In 1925, James Dodd of South Brisbane patented the first side-cast fishing reel with a slipping clutch drag. These fishing reels were produced under the Celox and Velox brands. In the patent he referred to it as a “regulatable friction clutch mechanism”. In 1939 he made another successful patent application with Charles and Kenneth Alvey. This reel was marketed by Alvey as an Alvey Ace. The same patented drag system was later used in the Alvey Dual Ace sidecast fishing reels.
This article appeared in the Daily Standard Brisbane, 22nd of January 1927: “There has just appeared on the Brisbane market a novel fishing reel, the Velox, which has many unusual and ingenious features. It has been perfected after years of experiment and has already met with tremendous success in the South. In design and construction it is a radical departure from the ordinary thumb-checked wooden reel, being made throughout fibre, and culvanite. One point stressed by the makers is that there is no steel or iron whatever employed in its construction, therefore there is nothing about the reel to form rust. In spite of being made of metal it is actually lighter than any wooden reel of its size. Perhaps two of its most salient features are the adjustable head, an invaluable point as sooner or later all casting reels wear in the turntable, and also the clutch or breaking mechanism. By simply lightening with two fingers on a knurled nut the brake can be applied from the very lightest tensions up to a strain that will smash even heavy tackle. In effect, all that is required is to keep on winding after the fish, no matter what size, can be landed eventually, as it becomes more worn out by the strain on the line remaining constant. It is on record that a local angler landed a 46lb kingfish, using a number 8 gut line on a Velox reel in the surprisingly short time of 16 minutes. Not only in its breaking effect does this reel excel, but it is claimed that the same tackle can be cast considerable further than with the ordinary everyday reel. One tribute to its capabilities may be mentioned is that it was barred from competition for a while by a certain local fishing club because it gave it owner an unfair advantage. Another feature is that spare line drums in narrow and wide sizes to accommodate various weights of line can be obtained with this reel. The agents for the Velox reel are well-known firm of Mick Simmons Ltd, and the mere fact of then handling it is a criterion of its excellence.”