RU4REEL Posted September 21, 2020 Share Posted September 21, 2020 Hi Fishraiders I have just acquired my first Alvey reel, thought I’d target the beach a bit more. I was just wondering. If anyone might be able to date these old reels? I’ve tried to find some information on these but there doesn’t seem to be much out there. Anyway, I am happy to own a nice piece of Aussie made gear. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kingie chaser Posted September 21, 2020 Share Posted September 21, 2020 (edited) Congrats, you now own a bit of Australian history Both @Green Hornet & @wazatherfisherman are the main Alvey historians here but I have used this site to do some of my research previously but its more about the older models. Still worth looking at though- https://australianfishingmuseum.com/alvey-2-2/ To add further, they started making reels from resigns & fibreglass from the early1970's & as the 650 A5 is fibreglass I would guess & say its a 70's/80's reel? In the early 90's they started moving to Graphite. Some info in available on their website. https://alvey.com.au/about/ Edited September 21, 2020 by kingie chaser 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Green Hornet Posted September 21, 2020 Share Posted September 21, 2020 The yellow, fibreglass spools of the A5 series first came out in the late 70's, if I recall correctly. They were phased out mid to late 80's with the injection moulded spools. Although the A5's are relatively heavy, they're as tough as nails and will last forever with minimal maintenance. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RU4REEL Posted September 21, 2020 Author Share Posted September 21, 2020 Thank you for the replies, looks like I’ve got a reel that’s as old as I am! Can’t wait to mount it on my Gary Howard Chopper special and crush those Tailor! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kingie chaser Posted September 21, 2020 Share Posted September 21, 2020 1 hour ago, RU4REEL said: Thank you for the replies, looks like I’ve got a reel that’s as old as I am! Why stop there, join the club & start a collection from the 20's up 😄 Good luck with it, hope it gets you some. The good thing to know is it will last forever. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Green Hornet Posted September 21, 2020 Share Posted September 21, 2020 1 hour ago, RU4REEL said: Thank you for the replies, looks like I’ve got a reel that’s as old as I am! Can’t wait to mount it on my Gary Howard Chopper special and crush those Tailor! Great combo you've got there. These days I'm using a 650A Runchaser, basically the same reel as yours but with a lighter spool and a Gary Howard Surf Classic. Gary makes a lovely rod. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wazatherfisherman Posted September 21, 2020 Share Posted September 21, 2020 Hi RU4REEL as the boys said above 70's made and will last a lifetime. Great to see you went with the non-drag A5 model- there's nothing like fighting a fish on the plain series with "direct" contact. You learn much from using drag-less reels and positive contact is invaluable when landing large fish. Don't forget if you get any sand in it while fishing, just give it a dunk in the surf and a shake to get the sand out- good to go again straight away! Put any other reel in the water and it's on it's "death-bed"! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RU4REEL Posted September 21, 2020 Author Share Posted September 21, 2020 Thank you wazathefisherman, it certainly is a well made reel. I’m going to pair it with a Gary Howard rod, hopefully I will get the feel for it. I’m happy to have a piece of nostalgia 🙂 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wazatherfisherman Posted September 21, 2020 Share Posted September 21, 2020 2 hours ago, RU4REEL said: Thank you wazathefisherman, it certainly is a well made reel. I’m going to pair it with a Gary Howard rod, hopefully I will get the feel for it. I’m happy to have a piece of nostalgia 🙂 Just as a bit of trivia- there are probably more 6+half inch Alvey's used on the beach (and rocks!) than any other brand of reel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jaymanner Posted September 24, 2020 Share Posted September 24, 2020 I’m using a green 650a with 12 ft rod. its a nice bit of kit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RU4REEL Posted September 24, 2020 Author Share Posted September 24, 2020 I can’t wait to put my Alvey on a Gary Howard 12ft surf rod. I’ll post an update 👍 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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