Alvey Reels And Rods

[landbased]

Hi I always wanted to use an alvey reel but never ahd the chance untill yesterday when I bought a package with reel and rod both from said manufacturer.

I just want to know if there is a special way to cast them as I tried yesterday but found my fingers got in the way It is not a beach setup tho its an estury one with &' rod and 500 size reel. any tips appreciated.

[davebrewer]

I turn the reel then hold the back of it and the rod with my fingers (left hand) and hold the front lip and the line on to it with my thumb;as you cast,release with your thumb.I could never get the hang of using my finger to hold the line on the spool either.Hope this helps,

Dave.

Edited October 12, 2007 by Dave B

[kenmare]

Hi landbased,

The most important thing to appreciate with an Alvey sidecast reel is that, because you swivel the reel spool sideways to cast and then wind the line back on with it straight, then everytime you cast out and wind back in you put twist in the line. So potentially you can end up with heaps of twisted, tangly line on your reel.

Fear not however, any problems can be avoided completely by ensuring you always have a swivel about half a metre to a metre above your terminal tackle (baited hook and sinker), so the twist can work itself out. To be most effective the swivel should be the smallest you can sensibly use with the breaking strain of the line.

And, as with a threadline reel, it's important to have the correct amount of line on the reel: too much and you will get tangles, insufficient and you'll restrict your casts.

It's possible, however, to cast light rigs much further with an Alvey than with a threadline due to the Alvey having a larger diameter spool . And line is much easier to control, as it falls naturally under your index finger; much better than having to chase it around a threadline reel spool. Love Alveys.

Regards,

Bob

[stricko4]

Landbase,

I bought an Alvey a short while ago & an still learning how to cast the bugger but I had a DVD come with mine which showed the prefered method for casting. I was most helpful. I think that same DVD is available for viewing on the Alvey US web site. http://www.alveyusa.com/ That is the url. Good luck

Paul

[landbased]

thanks for the info guys

[hottyscotty]

when returning the spool, always palm the line from underneath the spool. if you stop the line anywhere else, the line will keep coming off and causes tangles. when trying to fix those tangles, your terminal tackle will sink and get snagged. also the most important part to preventing birds nest is keep tension on the line.

just go anywhere and whack a big sinker and practice. i did it in a park and got the hang of it in a few casts. you'll get laughed at though. i got comments like "theres no fish here". i wonder how much flack those distance casters get?