then every time you cast you put more kinks into the line. Probably no worries over short distances but you may want to use swivels near the terminal tackle.

I started fishing with my dad from Thorpe Bay sea front and wooden reels were all we had and all the older generation could afford; multipliers and fixed spool reels were coming in but at a price. I remember your reel as being quite 'cutting edge'. Enjoy your ownership of something people at one time envied.
Click to expand...


Alvey side cast reels are still the reel of choice for serious beach fishing. Yes you have to use a swivel. They are mounted low on a beach rod and a rod bucket has to be used for the larger units. Mine are 6 inch diameter and each rotation brings in a fair bit of line, probably equivalent to about 6:1 spinning reel. The big advantage is simplicity and durability, ad a bit of grease to the shaft every 20 years or so. The downside is when using braid fishing line, its vicious on the fingers when guiding on the line.
 
Well i aint selling it because my old boy mate left it to me along with his other fishing gear . I'm gonna have a go with it today and try and catch sea monsters in the Thames :o


A picture as promised .



4737575249_faa8be22c6.jpg
 
Cuchilo said:
Well i aint selling it because my old boy mate left it to me along with his other fishing gear . I'm gonna have a go with it today and try and catch sea monsters in the Thames :o


A picture as promised .



4737575249_faa8be22c6.jpg
Click to expand...

Lovely bit of kit. Known as a "Side Casting Reel"
Do as Shearwater suggests, turn the reel sideways on and cast allowing the line to flow off the spool sideways like a spinning reel then turn the reel back in line with the rod for retrieval. ;)
 
had a couple just like it, still one in the shed if I could find it, used for beach fishing with a long rod, however, I have used it on the Great Barrier Reef on a 6 foot rod with great success.

Enjoy.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Top