Whirlaways!

ORCA Online Forum - Feel free to talk or ask about ALL kinds of old tackle here, with an emphasis on old reels!
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David Lehmann
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Whirlaways!

Post by David Lehmann »

Hi,
I'm researching Whirlaways, from Clay's Northfield Jr reel through the last Imperial to roll off the line. If you have information, paperwork, etc., I'd love to hear from you. If you have a Whirlaway and could send or text me photos of the exterior, the stampings, and the interior, that would also be greatly appreciated. Whirl me away with your Whirlaway info! Thanks.
Chuck Gano
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Re: Whirlaways!

Post by Chuck Gano »

i used one briefly it twisted the line bad thought it was just lined wrong so i tried it again same thing i think it was a flaw with those reels.....or it might have been just me think i still have it too
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David Lehmann
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Re: Whirlaways!

Post by David Lehmann »

You had one of the first two models. That's what they did. They came with a high-quality swivel, which reportedly helped to some degree. But if the swivel was lost and replaced with a lesser quality one, the reel was fairly useless.
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Bill Sonnett
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Re: Whirlaways!

Post by Bill Sonnett »

for what it worth this should take you to my experience with Whirlaways
http://fishinghistory.blogspot.com/search?q=whirlaway
I love to get old reels, work on them until they run as smooth as silk and the take them fishing using pre-1960 plugs, mostly surface fishing for Largemouths after dark.
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David Lehmann
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Re: Whirlaways!

Post by David Lehmann »

Bill,
I did! That is a great article and was one of the first I read. The Whirlaway lineage probably evolved more than any other reel model group that I know of. Some of them had huge technical and practical glitches (your experiences) but the later versions were pretty innovative and still have loyal users. A history of these should be out in March.
oc1
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Re: Whirlaways!

Post by oc1 »

The originals had the same problem that all Australian side-cast Alvey reels do. Every cast adds more twist to the line.
-steve
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