All things Alvey
kingiFiddler
says:
Whatever follows, now or at any stage in the future, we can all blame itsaboat for the final nudge that sent me on this neat Alvey journey of discovery. In short order I went from thinking Alveys were just an old, redundant brand the grumpy old surfcasters and rock-hoppers used to owning five of them.
My first and still my favourite is an old, cheap model bought off facebook. The seller wanted $10 for it, didn't have change for $20, and I still got a whopper of a bargain. It's a 520, direct-wind bakelite model.
Here's ugly Betty, AKA anti-slammer 1, henceforth known as AS1:
Another of the same model, used, but with a fibreglass spool came up for sale and I grabbed that too for about $30, IIRC. At those prices two means one can be a donor if need be.
There are three bought-new Alveys to round out the famous five, but realising I may have overcooked the purchases, I have already sold one of the new, unused models.
One of the two remaining bought-new models is one of their cheapest, which I've been using to catch livebait, for a few months now. There are thoughts of trying to target a kingfish with it, just for fun, but that challenge is a bit further down the to-do list.
The second of the remaining new Alveys, a 50C model, was bought with a project in mind. That being to see if I could work it up to being suitable (as much as such a lunatic idea can be) for chasing marlin. After too many hours down that rabbit hole I have abandoned the project and returned the reel to its as-new, unused configuration. They've designed it to be perfect for their target use, which I see as kahawhai, trevally, snapper and kingfish. But there's just not enough room left in the engineering capabilities to turn it into a marlin reel and when I tried to push its limits it failed and I had to buy a new friction tube off Alvey to get it all back to as new, unused condition. So, I'll be selling that reel off ASAP (-hint for Mark, now's good).
The last few months livebaiting with AS1 has been the most fun I've ever had fighting fish. It's been very refreshing to learn new skills like palming a reel. This is necessary on kingfish and sharks especially, because this reel only had about 2kgs of drag.
I write "had" because it is such a good reel I thought why not try to upgrade it to see if it would become a marlin reel. The crazy dream of an Alvey marlin just got crazier because it looks like AS1 is going to 'handle the jandle' as we say here. With $15 in parts and $40 of TIG welding, AS1 is now up to just under 7kgs drag. I've still got some final lapping to do which I hope will bring it to 7kgs at full spool.
Having burned my gloved hand palming during a shark fight recently, I knew it needed to have more drag and I've also bought but have yet to try, heat-proof gloves that those with pizza ovens use, rated to 500°C.
What I didn't need is the clicker. So, that came out to make some room for a washer:
This washer is needed because the backing plate is dished, not flat. So I lapped a washer flat and had it tacked in to stop it spinning.
Given there's no clicker, I machined the gear/teeth for the clicker off the end of the spool so I had room and a nice flat for the corresponding washer on the spool. But how to fix a washer into notoriously fragile and fickle bakelite, so it doesn't spin? Found a threaded pipe end that when cut fits perfectly over the spokes of the spool and with a bit of filing of the inside, snugs up nicely against the bakelite of the spool:
So, that's the inner drag washer done. Onto the outer/front/top drag washer. This was easy. Just find a matching washer, lap it flat, and have a spacer nut TIG-ed on so my fingers can still get between the legs of the star drag adjuster:
While we are TIG-ing I may as well deal to something that could be a potential problem. With the reel full and the wind-on leader wound on when leadering a (hopefully big) fish, there may be enough rod bend under those loads for the leader to rub against the rivets that hold the rod seat part to the body of the reel, so I had that stitched and will remove the rivets. They also corrode a tiny amount and while it's just a patina, I don't like it on an otherwise stainless steel reel body:
So, while I've yet to do a final lap with some compound that's coming tomorrow, it is just under 7kgs of drag, using carbontex washers. By the time the washers are lapped and seated fully, and a big critter has screamed 200m off the spool, I suspect the drag it'll be experiencing is likely to be approaching double digits. My hand wins a reprieve.
There is certainly scope to make the inner and outer washers bigger for more drag, but I'm pretty happy with where it's at so far. It feels super smooth, no high-spots anywhere. So, the final test will be on a reasonable shark sometime ASAP. If the reel and myself come through that unscathed, I'll be selling my new, unused, Penn Fathom 40N 2-speed lever drag reel.
Lets see what this once $20 and now $75 Alvey reel is capable of.
Before the mods, it has landed a snapper over 20lbs, a near 2m bronzie, and this second-place getter (in a local comp here) kingi:
If anyone reading this has suggestions on how to improve AS1, I'm all ears/eyes. There are bound to be a few Alvey vets who have a few tricks I hope they can share.
My first and still my favourite is an old, cheap model bought off facebook. The seller wanted $10 for it, didn't have change for $20, and I still got a whopper of a bargain. It's a 520, direct-wind bakelite model.
Here's ugly Betty, AKA anti-slammer 1, henceforth known as AS1:
Another of the same model, used, but with a fibreglass spool came up for sale and I grabbed that too for about $30, IIRC. At those prices two means one can be a donor if need be.
There are three bought-new Alveys to round out the famous five, but realising I may have overcooked the purchases, I have already sold one of the new, unused models.
One of the two remaining bought-new models is one of their cheapest, which I've been using to catch livebait, for a few months now. There are thoughts of trying to target a kingfish with it, just for fun, but that challenge is a bit further down the to-do list.
The second of the remaining new Alveys, a 50C model, was bought with a project in mind. That being to see if I could work it up to being suitable (as much as such a lunatic idea can be) for chasing marlin. After too many hours down that rabbit hole I have abandoned the project and returned the reel to its as-new, unused configuration. They've designed it to be perfect for their target use, which I see as kahawhai, trevally, snapper and kingfish. But there's just not enough room left in the engineering capabilities to turn it into a marlin reel and when I tried to push its limits it failed and I had to buy a new friction tube off Alvey to get it all back to as new, unused condition. So, I'll be selling that reel off ASAP (-hint for Mark, now's good).
The last few months livebaiting with AS1 has been the most fun I've ever had fighting fish. It's been very refreshing to learn new skills like palming a reel. This is necessary on kingfish and sharks especially, because this reel only had about 2kgs of drag.
I write "had" because it is such a good reel I thought why not try to upgrade it to see if it would become a marlin reel. The crazy dream of an Alvey marlin just got crazier because it looks like AS1 is going to 'handle the jandle' as we say here. With $15 in parts and $40 of TIG welding, AS1 is now up to just under 7kgs drag. I've still got some final lapping to do which I hope will bring it to 7kgs at full spool.
Having burned my gloved hand palming during a shark fight recently, I knew it needed to have more drag and I've also bought but have yet to try, heat-proof gloves that those with pizza ovens use, rated to 500°C.
What I didn't need is the clicker. So, that came out to make some room for a washer:
This washer is needed because the backing plate is dished, not flat. So I lapped a washer flat and had it tacked in to stop it spinning.
Given there's no clicker, I machined the gear/teeth for the clicker off the end of the spool so I had room and a nice flat for the corresponding washer on the spool. But how to fix a washer into notoriously fragile and fickle bakelite, so it doesn't spin? Found a threaded pipe end that when cut fits perfectly over the spokes of the spool and with a bit of filing of the inside, snugs up nicely against the bakelite of the spool:
So, that's the inner drag washer done. Onto the outer/front/top drag washer. This was easy. Just find a matching washer, lap it flat, and have a spacer nut TIG-ed on so my fingers can still get between the legs of the star drag adjuster:
While we are TIG-ing I may as well deal to something that could be a potential problem. With the reel full and the wind-on leader wound on when leadering a (hopefully big) fish, there may be enough rod bend under those loads for the leader to rub against the rivets that hold the rod seat part to the body of the reel, so I had that stitched and will remove the rivets. They also corrode a tiny amount and while it's just a patina, I don't like it on an otherwise stainless steel reel body:
So, while I've yet to do a final lap with some compound that's coming tomorrow, it is just under 7kgs of drag, using carbontex washers. By the time the washers are lapped and seated fully, and a big critter has screamed 200m off the spool, I suspect the drag it'll be experiencing is likely to be approaching double digits. My hand wins a reprieve.
There is certainly scope to make the inner and outer washers bigger for more drag, but I'm pretty happy with where it's at so far. It feels super smooth, no high-spots anywhere. So, the final test will be on a reasonable shark sometime ASAP. If the reel and myself come through that unscathed, I'll be selling my new, unused, Penn Fathom 40N 2-speed lever drag reel.
Lets see what this once $20 and now $75 Alvey reel is capable of.
Before the mods, it has landed a snapper over 20lbs, a near 2m bronzie, and this second-place getter (in a local comp here) kingi:
If anyone reading this has suggestions on how to improve AS1, I'm all ears/eyes. There are bound to be a few Alvey vets who have a few tricks I hope they can share.
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1 year ago
My first thought is use oil instead of grease. Or a very light, low tack grease.
A coil spring washer between the base plate and the spool might work.
A coil spring washer between the base plate and the spool might work.
Thinking about it some more I think I can solve the issue with the addition of a new part. It's coming over from Aussie in a few weeks, bringing my sister with it:
The bakelite trolling reel can stay on my game rod, permanently spooled and rigged for big critters, which is why the drag was modified in the first place :-)
The Alvey 50 I just bought is as close to the solid, simple and modifiable design of the bakelite trolling reel as I could find in their current range. But crucially, it has side cast so if in the future I decide to increase the drag (although as it's for kings mainly I don't think I'll need to go beyond carbon drag washers anyway) it won't matter if it no longer spins as freely. Freespool will be super-free by having it in cast position and run the line through my release clip. Doesn't get any freer than that when the clip releases. That's the plan anyway. Let's see if it works out in the real world.
The bakelite trolling reel can stay on my game rod, permanently spooled and rigged for big critters, which is why the drag was modified in the first place :-)
The Alvey 50 I just bought is as close to the solid, simple and modifiable design of the bakelite trolling reel as I could find in their current range. But crucially, it has side cast so if in the future I decide to increase the drag (although as it's for kings mainly I don't think I'll need to go beyond carbon drag washers anyway) it won't matter if it no longer spins as freely. Freespool will be super-free by having it in cast position and run the line through my release clip. Doesn't get any freer than that when the clip releases. That's the plan anyway. Let's see if it works out in the real world.
Ok, so I got the 50 model a wee while ago, have had it out on two shake-down missions to get a feel for it, and had a crack at modifying it today.
First, out goes the clicker as I don't use 'em and it makes way for a drag washer on the inside of the spool against the backing plate.
I found two possible BSP hex plugs to use as the washer that will sit on the end of the spool, cut to fit over the spokes. The 3/4" plug is a sloppy fit and would need to be packed out with epoxy or the like to keep it snug against the spool. But a 1/2" plug fits over the spool snugly but doesn't have any more surface area than that red felt washer that came from the factory. So I wasn't holding out much hope of much of an improvement in max drag (although will be smoother with no fade on a long fight, bc I use carbon washers) but it's a nice exercise to start with by trying that 1/2" plug first up.
Unlike the previous mods to AS1, where I had a washer tacked to the backing plate, to give a flat surface to mate another washer against, I decided to crown the end of the plug to match the dished backing plate. Here's a shot of how much dishing there is. It's not much but the plug head has to match this shape for best results.
Crudely crowned the plug head on my wet stone wheel and then cut slots in the threaded open end of the plug to fit snugly over the spokes of the spool. It's just a press fit but feels solid. Then I used diamond paste to mate the plug head with the backing plate, cut a new carbon washer with my new fancy double hole cutter thingy and put it all back together.
I did hope for more max drag but it only went from 2.8 to 3.2kgs. That said, there's almost no difference between the surface area of the hex plug head and the previous felt washer.
So that's stage one of the mods done.
There's enough room from the axle to the holes in the backing plate to get a bigger washer diameter in there. But unless I want to go to the hassle of getting someone to weld the optimal sized washer onto the head of the 1/2" hex plug , I think I'm stuck with the bigger, 3/4" plug as the only quick, easy option. It has a head that's almost as big as I can go before the washer will hit a hole or pin in the backing plate. Or perhaps someone knows of another off-the-shelf option that will fit as snugly as the 1/2" plug (about 16mm ID) but have a much bigger head? It'll be good to find an option not needing any welding, so it remains a quick, easy mod for anyone to do. Plus I can't weld thin stainless steel so have to take to someone to get it done.
I'll update once I've done stage two and we have a better idea of what the drag gets to.
*Edit*
I went back in and did a better job lapping it and got it to 3.8kg max drag. For an inshore reel which will still be palmed when needed, that's probably enough. Will take it for a few trips before doing anything else to it, and see how well it performs.
One thing to note about these max drag numbers is we are dealing with spools that are 5 or more inches in diameter, so a line exerts a fair bit of leverage on the spool, which limits that max drag figure. I always measure mine at full spool. However, as line empties off the spool the effective diameter drops and this, I suspect, has a significant impact on those drag figures. Moreso for these relatively large diameter spools than smaller spin or conventional reels.
There is 212m of 50lb hollow core braid on this reel. If I get time I'll check the drag when multiples of 50m of line are off the spool and I suspect the drag will increase markedly. Time will tell though.
On that note and out of curiosity, I'll do the same for AS1, which has about 600m of hollow core braid on it. It may be that the 10kg max drag at full spool increases a good amount when, say, 200m is off the spool.
Because of this and the extra resistance from so much line in the water, I've always backed the drag off when using conventional reels and a big fish rips heaps of line off. But it might be the adjustments need to be more with an Alvey, if the max drag increases markedly as the spool empties.
First, out goes the clicker as I don't use 'em and it makes way for a drag washer on the inside of the spool against the backing plate.
I found two possible BSP hex plugs to use as the washer that will sit on the end of the spool, cut to fit over the spokes. The 3/4" plug is a sloppy fit and would need to be packed out with epoxy or the like to keep it snug against the spool. But a 1/2" plug fits over the spool snugly but doesn't have any more surface area than that red felt washer that came from the factory. So I wasn't holding out much hope of much of an improvement in max drag (although will be smoother with no fade on a long fight, bc I use carbon washers) but it's a nice exercise to start with by trying that 1/2" plug first up.
Unlike the previous mods to AS1, where I had a washer tacked to the backing plate, to give a flat surface to mate another washer against, I decided to crown the end of the plug to match the dished backing plate. Here's a shot of how much dishing there is. It's not much but the plug head has to match this shape for best results.
Crudely crowned the plug head on my wet stone wheel and then cut slots in the threaded open end of the plug to fit snugly over the spokes of the spool. It's just a press fit but feels solid. Then I used diamond paste to mate the plug head with the backing plate, cut a new carbon washer with my new fancy double hole cutter thingy and put it all back together.
I did hope for more max drag but it only went from 2.8 to 3.2kgs. That said, there's almost no difference between the surface area of the hex plug head and the previous felt washer.
So that's stage one of the mods done.
There's enough room from the axle to the holes in the backing plate to get a bigger washer diameter in there. But unless I want to go to the hassle of getting someone to weld the optimal sized washer onto the head of the 1/2" hex plug , I think I'm stuck with the bigger, 3/4" plug as the only quick, easy option. It has a head that's almost as big as I can go before the washer will hit a hole or pin in the backing plate. Or perhaps someone knows of another off-the-shelf option that will fit as snugly as the 1/2" plug (about 16mm ID) but have a much bigger head? It'll be good to find an option not needing any welding, so it remains a quick, easy mod for anyone to do. Plus I can't weld thin stainless steel so have to take to someone to get it done.
I'll update once I've done stage two and we have a better idea of what the drag gets to.
*Edit*
I went back in and did a better job lapping it and got it to 3.8kg max drag. For an inshore reel which will still be palmed when needed, that's probably enough. Will take it for a few trips before doing anything else to it, and see how well it performs.
One thing to note about these max drag numbers is we are dealing with spools that are 5 or more inches in diameter, so a line exerts a fair bit of leverage on the spool, which limits that max drag figure. I always measure mine at full spool. However, as line empties off the spool the effective diameter drops and this, I suspect, has a significant impact on those drag figures. Moreso for these relatively large diameter spools than smaller spin or conventional reels.
There is 212m of 50lb hollow core braid on this reel. If I get time I'll check the drag when multiples of 50m of line are off the spool and I suspect the drag will increase markedly. Time will tell though.
On that note and out of curiosity, I'll do the same for AS1, which has about 600m of hollow core braid on it. It may be that the 10kg max drag at full spool increases a good amount when, say, 200m is off the spool.
Because of this and the extra resistance from so much line in the water, I've always backed the drag off when using conventional reels and a big fish rips heaps of line off. But it might be the adjustments need to be more with an Alvey, if the max drag increases markedly as the spool empties.
Checked drag with line out and not much increase.
4.5kg at 50m, 4.8kg at 100m, 3.7kg at 150m.
My not so trusty assistant decided her fingers were too sore to do the star drag up tight, so the experiment was abandoned at 150m.
That said, I'm now thinking the diameter probably changes less in percentage terms on an Alvey compared to a spools that are smaller to start with like on spin and overhead reels. so I may not back the drag off much when a big fish pulls heaps of string.
Got this image sent to me a few days ago. Motivational.
4.5kg at 50m, 4.8kg at 100m, 3.7kg at 150m.
My not so trusty assistant decided her fingers were too sore to do the star drag up tight, so the experiment was abandoned at 150m.
That said, I'm now thinking the diameter probably changes less in percentage terms on an Alvey compared to a spools that are smaller to start with like on spin and overhead reels. so I may not back the drag off much when a big fish pulls heaps of string.
Got this image sent to me a few days ago. Motivational.
Couldn't resist. Thought they were all wooden but only one of the four were. These three are bakelite/plastic, held together by dust reinforced grease, from what I can gather upon first look at them.
The wooden spool, brass backed model cleaned up well and went on my livebaiting rod. I want to honour this 60+ year old reel, and put a few doubters back in their boxes, by finding a kingfish for it before selling it to a collector. Any $ received over what I paid is going back to the good old bugger that sold it to me. It may be just coincidence but so far every old Alvey I have bought has been from a really cool fisho that is happy to see their reels going to someone that appreciates them.
Here's the reel:
Have caught a few fish on it but no kingfish yet. They are just turning up for summer so I expect to greet them any day now. Until then, here's a recent snapper on the old reel:
I think often when using this reel about how old it is, how many fish it must have seen and hopefully will continue to find, how capable it is for something so old (new reels really haven't advanced a great deal in all this time, despite the marketing hype), and how many reels have come and gone (to landfill) while this old Alvey just keeps on keepin on.
What a fantastic use of the Earths resources this old reel is. It has to be one of the most ecologically/environmentally and financially responsible fishing products made in the last century. Putting the modern reels and their planned, premature obsolescence to shame.
Sure, it's as heavy as a boat anchor in comparison to modern reels, but it's still capable.
Here's the reel:
Have caught a few fish on it but no kingfish yet. They are just turning up for summer so I expect to greet them any day now. Until then, here's a recent snapper on the old reel:
I think often when using this reel about how old it is, how many fish it must have seen and hopefully will continue to find, how capable it is for something so old (new reels really haven't advanced a great deal in all this time, despite the marketing hype), and how many reels have come and gone (to landfill) while this old Alvey just keeps on keepin on.
What a fantastic use of the Earths resources this old reel is. It has to be one of the most ecologically/environmentally and financially responsible fishing products made in the last century. Putting the modern reels and their planned, premature obsolescence to shame.
Sure, it's as heavy as a boat anchor in comparison to modern reels, but it's still capable.
Gotta give the old reel some respect. Over 60 years old and still nailing fish like this one today.
I'm loving the old Alveys.
I'm loving the old Alveys.
Hatched another plan this morning. I've a wee 4" Alvey bought new. It's the cheapest they make, a 40GDZ model, costing $54 on their website. It's been a perfect bait reel. Almost no drag but I don't need any for little fish - I just leave the clicker on and palm the reel if need be, which is seldom. The easy-cast mechanism isn't tight and the reel will sway around and occasionally flick into cast mode on bigger fish.
So, the latest plan is to test myself and see if I can manage the reel well enough to land a kingfish with it. It'll be quite a challenge and probably throw up a few teachable moments.
So, the latest plan is to test myself and see if I can manage the reel well enough to land a kingfish with it. It'll be quite a challenge and probably throw up a few teachable moments.
There is no embedded video. You have to use a link to Youtube or as you did Rumble, or some other 3rd party video host. Have to check with Mark, but I think the band width needed would be prohibitive. If I am not wrong, the "Youtube" icon in the edit bar will allow URL's from any video host.
I know Mark will cringe at the thought of a bath tub...So I wont mention a bath tub 😊 ... But ya gotta match the hatch. If they were not taking the livies, it means they are eating something else.
I still haven't found my little cheap Alvey. Of course it will be in the last place I look. Will post pics when I find it.
EDIT: Nope. Looks like Youtube only...
I know Mark will cringe at the thought of a bath tub...So I wont mention a bath tub 😊 ... But ya gotta match the hatch. If they were not taking the livies, it means they are eating something else.
I still haven't found my little cheap Alvey. Of course it will be in the last place I look. Will post pics when I find it.
EDIT: Nope. Looks like Youtube only...
Dear Diary (ha),
It's been a while but I've a few things to note.
It's been a while but I've a few things to note.
- The little kids plastic Alvey challenge has not gone to plan on account of the good kingfish evaporating. That said, wearing a glove has made a huge difference and I'm certain I can get er done when they turn up again. Have palmed the reel on rats, a few bigger snapper (16-18lb) and two sharks without issue with the glove on. Here's a wee clip of a good snapper from this mornings otherwise barren mission:
https://rumble.com/v46pyon-january-13-2024.html
And here's a still shot from the clip:
- Recall an image of a guy and his marlin I posted a wee while ago? Well, I just sold a 725C52 Alvey to him because after catching two marlin last year with his 925 Alvey, he wants to try a smaller model. I didn't realise it was him until he sent me that same image I posted above. I've offered to tweak the drag for him, so that'll be the next Alvey project. Will post some more info as I get into that one.
I mean it's in a packing box from moving. I just haven't finished unpacking yet...It has only been 4 years. Can't rush these things 😊
Is this the FB page?
You might have to "join group" before posting.
I just found this on their page. The little green one on the left with the single handle...That looks like it, but mine is blue.
I understand your efforts to contact them. But business does not work that way. So don't be disgruntled. I know it might sound like a good idea and great value. But they have to pay wages, get legal advice, draw up contracts. No business is going to make a deal with you based on a hand shake.
These companies have their own design and development employees. As such it all belongs to the company as it is all done in the "course of employment". Their use of your idea could cost them big, big money.
Even if they do look at your idea, which is a slim chance at best. There is no way they are going endorse their products be modified by the customer. Just the warranty issues could run into the millions of dollars.
I don't know, but they might consider you join (or contract to) their development team to explore the idea...But there is no way, ever, that they are going to endorse their product to be modified at home to catch a marlin.
Is this the FB page?
You might have to "join group" before posting.
I just found this on their page. The little green one on the left with the single handle...That looks like it, but mine is blue.
I understand your efforts to contact them. But business does not work that way. So don't be disgruntled. I know it might sound like a good idea and great value. But they have to pay wages, get legal advice, draw up contracts. No business is going to make a deal with you based on a hand shake.
These companies have their own design and development employees. As such it all belongs to the company as it is all done in the "course of employment". Their use of your idea could cost them big, big money.
Even if they do look at your idea, which is a slim chance at best. There is no way they are going endorse their products be modified by the customer. Just the warranty issues could run into the millions of dollars.
I don't know, but they might consider you join (or contract to) their development team to explore the idea...But there is no way, ever, that they are going to endorse their product to be modified at home to catch a marlin.
The little Alvey that could:
The challenge of a light-tackle King is ongoing because this one above isn't the big unit I'm after, but it has been a heap of fun trying so far. I started with 20b leader but lost a nice king at the kayak, a few more in the bricks, and lost so much line to sharks that when it came time to buy more I stepped it up to 25lb to give me just a wee bit more wriggle room when I'm trying to keep a king's head from turning back towards a line-snapping rock.
As it turns out, after a month or so on 20lb leader, the 25lb leader feels like I'm using rope and gives me as much confidence as it is possible to have with this gear in shallow foul ground, that I'm finally ready for the big units should one come along.
I've had people say even the king above is a good effort on a kidstix rod and an Alvey and I can't help but think they don't really understand how to fish either because there's actually no other combo I'd rather be using. The rod is perfect for my style of fishing. The reel is actually the most fun Alvey I've used. It wants to swing around into casting mode when a big fish runs, and it sways like a branch in a cyclone. Needs a fair bit of attention to stop either happening in a good fight, which is just the sort of challenge I like.
But the big units still remain elusive...
The challenge of a light-tackle King is ongoing because this one above isn't the big unit I'm after, but it has been a heap of fun trying so far. I started with 20b leader but lost a nice king at the kayak, a few more in the bricks, and lost so much line to sharks that when it came time to buy more I stepped it up to 25lb to give me just a wee bit more wriggle room when I'm trying to keep a king's head from turning back towards a line-snapping rock.
As it turns out, after a month or so on 20lb leader, the 25lb leader feels like I'm using rope and gives me as much confidence as it is possible to have with this gear in shallow foul ground, that I'm finally ready for the big units should one come along.
I've had people say even the king above is a good effort on a kidstix rod and an Alvey and I can't help but think they don't really understand how to fish either because there's actually no other combo I'd rather be using. The rod is perfect for my style of fishing. The reel is actually the most fun Alvey I've used. It wants to swing around into casting mode when a big fish runs, and it sways like a branch in a cyclone. Needs a fair bit of attention to stop either happening in a good fight, which is just the sort of challenge I like.
But the big units still remain elusive...
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