PDA

View Full Version : Alvey reels for Toona



Jack_Lives_Here
01-03-2002, 08:46 AM
Was reading an earlier post on the Alvey fly reels and pretty much convinced myself to buy one - support Aussie made and all that good stuff. ;D They seem to hold plenty of backing for those long runs of pelagics. Probably go for 30lb Bionic as backing and a 10 weight forward floating fly line. Haven't crossed the leader / tippet bridge yet but I'd also use it for the barra etc fishing the drains up north - maybe 30lb staright off the fly line and step up or down as needed. :-/

Anyone using them for tuna and other speedsters ??? ??? Be keen to know if the drag is gunna hold up.

All the best
Jack

Brett_Finger
01-03-2002, 10:45 AM
Jack,
a mate of mine has one that he regulary uses on toona and has no worries about the drag, the reel holds plenty of backing and is very strong. it will be fine for barra as well.
Hookin,Brett

Wesley_Pang
01-03-2002, 04:01 PM
I'd go for 50lb Bionic Braid for backing instead of the 30lb. 50lb can handle abrasion better and give you room to play with when you use heavy tippets(if you are using 30lb you are asking for trouble, you want the tippet to be the weak point, the flylines are about 35lb breaking strain). Can be very expensive if your backing break and you loose a whole flyline. I use 50lb on all my saltwater gear from 7# to 15#.

If you want to save some money you can use about 100m 30lb Dacron under the 300m(that should be enough) 50lb Bionic. That may be a cheaper option than 500m of 50lb Bionic.

I'd also go for a intermediate line rather than a floating flyline. Intermediate sink a little beneath the chop and waves. Intermediates cast better because they are thinner. Some guys are now letting there intermedaites sink for some 20-30 seconds and not retrieving, and picking up tuna that are clean up after smashing up a bait school.

Floating lines are only usefully to learn on, or tossing poppers and fishing very shallow water.

I hope to get into some tuna this weekend. I got the new Scientific Angler striper intermediate to try out. I've been through a few of the old striper flylines, the running line is so thin and get roughed up and starts tangling.

Wes

Maxg
23-03-2002, 12:24 PM
I think Alvey reels are about the best value things on the market, but they are a wee bit heavy for a 10#. In todays technology what line you use depends on the head length and it relates to the DT standard and the actual amount of line required to fully load a fly rod. Anyway it works out that if you use a fly line with a 40/45 foot head use a line 1 weight up on the rod, like a 10 line on a 9 rod. If the head is around 30 feet use a line 2 weights up like a 10 line on an 8 rod.
Of course this is based on the theory that in the salt chuck you do not do a lot of false casting, need speedy presentations and cut false casting to just one backcast. This will load the rod fully.
Anyway because you talk of 10 weight lines, it's a good bet it will have a short head and the rod should be 8 weight. Too light for an Alvey.
My personal views are this. Us a 10 weight rod, preferably a Temple Fork Outfitters, since its great gear, cheap by performance standards and light as a feather. Use a LC13 lead core, full length 12 weight load, just what you need, because you can vary the retrieve style to suit the conditions, and you can pull a lead core in rapidly just under the surface or let it sink deep. Its thin, casts like a rocket and goody goody is very cheap. Which is the best part doncha think.
Use 30 BB as backing, breaks at 36lb, use a stuffed up running line, the BB stuffed up 15lb Gudebrod braided mono, also cheap but slick as KY jelly, no stretch, no knots, has the advantage that the whole system is 36lb, and it is not degraded by bad knot strength, runner crash problems, hinging problems and is absolutely great for LC's.
Use Mustad long shank circle hooks, the fish hooks itself, and if after tuna use little white bucktail tied in 3/0 hooks.
This is all modern stuff mate and you can use an Alvey with a 10 weight. In a pinch. I'd don't know what reel I would buy these days but I think if put a lot of money into an Orvis Odyssey +4. Best 10 weight reel on the planet. Drag is fabulous, it's 4 inches wide spool, takes 120 of 30 micron and 500 of 36BB plus 120 feet of stuffed running line. Not much point in getting LA types unless it is 4.5 inches in diameter, and reels made out of holes surrounded by aluminium are not the things to fill with GsP braid. The shartp edged holes, feel the things, cause fibre breakage. That my opinion, and I can tell you now it will draw the flies, most of which haven't tried it, or ever will. Max

Jack_Lives_Here
23-03-2002, 12:37 PM
Thanks Max,

Ended up putting 50lb BB wit an Orvis Intermediate clear line in 10wt. I didn't want to lock myself into just using it for tuna, because I would like to fish the flats etc when i travel north this Sept.
It seems to load the rod fine - Pacific Composites 9/10. Time will tell.
Thanks again for the input.

All the best
Dave

Maxg
23-03-2002, 01:34 PM
Dave, I would get an LC13 and hang it on a hunk of braided mono, like cortland 30lb, for a running line and give it a try. You might be suprised at what you can do with it. These LC13's are great in wind, thin heavy go a long way, sink like rockets but you can fish them at any depth you like. just a matter of when you start pulling. I don't use full lines, too expensive and you can lose them. LC13 15 buks at best.
Cheers max

shawn
02-04-2002, 05:11 PM
G'day Dave,
A mate of mine works at Alvey, he told me they tested the drag on the fly reels by putting the reel in a metal lathe.The drag was set to about 75% and the speed at 3000 rpm.It ran at this speed for 10 minutes. After the test the drag was checked and apart from a little discolouring on a couple of parts the drag was fine.
This is quicker than any fish will ever go,so I don't think you will have any problems with the drag when it comes to tuna.
cheers Shawn..... http://www.ausfish.com.au/chat/images/smilies/cwm7.gif

Jack_Lives_Here
03-05-2002, 07:35 AM
I gave the reel a work out on some Mac Tuna on Anzac day - works a treat. Just gotta get the hang of the rocking boat casting thing now.

Brett_Finger
03-05-2002, 02:47 PM
Good stuff Dave,
those Mac's have got a bit of go in then hey ??? :o
good luck with the wand mate,hope you enjoy it as much as i do,even if i am a on the L's still!!!
so many fish so little time :P
Hookin,Brett

Jack_Lives_Here
04-05-2002, 10:45 AM
Brett,

Was a total buzz and got it on a fly i tied me self too - double cool 8) 8)
Had 3 hook ups and landed one. I'm lookin' forward to tangling with one of them longtails that are poppin' up. I got me strategy worked out now - but murphys law prevails.

http://www.ausfish.com.au/chat/images/smilies/cwm2.gif