wazatherfisherman

When I was young and fit from climbing cliffs, I could only hang on to the 651E5 yellow glass Alvey and cut down MT 9144 rod for about an hour, such was it's weight. Wouldn't swap that outfit for any other though

Hi Pete John (up north) is a lifelong close mate, when he finds one it will be the right price or he won't call! Nice find! It's always great finding 'new' old things! The oyster bottles bring back memories for me too- haven't seen one for years, used to be fun getting poddies in them

Hi Adrian if you look at Noelm's post 'old things' on page 14 are some of mine- I have a really awesome (if you like this sort of thing!) collection of plain series (A5) Alvey's but I have moved back to Sydney and living with a mate, so everything still in storage unit for the time being. Live-baiting for Mulloway and especially Kings was my favourite form with the E5 series, or was it big Pigs on 600's or Bream on the 50 series- wait on , I think I just love using them for any fish! Will post some photo's when I manage to get to storage unit and take some photo's- the ones made of different timbers make a nice 'contrast' in the reel shelf I made up. You know they look good when non-fishers say they love the look of them in the display- holds about 75 reels

Hi Pete it really is a small world! I have heaps of wooden Alvey's unfortunately just not the one you need. I've already rung my mate to see if he has one but he sold the one he had along with a heap of others during the Alvey "frenzy" when closure was imminent. He said he'll ring me next one he comes across, which might sound a bit patronising, however as he is a "semi-professional" ebay seller who is looking/buying 2nd hand stuff at least a few days a week, he does come across them- just hates paying more than about $50-60 for anything fishing, however, as I want it he'll ring with a price. There are always wooden reels up his way at swap meets, pawn shops, garage sales and bric-a-brac spots and that's where much of his collection came from. When he took me to Barry L's at Kyogle, he didn't buy a thing- just traded some old Mitchell's for a couple of nicely turned large handline spools. I bought 3 grand worth of mint condition reels, which he shook his head at. Having said that, I always wanted a nice collection of wooden reels and over the years, had only picked up about 8 in Sydney after many years of looking- they just don't 'surface' like up north and are often in antiquey-type shops with a ridiculous price tag on them. We're always looking so one will turn up- he got an absolute bargain today from the tip shop- a Penn Inter 30TW on a full rollered custom built game rod virtually brand new for get this $30- I immediately offered him double for just the reel and he said yes, plus I can have the rod, so I'm extra glad I rang to enquire about the Alvey! Regards Waza

Hi Green Hornet yes it was a package deal with a 650 C3 Cedar/Rosewood, but I took it as I've been searching for the Rosewood 50A5 for ages. I didn't realise it was you but I remember the messages. I was lucky enough to meet ex Alvey spool turner Barry L about 15 years ago and he made me quite a few new spools in different timbers like White Onionwood, Poplar, Beefwood as well as the Cedar in plain and Rosewood stain. I gave him a heap of 2c coins which he was using to make the back 'nut' on his reels, which are also easily identified by the brass handle-side washer (as opposed to stainless) One of the members on that page posted some shots of his spools, he had the entire collection of reels around the walls of his workshop under his house. Sadly, he stopped making them after repeated break-ins. He was in his eighties then and still cutting cane by hand also. I've got a mate up north that does come across them at times, but he refuses to pay much for them- I'll ask him to let me know next time he sees one and I'll message to see if you're still interested- there are heaps more wooden reels around the far north coast/Qld than down your way, the Blackie reels are the hardest to find from my experience Regards Waza

High Kingie chaser, as a "dedicated" Alvey user for over 40 yrs, I was horrified when they announced closure was imminent in late 2017 and rang Bruce Alvey for a chat about the reasoning. Sadly, electricity prices at the time was one of the main the problems, however, some other factors had combined to reach critical decision time. Superlines had become an issue, as they aren't really an option for most sidecast users, due to the dangers of cut fingers while "cross-winding" and also casting. The advantages of these new lines, especially for lure fishing is without question. Add to that, the newer generation of fishers are into "high-end" threadlines matched with "matchstick" weighted new age rods. Lure fishing also, has long taken over from more "traditional" bait fishing and realistically, the threadlines of today are far, far lighter and better made than in years past, enabling the pursuit of much larger fish on 'smaller' lightweight tackle- it's easy to understand the shift in consumer desires due to this alone- However, anyone who's fished both the beaches with bait and particularly the rocks for ALL non lure styles of fishing, knows the value of using Alvey's. The sand/water 'intrusions' of any reels can render them malfunctioning or of a definite shorter life span, not so the Alvey. Rock fishers also know the advantage of being able to "give/no-give" line at the critical washing-up stage of the fight, something that can't be done with the degree of accuracy using any other type of reel. No doubt, plenty might disagree with this statement, however, it is the case. I have a really nice collection of reels (quite a lot posted on Noelm's "old things" post a few months ago) and like using all types, but Alvey's, to me at least, will always have a place in our fishing! Regards Waza

Not real clear picture but definitely same reel

Hi Green Hornet Of all the old models, the 50A53 is one of the hardest to find. I got a 500 A3/7 on one of the buy swap and sell sites about 2 months ago- it is identical to the 50A5E except is Cedar with the Rosewood stain- I think it pre-dates the 50 series number wise, but is the same reel you are looking for. I needed it to complete my Alvey collection, as I have all the other plain series (post "Y" back models) Took me ages to find it because as you know, most old Blackie fishers that have one just won't part with them- too many memories I guess and they take pride of place on the display shelf. Just wanted you to know that the same reel you're looking for has the 2 sets of numbers- cost me about $70 (bargain I thought!), but had been looking for the model for ages only under the 50A series numbering. Hope this helps, will keep an eye out for you. Regards Waza

Bruce Alvey was telling me just over a year ago (when closing was on the cards) that they make their reels too well! How many manufacturers can claim their reels have been handed down from grandfather to son to grandson and are still just as good as the day they were made? You can't drop an eggbeater or an overhead in the sand and water and not expect huge problems! Get sand in your Alvey and you simply dip it in the water and give it a shake- good to go again immediately and even if you don't clean it when you get home- still ok! Long live Alvey! Countless benefits of using them

Melt them and "burr" them flat (or aim them the other way) you could also use silicone tape and then heat shrink tube over the top to hide the ends- look like "a bought one" more so

Another tip- try to only melt same coloured plastic and same brands together, as they have different melting points- "overcooked" plastic goes really dark brown and isn't really usable. If there is black with colours, cut the black out and use by itself and base colours by themselves. It's ok to blend colours that are similar eg reds and pinks, but generally, when using recycled lures, add more plastic first to "dilute" your 'melts', then add more powder paint as need be. The powder goes a real long way, about half the size of a pea (worth of powder) will colour about 15 lures, so don't use too much- you can always add more when reheating for second pours etc

G'day again - you can mould that shape pretty easily as like you say- no legs or antenna. I've seen very similar ones home-made that also have antenna, which are sticking out of mould before pouring plastic- not sure of the material, some sort of harder nylon or fibre-like carbon or fibreglass, flexible for 'realism'. To do this, just insert 2 pieces of wire into the prawn pointing straight ahead and make sure they go all the way to the side of the mould, leaving "insertion holes". This gives you the option of pouring with added antenna or no antenna, as the hot plastic will simply fill the insertion holes forming antenna anyway, albeit short ones- they still 'wiggle' though, giving the impression of "life" from your lure, which is great for really slow moved lures. The softies company used to sell silicon prawn moulds, but I just looked at their site and they're no longer in their catalogue, so I guess they weren't popular sellers. One tip- it's easier to mold hard materials than soft (also you might be breaching copyright laws) if you intend to sell some without altering design, so looking for body shapes in aquarium shops/$2 shops etc can be useful You can add "texture" to mould surfaces by inserting fine wire mesh or sandpaper (coarse-just spray back of it with clear lacquer to seal paper backing) Small pieces of textured wood files also give a good "scale pattern". I also bought some 'honeycomb' foil from a $2 shop, which I have inserted prior to pouring plastic- gives another 'dimension' to internal cavity- just remember that your hook goes through body! Cheers Waza

Hi again, after saying how easy it is to make lures, the one "style" I stopped making (after a few attempts and variations) were prawn styles. Reason? They are a more complicated design, with "flimsy" legs, protruding eyes and feelers. You can buy pretty much "exact" replica's really cheaply on the internet (mostly Chinese) that do the job, like "flicking prawn" or "kicking prawn". Not trying to discourage you making lures, as I said earlier, making them is part of the fun, just prawns are probably hardest to achieve the best results. Start off with something like flick-baits or paddle-tails or worm shapes until you are proficient at both heating/pouring and mixing and you will be more satisfied with your production results. Move on to prawn styles a little down the track. When starting off, other than the plastic (or "plastisol"- type liquid) and your moulds, you just need "Pyrex" pouring jugs- I use about 6 so you can keep "production " up while waiting for un-poured excess and jug to cool- a couple of stirring sticks- I use a few solid glass rod pieces to stir in additives like glitter etc AFTER heating to pouring temp. If you add before heating, your microwave will "light-up" from the metallic stuff! As for colours, the best colours (in my opinion) for Flathead- (in order) are bright/fluoro orange, gold, silver and clear (with glitter Kingfish- same orange (brighter the better) fluoro pink, white and "pearl" white, brown/clear Bream- dark and light shades of brown, gold, silver and clear (glittered) No doubt others have 'favourite' colours, but these have worked well over time, Common denominators? Orange, white, pink, brown and clear/glittered- so these are a good collection of start-off colours. Remember if you use "pure pigment" type paints, they won't bleed colours (if heated correctly) If you have any questions, feel free to ask as there are things I've learned along the way, making them for years. Cheers Waza

Hi SaltyGreek I started making my own plastics about 5-6 years ago, tried to do it as a small business, but you just can't possibly compete with big companies products price wise. Nevertheless, they are fun to make and use and much cheaper than buying them retail. I made them in the first place because I couldn't get a couple of specific types I wanted as they weren't on the Aust market. After a year or so of making them, I ended up with about 18 different varieties, including about 6 different worms, several fish designs, crabs and a variety of different squid and occy types. Pouring the microwaved liquid plastic is relatively simple once you've done it a few times and it's easy to make single colour lures- gets a bit more complicated when pouring more than one colour into your mould, as you can't see into the mould and have about 40 seconds of "useable" pour time before the plastic starts to thicken and needs to cool before re-heating (takes about 4-5 mins to cool and 90 odd seconds to heat) Initially, it's easier to stick to single colours, if you use minimal colour, you'll get a "see-through" effect and to this you can add glitter/flake/tinsel/holographic foil to add "dimension" or "realism" to the interior of the body. Powder pigment paints in my experience are easier to work with and rarely "bleed" colours if done properly, although I do also use a couple of liquid colours (a favourite is indigo liquid) Of course before you can pour anything you need a mould to pour into- plenty of basic types such as paddle-tails, twin tails and some basic flickbait styles are available ready made, but it's pretty easy to make good moulds yourself out of 2 part silicon. The common varieties are either pink or blue silicon and available from moulding and casting supply shops. PM me if you want a couple of retailers who sell it. Using silicon is also very easy, with just a few basic tricks to know, and you end up with moulds that are re-usable for hundreds of pours. These moulds allow great exterior detail for your bodies and simple removal of the poured lures. Another benefit of using silicon for moulding, is that you can let your imagination go wild, you'll soon be looking around your garage and tackle box for items that resemble shapes you're looking for to make lures, then it's a simple matter of mixing the silicon, pouring it into a suitable sized container/tray/box and immersing your object. A pouring entry/funnel can be made from the wide end of a golf tee (use wooden ones!) if you need a funnel at all- most of my moulds I just pour straight in through the top. Setting time is around 90 mins and you then cut a removal slit to get your object out, the resulting cavity is your mould. If you want more info on this just PM me Cheers Waza

Great story and photo's!

Hi Derek my interpretation of wind knots is a knot that has developed in braid (only) from "spiralling" in the air. Doesn't happen with mono, knots in mono usually only occur from line twist. Baitcaster/overhead knots are 'wine-d' knots which occur from excessive 'thrown' loops developed by unrestricted revolutions of the spool on the 'out- cast'. Wine-d knots (backlash) form a different shaped knot, which is/are generally possible to "unpick" (with patience!) as they are loops upon themselves, differing from both wind knots and twist- if you get my meaning Regards Waza Also just thought of "dropping a loop" which can happen using sidecast reels, the ensuing tangle that results from this can be a session ender, as you need to get well below the mess and also deal with the regular sidecast twist- worse than a bad backlash on a big overhead. This would be an "un-wine-d" knot

Hi Slurm same as Green Hornet I also have a preference for the A series- you don't need a drag for what you intend to do. Like he suggested, the 12' rod is better suited for your purpose as it gives you more options re casting and clearing line above the wave-break. Gary Howard rods are great and purpose built (as are the Alvey rods) If you can find an old Snyder or Butterworth 6144 (6 wraps of glass, 144 inches-12') they are exactly what you're after also. If you go slightly heavier in line class, say 12-15 lb mono you will have a good all-round outfit. Sometimes you will need a bit heavier sinker or a larger bait like a Pilchard/Garfish if you want to chase Tailor etc

Sounds like a great trip! Nice photo's also

The Hairtail got me when the gaff man swung it my way- I was trapped in the corner of the boat, got me on the arm- one of the ganged hooks 'stood up' saving me from severe injury, but bled like mad until the slime applied. Eel got me when I put my hand in "the drink pool" we used to put cans of drink in- some idiot put the eel in there with line wrapped around it, took my full weight on my rock plate to get it off my finger

The mate doing the Luderick technique put about half his index finger in the Tarwhine

After seeing the picture of a Long Tom caught by MattGb1989 and reading PaddyT's comment of "stick your finger in it's mouth- if you end up screaming in pain- it's a Long Tom- if you don't it's a gar!!" It reminded me of being bitten by one (a lot smaller than MattGb's) that I caught up at Fingal on the Tweed River. I had been spinning for Flathead and got the small 'Tom' in and onto the sand to take the lure out, when as I reached down for the lure, the bugger grabbed me by both the index and middle fingers- OUCH!!#@!%#!GRRR#! punctured both fingers, both sides, multiple spots- couldn't believe how much it hurt. Plenty of blood. Yep, I screamed. Worst part was having to listen to all the one-liners from the 3 mates I was there with!- "amazing how a little fish like that can make a big bloke scream so high pitched" and "who screamed-was that you or the fish?" etc etc. Having been bitten by plenty of fish over the years, I thought of a "list" of one's that had got me in a painful way-a couple of Bream, several Tailor, a Tarwhine ,a Green Eel, a Flatty, a Hairtail and of course that 'Tom. The 3 most painful bites I've seen were 1 a Pike Eel got one of the boys on a houseboat Hairtail trip- that's when we learned they have the extra row of teeth down the middle of their mouths, it bit down on him multiple times before we could get it off him. 2 Had just that day shown a mate how to use your index finger to get the hook out of a Luderick and he caught a really big Tarwhine on cunje later- tried same technique-ouch! 3 My Mother stuck her finger straight into the mouth of a Blue Swimmer buried on the mudbank at Windang, mistaking it for an oyster, came running back to the boat to get the landing net with a badly bleeding finger. Wondered what other Raiders had been bitten by? NOTE bitten not stung! Cheers Waza

Not meaning to hijack Rick's post just wanted to say good on you Scotty, hope you and yours are also safe. Thanks for your service and every success when you do get to go fishing. Everyone fighting these fires are hero's to us all

Hi Volitan, I can remember at least 3 club comps that heaps of Kings got caught at the Peak at night. Not on livey's either, the nights were organised "Snapper trips" with a fair few boats. Only a couple of Snapper weighed-in but boxes of Kingfish and a fair few big Blurter's(Silver Trevally). Admittedly there were still masses of Kings there then (around 1977) These trips were always organised for the week of first quarter to full moon. Gar's Pillies, Prawns and Stripey's the bait The guys on the NZ fishing shows get them at night at White Island on Flying Fish- both live and dead. Caught a few rat sized at Sow and Pigs on prawns while fishing for Blurters in the dark and got smashed by them a few times fishing Neilson Park dolphins after dark

Hi Blackfish, fishing around Sydney over the years, I've caught or seen plenty of "northern species" caught by comrades. Without a doubt, the location that has produced the most (that I've seen) is Queenscliff (Manly) lagoon. Plenty of theories around as to why the 'goon attracts the variety, such as warmer water (due to shallowness, small tidal flow and virtually no shaded areas) a variety of different environments (in close proximity to each other) and a good variety of natural foods, just to name a few. The theory is tiny fry or fertile eggs travelling the east Australian current to Sydney and ending up in coastal lagoons and estuaries. Once in the lagoon, the only way back out is via the same small viaduct adjacent to Queenscliff ocean rock baths that they came in on, the catch being that the entrance has narrow bars, so only smallish fish can move through. "Northern" species have included several Mangrove Jacks, GT's, Big Eye, Long Tom's (ok not northern only, however some large Toms over a metre) to name some. There are also "Rock Prawns"- the thick bodied variety with arms (resembling Scampi), large worms and a prawn population, along with plenty of small fry to feed the location's fish. Spangled Emperor are also occasionally distributed throughout the harbour as I've personally caught about 15 and seen about double that many caught. Fishraider Derek caught one on a lure in Mosman Bay not that long ago and another Raider (sorry I can't remember your name!) caught a good sized one on a bait. During the AFCA Rock titles one of the juniors from our club got a 3.5 kg Spangled at the Mattens at Dover Heights. These influxes of different species are probably seasonally variable, due to the current and water temp, my own thoughts are that there are probably plenty of tiny fish coming down each year and depending on where they end up, the conditions determine their survival rate.

Marlin have been caught between the heads a few times