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Post 01 Apr 2020, 11:20 • #1 
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Joined: 12/02/11
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Location: US-AL
Bulldog, since you are "THE" reel expert, do you know anything about the old Alcedo spinning reels? I picked up a nice one at a sale and the only problem is that the bail is missing. I've seen photos of Alcedos with partial bails and complete bails but that's the extent of my knowledge. How would I go about replacing the missing bail???

Ralph


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Post 01 Apr 2020, 11:24 • #2 
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Joined: 08/10/05
Posts: 19077
Location: downtown Bulverde, Texas
check my coast fishing reports in Another spin, and my TIC outings in Fishing.
I'm heading to the river again today for a single Houston teacher driving one-way 3 hours to release a hundred rainbow fry.

Alcedos are great little reels with a tendency to bad and not-replaceable (impossible to find) bail springs - if you find a good bail spring, you have a great reel.
The modern equivalent is Tica Cetus SS500


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Post 01 Apr 2020, 11:41 • #3 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 04/20/07
Posts: 8920
Location: US-ME
viewtopic.php?f=4&t=1366&p=12956&hilit=Alcedo#p12956

The search function (upper right of the frame) will turn up several posts that touch on the mechanics of this classic UL spinning reel. Bail springs are the weak spot, needing frequent replacement. If yours is missing the entire bail, well, somebody probably got sick of fixing on it, stashed the bail away separated from the reel, and that was that.

I successfully fabricated bail springs from generic coil springs, but it's been so long I don't recall any details.

Quite likely your best hope would be several parts reels, if you can find even one with a good bail spring.


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Post 01 Apr 2020, 12:05 • #4 
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Joined: 12/02/11
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Location: US-AL
Ah Ha!!! Thanks guys, I sorta figured that might be the situation!!!


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Post 01 Apr 2020, 12:29 • #5 
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Location: downtown Bulverde, Texas
I have good photos to add to this thread, a VG+ example I owned and sold.
Image Image


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Post 01 Apr 2020, 14:31 • #6 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 07/11/14
Posts: 1784
Location: urban Colorado
I bought a custom-made Orvis bail spring from seller lmsteelhead on ebay. They also have custom Alcedo bail springs..
But I guess you still need to find the actual bail arm which will be tricky..


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Post 01 Apr 2020, 20:53 • #7 
Guide
Joined: 03/08/14
Posts: 243
Location: US-MO
Kid, I am making one bailess, make sure somebody didn't make yours a manual bail reel, it's the cool thing to do with those old reels, I'm fitting mine with a newer line roller with bearings, I might be able to provide you with a bail. Give me a day or so to see what I have.


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Post 01 Apr 2020, 21:22 • #8 
Glass Fanatic
Joined: 04/20/07
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Location: US-ME
Getting somewhere! Would enjoy hearing and seeing the outcome of both reels if the leads work out. For a fleeting moment I was even wishing I still had mine. Then I remembered all the bailspring fiddling I did with it and that was enough. Somebody else, I hope, is enjoying it.


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Post 01 Apr 2020, 21:46 • #9 
Sport
Joined: 10/17/14
Posts: 68
Location: US-PA
As Doug said, new springs are available on ebay, FWIW, Quick 110n springs can be coaxed into working, these reels are too good not to fish with

Tim


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Post 02 Apr 2020, 03:12 • #10 
Sport
Joined: 01/21/19
Posts: 25
Location: Sweden, Blekinge
The Micron is a really nice reel! And it is possible for a moderately handy person to home make the bail spring with piano wire. At least i succeded to make one, out of three attemts, that worked fine.

Not to hijack the thread, but I'd love to hear more about the Tica Cetus 500ss.

//Markus


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Post 02 Apr 2020, 06:17 • #11 
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Joined: 08/10/05
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Location: downtown Bulverde, Texas
Markus, there's a photo of the diminutive Cetus on this thread
Most people on this forum are probably tired of hearing me laud Japanese XUL rockfish rods, but have been fishing them 10 years since I bought a pair for my daughter and me to use salt pier/dock fishing.
My Cetus SS500 has been going that long, in the salt, and landing fairly big inshore-size seatrout (scienid, "speckled trout", "spotted weakfish").
On the trip thread I linked, landed a seatrout double, 17" and 19" on the little Cetus.
I have it spooled with 4-lb copolymer - the reel and spool capacity is pretty much a geometric duplicate of the Micron, 1-4-lb capacity.
For this niche, I've since been buying larger 1000-2000 size reels (for larger spool diameter line lay = max distance), but I've recommended Cetus 500 and 800 sizes to others, and all have been happy with the little reels.
Just a few weeks ago, a friend on Corpusfishing forum reported an upper slot redfish on his, 6-lb test - after most of an hour fight - big fish with shoulders - 28"
I remember landing one that size on my Penn 4200SS (modern 1000 size), 10-lb test, and it was Work.


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Post 02 Apr 2020, 08:58 • #12 
Master Guide
Joined: 04/15/06
Posts: 804
Location: Fayetteville, NC
Joe Robinson, author of Piscatorial Absurdities, would recommend doing without the bail to avoid introducing extra (troublesome) loops onto the spool, although I can't quite see the difference between going bail-less and simply closing the bail manually. On the Micron, you can do that by releasing the exposed latch. On some other reels, you can close the bail manually without releasing a latch. On still others, such as the Orvis 50A, the latch is partially blocked and hidden, making physically closing the bail all but impossible in use. One of my 50As that I got NIB has the parts for bail-less (manual) operation in the box. I recall that bail vs manual was a topic of concern in the early days of spinning, which explains some reels coming boxed with the parts to convert to manual operation.

When my Microns' bail springs die, I'll probably just convert one of them to manual operation for fishing and forego the search for replacement springs. If I had one that was already missing its bail arm but was otherwise useable, I'd just fish it as is.


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Post 02 Apr 2020, 10:53 • #13 
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Joined: 08/10/05
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Location: downtown Bulverde, Texas
If you manually close your bail, wind knots are never an issue, because you hand (and mind) are close to the spool.
Bail auto closures are anathema for several reasons, including the long-term wear the bail hammer causes on gearing contact surfaces.
Joe and I go way back - our wives worked together in the late 70s - he taught me dubbing loops next to the free beer washtub at Austin Angler...


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Post 02 Apr 2020, 16:17 • #14 
Sport
Joined: 01/21/19
Posts: 25
Location: Sweden, Blekinge
Thank you bulldog, seems to be worth a try. Is the spool diameter of the ss500 close to the Micron.
I've seen there's other Cetus 500: Gv, sb, lf, se. Do you know the differences.
Guess the bail can be closed manually.

I love the Micron, but i'd like to find a modern version.
//Markus


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Post 02 Apr 2020, 17:14 • #15 
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Location: downtown Bulverde, Texas
Markus, the differences will be in mix of bushings v. ball bearings - also metal v. plastic spool - the SS is the highest grade, and it's $45.
A really good Micron will cost 2-3 times that.
On any modern reel, manual bail closure is just good habit, and it won't be long the best reels won't have auto-bail, anyway.


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Post 03 Apr 2020, 13:02 • #16 
Guide
Joined: 03/08/14
Posts: 243
Location: US-MO
Sorry to get your hopes up Kid, I fixed the bail on my Alcedo, and am working on the bail on a Cargem. Too many things on my work bench. The rubber bail bumper was down to nothing on the Alcedo, got one off feebay for an Alcedo 2C and sanded it down to fit. A borrowed bail cut for a half bail on the Cargem does ok, but leaves something to be desired on line lay. I'm fitting a roller with bearings to try on it.


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Post 06 Apr 2020, 01:44 • #17 
Sport
Joined: 01/21/19
Posts: 25
Location: Sweden, Blekinge
bulldog1935 wrote:
Markus, the differences will be in mix of bushings v. ball bearings - also metal v. plastic spool - the SS is the highest grade, and it's $45.
A really good Micron will cost 2-3 times that.
On any modern reel, manual bail closure is just good habit, and it won't be long the best reels won't have auto-bail, anyway.


Great.
I pushed the botton and ordered a pair.


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Post 06 Apr 2020, 08:28 • #18 
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Joined: 08/10/05
Posts: 19077
Location: downtown Bulverde, Texas
cool - let us know what you think when you receive the reel(s).


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