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Using Braid with Alvey reels


frankS

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A friendly warning not to do it.

We are getting a lot of new folk here that are just learning the art of fishing and want to learn different aspects of the art.

A subject came up recently that prompted this post and I thought it best to start a thread about the subject.

With Alvey reels and beach fishing in particular . 

When beach fishing you generally want to get your bait and sinker out there as far as you can cast it, to do this with and Alvey you twist the spool to casting mode and hold the line with either thumb or finger, some hold the line against the rod others hold their finger/thumb on the spool itself. You than whip the tip of the rod as fast as you know how and release the line from the spool at the best angle to achieve a long cast. Now to do this the line whips off the spool at a tremendous speed and force and if you are using Braid it will cut and cut very deeply.

So any body new to fishing or even the experienced fisho that may not be aware of the dangers, I urge you not to put braid on a Alvey reel.

And I encourage discussion about this subject.

Cheers Frank

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Thanks for warning  the new folk.

I do agree with you in regards to beach fishing however Alvey is not just a beach or rock fishing -there are fishing methods when casting is not required. 

Rock  fishing can be also dangerous, however can be fun and productive if done properly with safety precautions. Same about Alveys and braid.

Just my opinion. 

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alvey sidecasts also put twist into the line by the action of the line coming off the spool twisting and coming back on straight...twist in braid is a nightmare waiting to happen....solid spool alveys are fine with braid especially for deep dropping with bait...rick

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13 hours ago, frankS said:

A friendly warning not to do it.

We are getting a lot of new folk here that are just learning the art of fishing and want to learn different aspects of the art.

A subject came up recently that prompted this post and I thought it best to start a thread about the subject.

With Alvey reels and beach fishing in particular . 

When beach fishing you generally want to get your bait and sinker out there as far as you can cast it, to do this with and Alvey you twist the spool to casting mode and hold the line with either thumb or finger, some hold the line against the rod others hold their finger/thumb on the spool itself. You than whip the tip of the rod as fast as you know how and release the line from the spool at the best angle to achieve a long cast. Now to do this the line whips off the spool at a tremendous speed and force and if you are using Braid it will cut and cut very deeply.

So any body new to fishing or even the experienced fisho that may not be aware of the dangers, I urge you not to put braid on a Alvey reel.

And I encourage discussion about this subject.

Cheers Frank

Well said Frank! Sadly, many new and younger fishers don't realise the advantages of using an Alvey, particularly on the sand. Learning how to fight a fish "one on one" without a drag also teaches much. Mono all the way

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If using braid off the beach or rocks I always run a long mono leader which is 2 rod lengths but as Rick mentioned the downside is braid tends to tangle on its self even in a moderate wind, we know the benefit to braid over mono is the is the better bite feel so its a balancing act for me although I don't use an Alvey(even though I have 6 handed down to me) but I have another spoon of straight mono anyway at the ready, LOVE SPARE SPOOLS :biggrinthumb:

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22 hours ago, frankS said:

A friendly warning not to do it.

We are getting a lot of new folk here that are just learning the art of fishing and want to learn different aspects of the art.

A subject came up recently that prompted this post and I thought it best to start a thread about the subject.

With Alvey reels and beach fishing in particular . 

When beach fishing you generally want to get your bait and sinker out there as far as you can cast it, to do this with and Alvey you twist the spool to casting mode and hold the line with either thumb or finger, some hold the line against the rod others hold their finger/thumb on the spool itself. You than whip the tip of the rod as fast as you know how and release the line from the spool at the best angle to achieve a long cast. Now to do this the line whips off the spool at a tremendous speed and force and if you are using Braid it will cut and cut very deeply.

So any body new to fishing or even the experienced fisho that may not be aware of the dangers, I urge you not to put braid on a Alvey reel.

And I encourage discussion about this subject.

Cheers Frank

 

Well with a threadline  it's no different, ie you hold the line with your finger when casting. It's almost universal practice to have a long mono leader so you don't touch the braid when casting (also adds a bit of stretch, abrasion resistance, shock adsorbtion).  It might be a bit hard on your fingers retrieving though as well as the problems of tangles and line twist.

Edited by kingfishbig
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The fact that you need guide the line onto your alvey's spool by running it over your finger to ensure an even line lay when retrieving can also cause some pretty nasty cuts with braid.

There's plenty of good quality, low stretch mono lines out there for that extra bit of sensitivity on a sidecast outfit.

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8 hours ago, kingie chaser said:

If using braid off the beach or rocks I always run a long mono leader which is 2 rod lengths but as Rick mentioned the downside is braid tends to tangle on its self even in a moderate wind, we know the benefit to braid over mono is the is the better bite feel so its a balancing act for me although I don't use an Alvey(even though I have 6 handed down to me) but I have another spoon of straight mono anyway at the ready, LOVE SPARE SPOOLS :biggrinthumb:

G'day kingie chaser I just have to ask-  considering you have a few, why don't you use an Alvey? 

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5 hours ago, sam bros said:

Interesting thread,

Makes me want to try an alvey

G'day sam bros- If you try one, my suggestion would be to go for a 'plain' series without a drag (A5 series) the 600A5 (6 inch) is probably the most versatile and will handle any fishing location and most species. It is considerably lighter and less 'bulky' than the commonly used 650 (6+half inch) which has been the 'standard' beach reel for generations. If looking at a reel primarily for Bream, you could reduce size again to a 500A5 (5 inch) or better still an Alvey Luderick reel (again no drag) with the sidecast function.

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51 minutes ago, wazatherfisherman said:

G'day kingie chaser I just have to ask-  considering you have a few, why don't you use an Alvey? 

Hi Waza, as I mentioned they were handed down to me actually from my father who recently had to move into a nursing home.

To be honest I am not really an active beach/rock fisho & I see these more as collection pieces really, even more so now that Alvey doesn't exist anymore!

I do however have a rock outfit(old school fibreglass) & a graphite beach rig both with spinning reels which I prefer to use.

Nothing wrong with the Alvey's, I know they are amazing reels but not my thing & I would just rather admire them.

 

I got all of my father fishing gear which included hand made cane rods, 40 odd reels of all descriptions, sinker smelters & moulds & heaps of hand made luderick floats that dad made himself.

 

Quite a decent collection of gear, not all in great shape but I have some of it on display in my house, bit like a museum really :biggrinthumb:

Here are just a few things I have on display, the rest is in storage but I rotate the gear around.

Sorry about the picture but I cant seam to rotate it to get it right.
 

 

20180827_153503-1 (2).jpg

Edited by kingie chaser
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23 minutes ago, kingie chaser said:

Hi Waza, as I mentioned they were handed down to me actually from my father who recently had to move into a nursing home.

To be honest I am not really an active beach/rock fisho & I see these more as collection pieces really, even more so now that Alvey doesn't exist anymore!

I do however have a rock outfit(old school fibreglass) & a graphite beach rig both with spinning reels which I prefer to use.

Nothing wrong with the Alvey's, I know they are amazing reels but not my thing & I would just rather admire them.

 

I got all of my father fishing gear which included hand made cane rods, 40 odd reels of all descriptions, sinker smelters & moulds & heaps of hand made luderick floats that dad made himself.

 

Quite a decent collection of gear, not all in great shape but I have some of it on display in my house, bit like a museum really :biggrinthumb:

Here are just a few things I have on display, the rest is in storage but I rotate the gear around.

Sorry about the picture but I cant seam to rotate it to get it right.
 

 

20180827_153503-1 (2).jpg

Old news. Alvey does exist.

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G'day again I am also a collector and am shortly moving to Murwillumbah to live in a "fishing museum" with my best mate John. We've both been collecting for many years and probably have well over a thousand reels between us! The gear in your photo is all 'iconic' in Aust fishing history and your dad obviously took good care of it. The green Alvey 475A, although primarily designed as a Luderick reel, is also equally as popular as a Bream reel. The cedar spooled Alvey has nice original bakelite knobs in one of the original shapes and that exact Steelite was also my first Luderick reel. Fantastic that you've got it on display, would make your dad happy also. Hopefully Alvey aren't finished yet! Bruce Alvey told me that part of the problem was they made their products too well! Alvey's have been handed down from father to son even grandson in many cases. Even non fishing folk appreciate well made, well functioning, attractive wooden reels and I've had many compliments on my display.  I really love fighting fish "one-on-one" without a drag, that's why I asked. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and photo. Regards Waza

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45 minutes ago, wazatherfisherman said:

G'day sam bros- If you try one, my suggestion would be to go for a 'plain' series without a drag (A5 series) the 600A5 (6 inch) is probably the most versatile and will handle any fishing location and most species. It is considerably lighter and less 'bulky' than the commonly used 650 (6+half inch) which has been the 'standard' beach reel for generations. If looking at a reel primarily for Bream, you could reduce size again to a 500A5 (5 inch) or better still an Alvey Luderick reel (again no drag) with the sidecast function.

Thanks waza, I was thinking of getting one with a drag. Thought it would be easier to fight fish with.

Is there any downside to alvey's with drag?

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3 minutes ago, sam bros said:

Thanks waza, I was thinking of getting one with a drag. Thought it would be easier to fight fish with.

Is there any downside to alvey's with drag?

No real downside, depends on your primary use. If beach fishing no obstacles and 'palm-drag' is fine, same for Bream, Luderick etc. If chasing stuff like Mulloway and in particular Kingies, there is a 'purpose made' reel with a drag the E5 series- these have a good drag system but have a distinct advantage over the "C5" series (star drag with handle mounted on a 'cross-plate') - the E5 have the drag but the handles are mounted on the spool, same as the 'plain' series. The biggest advantage of this is you can achieve "lock-up" when necessary without changing your drag setting. You simply grab the handle/s as opposed to the handles mounted on the spindle crossbar which work in conjunction with the drag mechanism- in other words the drag can still 'give' with C series same as a threadline/spinning reel. Being able to have that extra 'no-give' without changing drag is often vital when fighting big fish off the rocks, where they need to be held, particularly in relation to the rise and fall of water level with the swell. If line needs to be given at the 'last moment' due to a falling swell (which happens constantly) you just let go of the handles. This only really applies when fighting large fish like Kings, Mulloway and in some instances Groper and large Pigs that are constantly 'lunging' along the edge. The argument will arise that you can 'grab' the spool on a spinning reel to achieve the same effect, however when doing this, you have to take your hand off the handle, meaning you can't wind. This may sound a little silly, but you'll understand when attempting to control a large fish while waiting for a suitable swell to wash it out with. With a completely loaded rod, your line is often very close to an often 'under-cut' edge and this function of the E5 series then comes into it's own. Other than this type of fishing, there is nothing wrong with the drag series "C5", but the plain series with angler "operated" palming is lighter, simple to use and in my opinion teaches the user exactly what their line strength can achieve, as 'by-feel' is the 'judgement' when discerning line class/strength. Imagine fighting a fish on a larger version of say a Luderick centrepin or Fly reel- it's you verse the fish, nothing lost in gears, drags etc. If you have any questions regarding rigging etc I am only too happy to elaborate. Cheers Waza

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1 hour ago, wazatherfisherman said:

G'day again I am also a collector and am shortly moving to Murwillumbah to live in a "fishing museum" with my best mate John. We've both been collecting for many years and probably have well over a thousand reels between us! The gear in your photo is all 'iconic' in Aust fishing history and your dad obviously took good care of it. The green Alvey 475A, although primarily designed as a Luderick reel, is also equally as popular as a Bream reel. The cedar spooled Alvey has nice original bakelite knobs in one of the original shapes and that exact Steelite was also my first Luderick reel. Fantastic that you've got it on display, would make your dad happy also. Hopefully Alvey aren't finished yet! Bruce Alvey told me that part of the problem was they made their products too well! Alvey's have been handed down from father to son even grandson in many cases. Even non fishing folk appreciate well made, well functioning, attractive wooden reels and I've had many compliments on my display.  I really love fighting fish "one-on-one" without a drag, that's why I asked. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and photo. Regards Waza

Thanks for the info on the gear & your museum sounds great, Id love to come have a look one day.

 

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9 minutes ago, kingie chaser said:

Thanks for the info on the gear & your museum sounds great, Id love to come have a look one day.

 

Once I'm established there you would be welcome. Mate John has an awesome variety of old tackle and rods also. I have a lot of rods and 'too many' lures. All my life I've had the joking motto of "you can never have too much fishing gear"- I am 're-thinking' that as I pack it for transportation and relocation!

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1 hour ago, wazatherfisherman said:

Once I'm established there you would be welcome. Mate John has an awesome variety of old tackle and rods also. I have a lot of rods and 'too many' lures. All my life I've had the joking motto of "you can never have too much fishing gear"- I am 're-thinking' that as I pack it for transportation and relocation!

Best of luck with the move Waza. We'll no doubt hear from you from up north. Cheers, bn

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