Alvey Reels is an institution… an icon of Australian industry… and in 2020 the Brisbane fishing reel manufacturer is celebrating 100 years of service to anglers.
Bruce and Glenn Alvey’s great grandfather was running a bicycle repair shop in the city, when he was asked to fix a fishing reel. In a lightbulb moment, he thought “I can do better than that,” and started the company out of a little tin shed at St Lucia.
Since then, four generations of Alveys have created efficient, reliable and simple-to-use side caster reels that are dear to the hearts of most fishing families.
“It’s the memories of the fishing, more than the reel,” says Glenn Alvey. “And because the reel’s not changing, generally a dad has the same reel for 20 or 30 years, and some people treat them like part of the family.”
Over the years, red cedar and silky oak may have made way for strong, light space-age materials, but an emphasis on quality and craftsmanship remains.
And as it moves into its next century, Alvey Reels is breaking the mold and debuting some special additions to its product lineup. That began with the Orbiter SR-60 spinning reel, that’s already in the hands of anglers, and getting positive reviews.
There’s also a limited anniversary edition cammo finish fly reel made from the carbon composites of the Stealth reel. Fresh out of the hands of test anglers in Texas, USA is a new overhead conventional reel that will be delivered some time before May 2020.
And in a Creek to Coast exclusive, we can reveal that Alvey will be launching a baitcaster before the end of the 2020 financial year. Talk about a 100th birthday bonanza! See the Alvey Reels website for all the specs.
