Longfish Posted December 21, 2013 Share Posted December 21, 2013 (edited) Hi guys, I have a long 12' very thin and light carbon 'avon' style rod from the UK, I guess if it was to be given an aus style line rating it would be about 2-4kg and will cast about a max of 1.5oz (optimum 0.5-1oz). It is an absolutely mint close gutter whiting rod...literally perfect, ultra-light weight, snappy actioned yet with a parabolic 'C' curve under load...due to the light weights I like to use with it I have recently been thinking about putting an alvey on it (always used to use centrepin reels in the UK as I find them much better than eggbeaters for keeping in contact with very light weights), however, the first eye is relatively small (3cm diameter) and is set quite close to the butt/reel seat (as you can imagine with this style of rod the reel seat is at the top of the long cork handle). I therefore would imagine that it would only be suitable with very narrow diameter alveys (the 4") models...as otherwise the narrow close eye would 'choke' the line too much during the side cast method (I always used the 'wallis' style cast in the UK but it would not be a good style for beach fishing...not enough range when needed) I am also a left hand winder and the only 4" alvey they make for a left hand winder is the '40B' or '40BXL' which are marketed as kids reels and are very plasticy...does anybody know of any other higher quality alveys that would suite my requirements...can I buy a right hand wind reel (like a 40A1S) and convert it to a left hand...if so how do i get hold of the parts needed? HELP!!! would love to get this sorted for a few beach sessions over the holidays! Edited December 21, 2013 by Longfish Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeoB Posted December 21, 2013 Share Posted December 21, 2013 G'day Most of the current thinking on guide placement is to use a much smaller guide as the stripper guide to in fact choke the line quickly off the spool, to reduce the spiralling effect of the line during casting. The problem you may have is with guide height, ie the hight of the guide of the blank. The best way to check is to load up the rod and do a few test casts, checking for line slapping against the blank. Sorry I can't be more help but I haven't built a rod for an alvey yet, so I haven't experimented with the idea yet. Cheers Leo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SMn Posted December 21, 2013 Share Posted December 21, 2013 Should handle 500 - 550 model Alvey and the blackfish models as well but trial would be essential before purchasing. My 500 and below models cast excellent on regular spinning rods, which I use off the kayak and for light fishing off a boat. All reels in these sizes can be bought left handed, just specify when ordering or you can get a conversion kit (changes the mounting plate etc) from Alvey. I have contacted Alvey numerous times, the last time was last week, via email and phone. They're more than happy to help and their after sales is superb! I was having problems locating parts for my 650GRBC, which is 20yrs old, they asked me to send the reel to them and they modified the backing plate for me free of charge (postage only)!!! I sent the reel on Friday last week they sent it back newly modded on the following Tuesday! Absolutely outstanding servive. If you're looking for change in fishing style that's still very effective and trouble free, then grab an Alvey and give them a go. I use them for all types of fishing, just love them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Longfish Posted December 21, 2013 Author Share Posted December 21, 2013 Thanks for the info guys...I actually did pick up a '40B' after work today... it was $25...cant argue with that, spooled it with 4kg lo-stretch and will give it a bash... if I like it on the rod I will get a better quality version... hopefully it will go alright... does feel a bit tacky though but what can you expect for $25! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SMn Posted December 21, 2013 Share Posted December 21, 2013 Thanks for the info guys...I actually did pick up a '40B' after work today... it was $25...cant argue with that, spooled it with 4kg lo-stretch and will give it a bash... if I like it on the rod I will get a better quality version... hopefully it will go alright... does feel a bit tacky though but what can you expect for $25! It might feel a bit tacky at first but you'll soon appreciate the simple and durable nature of the reel, I felt the same with my 45B reel until I scored some good fish with it. Check out the Alvey website for tips on casting and maintenance (which you'll never likely need to do). I'd like to hear how it casts if you get the opportunity to post about it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Longfish Posted December 21, 2013 Author Share Posted December 21, 2013 (edited) Cheers mate, I will be out around the northern beaches at dawn on christmas eve so will let you know how it goes...the 'plasticyness' does have its advantages though....the reel is light as a feather...just noticed of their website that the 40A1S with the higher build quality aslo weights virtually twice as much! Edited December 21, 2013 by Longfish Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SMn Posted December 21, 2013 Share Posted December 21, 2013 Yeah the 40A1 has a metal back and turn plate/side cast system. I think the 40A1 is a bit overkill on such a small reel, the 40B will be sturdy and last long enough. Keep in mind the retrieve rate will be fairly slow on the size 40 models, but you wont really notice it on short casts in the surf or in the estuary. A nice sized bream or whiting will feel like a really decent salmon and a good salmon on that reel will feel like a freight train, hahaha! Make sure the last piece of tackle in your rig towards the tip of the rod is a small swivel matched to your line (4kg and no more than 8kg, use only up to double the breaking strain of the line), crane or box type swivels are best for the beach but barrel or rollers are fine as well. Takes bit to get used to winding using your finger as a level guide, but after a session or two becomes second nature. Hope you hook into a few nice whiting for Christmas lunch! I have had luck on the whiting lately up on the Central Coast, beach worms are the key and fresh caught will see you absolutely clean up! Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Longfish Posted December 24, 2013 Author Share Posted December 24, 2013 Went out at dawn today after the whiting, caught a few but nothing very big, swell was probably pumping a bit too much and then weed became an issue... loved the reel though... casts perfectly and gives me so much more feel and control than my fixed spools, really happy with it, cheers for all the help! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quochuy Posted December 24, 2013 Share Posted December 24, 2013 Once you get used to it you will not look back at other reels. The only think is line twist handling. Need good swivels. I'm planning to get a 45BC for the kayak Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Longfish Posted December 24, 2013 Author Share Posted December 24, 2013 Yeah they certainly are nice to use, I don't think they will ever replace my overheads for distance work however, hard to beat an overhead and the pendulum style cast for out and out distance... or for when heavy leads and big baits are required... but they certainly beat the fixed spool when a more sensitive approach is required at short range, not that I have really had to do any long distance casting since leaving the UK and moving to Oz... probably wouldn't remember how to use my big UK beach rods and overhead reels now! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quochuy Posted December 24, 2013 Share Posted December 24, 2013 Not sure about long cast on the smaller reels but on big alvey reels there is no problem doing a pendulum cast and go long distance. Not that I'm a pendulum cast expert but did see some people doing so. And I believe alvey have won several long cast competitions too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Longfish Posted December 24, 2013 Author Share Posted December 24, 2013 I am sure the big ones go well, the advantage of the overhead however is that the line comes of the reel straight, this eliminates a lot of the friction of the line slapping on the inside of the first eye... slowing the lead less... having said that in reality on the beach with wind and bait it probably makes little difference, however all the serious tournament casters in the UK use magnetically braked overheads (or multipliers as we call them, lots of different names for the same things in both countries!) to achieve 300yrd plus casts! So they must be onto something! Can't wait to get out and use my little alvey again though... at the price I might buy a couple more as spare 'bring a mate' reels... they will eliminate the issues of my rookie friends that like to come with me from time to time dropping my nice rareniums and stradics in the sand and surf! I took a mate fishing the other day, briefed him extensively on what not to do to the reel (I had lent him a new stradic), I turn around to find him unhooking a whiting with the butt of the rod on the sand, every time a wave came in the spray kicking off the but was drenching the reel (it was a short butt spin stick), so I shouted at him 'watch that reel in the salt mate.' he says ok so I go back to watching my rod tip, I look back 10 seconds later to find him washing the reel in the surf! I shout 'mate, what the hell are you doing?' he says that I just told him to 'wash that reel in the salt'...idiot! Right after I had spent about twenty minutes in the car park explaining to him exactly why the reel can't be put in the sand or the salt... in one ear and out the other, what can you do! Rest of the afternoon spent stripping it down, cleaning and regreasing. He did catch a whiting that went nearly 40cm though and was thrilled... every cloud and all that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luderick -angler Posted December 25, 2013 Share Posted December 25, 2013 You know what would suit it well but pricey a ray Walton rolling pin from j w young I have a Bruce and walker hexagrams 1lb test and it's a demon rod on luderick bream and whiting! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SMn Posted December 25, 2013 Share Posted December 25, 2013 I am sure the big ones go well, the advantage of the overhead however is that the line comes of the reel straight, this eliminates a lot of the friction of the line slapping on the inside of the first eye... slowing the lead less... having said that in reality on the beach with wind and bait it probably makes little difference, however all the serious tournament casters in the UK use magnetically braked overheads (or multipliers as we call them, lots of different names for the same things in both countries!) to achieve 300yrd plus casts! So they must be onto something! Can't wait to get out and use my little alvey again though... at the price I might buy a couple more as spare 'bring a mate' reels... they will eliminate the issues of my rookie friends that like to come with me from time to time dropping my nice rareniums and stradics in the sand and surf! I took a mate fishing the other day, briefed him extensively on what not to do to the reel (I had lent him a new stradic), I turn around to find him unhooking a whiting with the butt of the rod on the sand, every time a wave came in the spray kicking off the but was drenching the reel (it was a short butt spin stick), so I shouted at him 'watch that reel in the salt mate.' he says ok so I go back to watching my rod tip, I look back 10 seconds later to find him washing the reel in the surf! I shout 'mate, what the hell are you doing?' he says that I just told him to 'wash that reel in the salt'...idiot! Right after I had spent about twenty minutes in the car park explaining to him exactly why the reel can't be put in the sand or the salt... in one ear and out the other, what can you do! Rest of the afternoon spent stripping it down, cleaning and regreasing. He did catch a whiting that went nearly 40cm though and was thrilled... every cloud and all that. That's other advantage with the Alveys, they love a bit of sand and a dunk in the surf. Glad you enjoyed the reel, hope you hook a few more fish on it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Longfish Posted December 25, 2013 Author Share Posted December 25, 2013 (edited) You know what would suit it well but pricey a ray Walton rolling pin from j w young I have a Bruce and walker hexagrams 1lb test and it's a demon rod on luderick bream and whiting! I did think about the rolling pin... but very pricey for the salt...I did bring a few of my centrepin reels over with me that will go well for blackish, a couple of j w youngs, an allcocks match aerial... a Fred crouch remake of a wide drummed aerial, and even an old speedia wide drum deluxe... but no side casters. I used to do a lot of barbel fishing in the Uk, even met ray Walton once (I think it was him anyway), which is what the rolling pin was made for... but I remember reading some reviews on the barbel fishing website I used to frequent about the side cast mechanism going lose and you ended up with a wobbly reel, not great for the best part of 300 quid! Mate those Bruce and walker cane rods are classics... people pay big money for those back home... so keep it safe on the rocks! (my rod is also a 1lb test curve... lovely in those close gutters! I also have a 1 and three quarter test curve rod for slightly heavier work on bigger swells and longer casts, none of these rods have anything like the 'art' factor of a hexagraph though) This may be worth a new thread... to see how much pommy coarse fishing kit has managed to sneak down under! I even brought 4 of my 2 3/4lb test curve carp rods down with me as they are just so versatile. Edited December 25, 2013 by Longfish Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paikea Posted December 26, 2013 Share Posted December 26, 2013 This may be worth a new thread... to see how much pommy coarse fishing kit has managed to sneak down under! I even brought 4 of my 2 3/4lb test curve carp rods down with me as they are just so versatile. Sounds like a good idea, particularly the rigs used for coarse fishing and even info on ocean fishing with details of the kind of boats used, sea conditions (Fog?), how far the Poms travel to get to their fishing grounds etc. Cheers Paikea Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Longfish Posted December 29, 2013 Author Share Posted December 29, 2013 (edited) Liked using that little alvey 40B so much I bought a 'proper' one today as well...a little 45B...the difference in quality between the two is really quite distinct! But the 40B is made for kids after all, with the 45B being much more heavily engineered and more precisely made... but being a lot heavier in the hand as a result...I am sure I will manage the extra 100g however, if not I need to man the hell up! Edited December 29, 2013 by Longfish Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SMn Posted January 7, 2014 Share Posted January 7, 2014 I nailed some cracker flathead on the 45B over the last few days, they are ripper reels! managed about 20 over 3 days on 45B reel matched to the 450 Alvey rod. Released all (including the one in the pic) only kept enough for a feed each night. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockfisherman Posted January 7, 2014 Share Posted January 7, 2014 I nailed some cracker flathead on the 45B over the last few days, they are ripper reels! {style_image_url}/attachicon.gif 20140107_151202.jpg managed about 20 over 3 days on 45B reel matched to the 450 Alvey rod. Released all (including the one in the pic) only kept enough for a feed each night. Nice... What size leader were you using?If it's to good to be true, it usually is... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SMn Posted January 8, 2014 Share Posted January 8, 2014 Nice... What size leader were you using? If it's to good to be true, it usually is... Hi Fishingphase I was using 10lb fluruo for leader and 8lb mono on the reel, small gang hooks and mackerel fillet for bait. I'll post a report when I get the chance. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rockfisherman Posted January 8, 2014 Share Posted January 8, 2014 Cool If it's to good to be true, it usually is... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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