Maude

@Green Hornet@JonD thanks guys, I’ll give the halco a go with my Penn outfit and see how I get on. Might look at a larger Alvey outfit down the line if I get on ok with my 600B. Thanks to all who have responded.

@JonD some awesome catches there! Looks like your son has it worked out. I have a 20g Halco twisty. Haven’t caught anything on it but haven’t used it a whole lot yet either. I like the action it provides. @Green Hornet would you still recommend swapping out the treble hook on the Halco?

@Green HornetThanks for sharing your expertise, much appreciated. I was following Alvey’s own advice on swivel size, which can be found here: https://alvey.com.au/faq/how-do-i-stop-excessive-line-twist-while-fishing/ They seem to suggest size 12/14 swivels for 10lb line. I could never find size 14 swivels in store so bought the 12s. Made the mistake of buying ball bearing swivels early on and soon worked out they were no good for that task. Seems like you have had good success with the size 10 & 8 cranes so I will give them a go. Most of my strategy for managing line has been based on this webpage: http://www.scac.net.au/UsingAlveyReels.html But from what you have stated about not needing to relieve the swivel this guide might be a little over complicated. As for the Penn it is currently spooled with 20lb braid of some variety. I can’t recall what brand and left it to the recommendation of the tackle shop guy. Funnily enough I have about a rod length of 15lb fluro leader attached to it via a FG knot, which seems to be in line with your recommendations. I am yet to land anything with my slugs but will take your advice on switching out the treble hook. Do you have a preferred metal/lure that you like for salmon and tailor?

@Little_Flatty Don’t get me wrong I’ve caught quite a few fish on the Alvey. I just found that I seemed to be using a lot of my attention making sure I was laying the line evenly on the retrieve and grabbing the swivel regularly to allow the line to spin. With the spinning reel it was something I never had to worry about and felt like I could focus more on the fishing. Again this may be due to a lack of familiarity. I can imagine this being second nature to a seasoned Alvey user. Also, I don’t have a $400 rod budget. I was just asking if it was reasonable to expect to find a 12ft rod that would balance ok with my 5000 reel without spending a fortune on some high tech whizz bang carbon fibre stick. I am hoping to utilise what I have already as much as possible as I too cant really justify buying top end gear, especially at my skill level. It seems though that I might be better off leaving my current outfits alone…

@Green Hornet my Alvey is a 600B so has the 1:1 ratio and no drag you spoke of favourably. It currently sits on an Alvey 12ft Light Surf Rod and has been spooled with 10lb mono, which is at the top end of the rods recommended line rating for that rod. This setup seems to have a lot of crossover with the Penn setup which is why I was considering making two beach outfits, one light one moderate. Just trying to work out the best way to go about it. I suppose I could get a heavier rod for the 600B and spool it with 15lb mono as you mentioned and keep the Penn outfit and respool the 5000 with 10lb mono.

Thanks for the info everyone although I almost feel more confused then when I started 😅. Sounds like my Penn 10’6” rod and 5000 reel is in a bit of an awkward middle ground being neither a lightweight setup optimal for bream and whiting nor a longer heavier surf rod that will allow the use of the heavier sinkers sometimes required to get bait a bit further out. Hasn’t prevented me from catching fish mind you.

@Green Hornet interesting info about the drop length, I was unaware. Could be worth giving a go before chucking the towel in on the Alvey. What sort of Alvey do you generally suggest for beach fishing? I know the 6500 models are quite popular and I understand there are drag and non drag models and direct wind (1:1) and geared options. Do you have a preference for one configuration or is it situation dependent? @Rebel what sort of line rating do the rods have and what mono are you using?

@Little_Flatty thanks for your input. I quite like the rod but feel the reel and mainline would be better suited on a bigger rod. I tried a 3000 in store (I think it was a shimano) and the balance still seemed fine. Is there a reason people are recommending 20lb mainline for bream and whiting. Having fished for them in estuaries and only using 6/8lb mainline 20 sounds excessive. Perhaps due to the beach conditions. I have no real interest in sharks/rays and mostly target stuff for the pot (whiting,bream, flathead, tailor & salmon). I might give the rocks a crack some day and try and land a black drummer but I’d imagine between the two beach rigs I am envisioning I will have something suitable.

Thanks to everyone who has responded, it’s given me a bit to think about. Having used primarily shorter rods previously I guess the bigger surf rods are still a bit alien to me. @Green Hornet I have read plenty of accounts of people preferring the Alvey for surf and that’s why I persisted with it for so long, thinking I’d finally understand what they were talking about. But after getting the spinning reel I just found myself having a much easier and enjoyable time. I read about recommended rigs and ways to reduce twist but always found it to be a bit of a PITA. I think the spoken benefits the Alvey provides are probably a bit lost on me as I’m still only an amateur and probably not identifying the subtleties in bite detection. I also have had great success using gang hooks on a running sinker rig (when targeting tailor and salmon). Correct me if I’m wrong but with an Alvey it is crucial to have a swivel above your tackle so if I use a running sinker the sinker’s travel will be impeded by that swivel. @slothparadethanks for the suggestions, sounds like the way I might be headed. One question regarding the larger reels (8000-10000). If I’m only using 20-30lb mainline would you recommend using a heavy mono backing? I can’t imagine filling the whole spool with braid would be cost effective given the capacity for the 9500ssm in 50lb braid is 700 yards!

Hey Isaac, Sounds like you’ve worked out exactly what you need. I still think I’d like to have a couple of rods for the beach. I don’t imagine casting slugs for any length of time with a 12+ foot rod would be much fun. My main concern at the moment is whether the 5000 size reel is going to work with a longer rod. The Penn is 19.6oz according to the website so not exactly lightweight for class. The 5000 Saragosa by comparison is only 16oz. The few rods I saw in store seemed to be very tip heavy with my 5000 on it so it maybe that I’ll need a larger reel to balance the outfit better.

Hi All, I’m Canberra based. In the last couple of years I’ve been doing some surf fishing on the NSW South Coast and have been really enjoying it. I started with a 600 sized Alvey that I pinched from Dad’s shed and bought an Alvey light surf rod to put it on. After a couple of trips I bought a spinning reel (Penn Fierce 3 5000) and a 10’6” Penn Prevail II 5-10kg (cast weight 15-60g) which is loaded with 20lb braid at the recommendation of the local fishing shop guru after telling him I wanted something to use to cast slugs for salmon as well slinging light to moderate baits. I’ve grown tired of the Alvey’s slow retrieval rate and constantly trying to manage line twist. I am thinking of buying another spinning rod - something a bit bigger (maybe around 12ft). My current thoughts were to remove the 5000 reel from the 10’6” rod and put it on said bigger rod and buy a new reel around the 3000 size for the 10’6” and rig it light for slinging light baits for whiting an bream and my 20-30g slugs when the salmon are schooling. I tried a couple of 12-13ft rods in the store with my 5000 but they seem to be very tip heavy. Is it likely that I will find something that balances with my 5000 without spending a fortune ($400+) or do they generally require a larger reel? Considering the largest fish species I will be targeting will be salmon & tailor I don’t see the need for a much larger reel as at this stage I can’t envision having to use much more than 20-30pound mainline. The main consideration for the bigger rod was for getting pilchards out in the strike zone with heavy sinkers (3-4oz) as well as keeping my line nice and high. I’ve been a little hesitant to throw sinkers heavier than about 55g with the 10’6 rod, which means sometimes I’m not quite getting the desired distance but not sure if I’m being too precious. I’m only an amateur so could have this all wrong. Sorry for the word vomit and thanks in advance.