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JW Young Seldex centrepin

Steve Lewis

Senior Member
I'm not in the market for one, just curious (hence asking here rather than the tackle sub-forum) - during my search for a Rapidex 2 (which our very own Mike Window has sorted me out with - thanks again Mike) the Seldex and Seldex 2 kept popping up (along with the more familiar Trudex, of course) and it occurred to me that, until my recent hunt for a Rapidex 2, I had never even heard of the Seldex before, which surprised me as I've kept a keen eye on 'pins for years, even during my extended hiatus from fishing.

So who and what discipline was the Seldex aimed at?
 
It is a heavier duty pin for barbel and carp fishing. The drum is wider than the Trudex / Speedex.
 
Have a look at the J W Yonngs site it lists all the Youngs reels and their uses. It says the Seldex was designed for Salmon and Pike. Its open spool diameter is smaller than the Rapidex and Trudex which means more line capacity but each turn of the handle brings in a lot less line.
 
Yes, line retrieval on a Seldex is likely to be slow. I had a Allcocks Aerial C815 model that had a similarly deep depth to the spool and winding in was a RPTIA. Luckily, I had the cork arbors which helped to shallow up the spool. Nevertheless, I sold the reel on as I just didn’t much like it.

I was wondering for a minute if arbors could be made for a seldex, but as it has a circular machined spool, as opposed to a traditionally constructed one, the arbors would need to be a very tight fit to avoid them slipping on the drum. I suppose one advantage of the machined drum though is that at least the line won’t “50 pence” on the line lays, as it can on, say, a Speedia.

The Speedia, incidentally, can be improved somewhat by the addition of 3D printed arbors. I’ve managed to get a set for all three of mine now and they’ve turned what was very good reels into faultlessly brilliant little reels.
 
Arbors. Isn't where they keep boats?

What's wrong with string or some woollen yarn to build up the spool diameter? Once the spool is full the retrieve rate will be no different to a Trudex.
 
Arbors. Isn't where they keep boats?

What's wrong with string or some woollen yarn to build up the spool diameter? Once the spool is full the retrieve rate will be no different to a Trudex.
Nothing “wrong” as such. The arbors are just better in that there’s less tendency for the line to bed in on the angle of the line lays. Improved Wallis casting, less resistance when trotting and faster line retrieved. Minimal differences, granted, but noticeable enough to me to warrant the addition of the arbors.
 
Given that the purpose of the Seldex is to offer greater line capacity then surely there will be no chance of the line bedding into the backing. A good Wallis Cast is hardly likely to take the line down that far. If you need to arbour up to that extent then you have to question why choose a Seldex over a Trudex.
 
Nothing “wrong” as such. The arbors are just better in that there’s less tendency for the line to bed in on the angle of the line lays. Improved Wallis casting, less resistance when trotting and faster line retrieved. Minimal differences, granted, but noticeable enough to me to warrant the addition of the arbors.

Where could you get those from Haydn, if you don't mind me asking
 
Might be harder to get some now Mark. I was lucky in that a couple of friends printed some up a few years ago. I have two wides and 1 narrow and managed to get all three sorted out. As far as I know, the 3Dplans are out there somewhere on the net so if you know of anyone with a 3D printer then it might be possible to get some printed up. They lock together nicely each side of the drum and they come just a few thou over sized in width. They require a minute or so sanding the sides down ( I did mine on a sheet or P240 silicon carbide roll, layed on a sheet of glass) in order to get them into the drum a nice tight fit, so the line cannot slip down the sides.
 
And the wide drum version....

 
If you need to arbour up to that extent then you have to question why choose a Seldex over a Trudex.
There might be many reasons for choosing one reel over another - such as availability, price, location, etc, etc. Either way, I don't think it's one of life's bigger questions, is it?
 
There might be many reasons for choosing one reel over another - such as availability, price, location, etc, etc. Either way, I don't think it's one of life's bigger questions, is it?
It is a valid consideration given the context of the issue of having to build up the diameter of a spool that has been designed to offer a greater line capacity over an almost identical model that is cheaper and easier to find.
 
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