Allcocks Match Aerial user.

[Robbi]

Recently won and now received a rather beaten up and modified Match Aerial from a well known auction site.

I think I took a bit of a risk, but happily I think it has paid off.

As you can see from the pictures, it has a home made line guard fitted, with numerous additional holes drilled and tapped around the rim of the reel, not sure what these are for, at first I thought they were for adjusting the line guard position but they're not.....weird. ( maybe they were a first attempt at a line guard but they are in the wrong position for left hand wind )

The original ratchet lever / knob has obviously broken and a rather strange looking "long" lever has been fitted, this actually works really well enabling the ratchet to be operated with the second finger of the hand holding the rod without having to change hands.......ingenious

With a bit of a clean, a fettle and some oil it spins without a wobble for ages and the ratchet works perfectly

I already have the beautifully refurbished Match Aerial by SAJ, (viewtopic.php?f=279&t=18303&p=250422#p250422 ) that quite honestly I'm feared to use so this is a beaten up user that I won't be afraid to sling in a pocket for a day bank side.

I'm very happy with it

[Dave Burr]

It certainly has character As a 'user' reel you can't go wrong - well done

[Match Aerial]

Yes its had a line guard fitted to the rim its was very popular and much used by john Wilson. The lay out is printed in a few of john wilsons books mate .

[Rod]

I bought one of these of these off Wallys Cast, some time back, and just kept looking at it, then my weeks holiday came round, so I thought, go on take a chance and use it. The first fish was a nice Carp, but the last fish was one I will remember till I die.



I have been catching Tench for over 55 years, and love them to bits, but they have never topped about 2 or 3 pound, this one was twice the size of any I have caught before, and it was a dream to play on a Chapman 500, a home made float and WC;s slightly modified Match Aerial, in that the ratchet switch has been replaced by a lovely little lever, so it seems this mod is not that unusual.
Oh by the way, I went on holiday last week, and only had one little shower all week, not the deluge that we have had this week.

[Match Aerial]

Found a picture for yer

[Robbi]

Thanks for that.

Yes, that might go some way to explaining it but these holes are tapped / threaded

[Nobby]

That ratchet lever is marvellous! What is it made from?...a resin casting?? They should all have had one of those.

[Albert47]

Thanks for that.

Yes, that might go some way to explaining it but these holes are tapped / threaded

The holes were drilled and tapped to to take a line guard.The line guard (home made) was normally made from thin perspex,aluminium copper or brass. These materials were easily bent to the shape of the reel and cut to the width of the drum.Once fitted,you fished with the line coming off the top of the reel.You cold make a guard in two pieces to fish with line coming of the bottom of the reel.

[Wallys-Cast]

Robbi,
I've made line guards for a few Match Aerials and mounted them the same way. The only thing with the Match Aerial is the back plate side wall is quite thin and therefore threads are easily stripped if overtightening the fixing screws, I wonder if this has happened on yours and the lineguard has since been discarded and the new one fitted. I added half nuts the inside of mine to prevent this happening.
A couple of pics below.

Wal.




Note half nuts inside for added strength.

Also note Trudex/Rapidex type check lever for easy one handed operation.

[Robbo]

I saw that reel on the auction site. Did't need any more user aerial's. One of the one's I have also has a broken check lever.
I glued on a 1& 1/4" circular rubber pad on to the small hex head, works great.
All the best with the reel, they really are great. Using an old knocked about one just means you wont cry if you damage it a bit more.