help find a old fishing rod

Back in the late 50s i had a rod and reel that was all one piece. the
reel was enclosed, silver and shaped sort of like a bullett. i
remember you turned the handle back to release it. i know from where
the rod fit into the reel casing it was completely silver down to the
bottom. can someone tell me who made these. dont fish much but just
sort of thought i might get me one like i had i think around 1957. .
thanks for reading and any help you can provide.

On May 25, 6:03 pm, em pinball wrote:
Back in the late 50s i had a rod and reel that was all one piece. the
reel was enclosed, silver and shaped sort of like a bullett. i
remember you turned the handle back to release it. i know from where
the rod fit into the reel casing it was completely silver down to the
bottom. can someone tell me who made these. dont fish much but just
sort of thought i might get me one like i had i think around 1957. .
thanks for reading and any help you can provide.

I had one as well, but in the early fifties. Don't remember the
manufacturer, but I think it was purchased at Western Auto. Didn't use
it all that much, as that was just abour the time I caught the
flyfishing bug.

On May 25, 6:41*pm, wrote:
On May 25, 6:03 pm, em pinball wrote:

Back in the late 50s i had a rod and reel that was all one piece. the
reel was enclosed, silver and shaped sort of like a bullett. i
remember you turned the handle back to release it. i know from where
the rod fit into the reel casing it was completely silver down to the
bottom. can someone tell me who made these. dont fish much but just
sort of thought i might get me one like i had i think around 1957. .
thanks for reading and any help you can provide.

I had one as well, but in the early fifties. Don't remember the
manufacturer, but I think it was purchased at Western Auto. Didn't use
it all that much, as that was just abour the time I caught the
flyfishing bug.

as i remember there was an western auto store in the next town. that
must of been where i got it. thanks norm

em pinball wrote:
On May 25, 6:41 pm, wrote:

On May 25, 6:03 pm, em pinball wrote:


Back in the late 50s i had a rod and reel that was all one piece. the
reel was enclosed, silver and shaped sort of like a bullett. i
remember you turned the handle back to release it. i know from where
the rod fit into the reel casing it was completely silver down to the
bottom. can someone tell me who made these. dont fish much but just
sort of thought i might get me one like i had i think around 1957. .
thanks for reading and any help you can provide.

I had one as well, but in the early fifties. Don't remember the
manufacturer, but I think it was purchased at Western Auto. Didn't use
it all that much, as that was just abour the time I caught the
flyfishing bug.


as i remember there was an western auto store in the next town. that
must of been where i got it. thanks norm

There's non telling what people will get nostalgic about. Western Auto!
Beats Orvis,

--
Cut "to the chase" for my email address.

On May 26, 6:03*am, em pinball wrote:
Back in the late 50s i had a rod and reel that was all one piece. the
reel was enclosed, silver and shaped sort of like a bullett. i
remember you turned the handle back to release it. i know from where
the rod fit into the reel casing it was completely silver down to the
bottom. can someone tell me who made these. dont fish much but just
sort of thought i might get me one like i had i think around 1957. .
thanks for reading and any help you can provide.

Is this a picture of what you are talking about?
http://tinyurl.com/5gcccv

(the top three images)

--riverman

wrote in message
...
On May 25, 6:03 pm, em pinball wrote:
Back in the late 50s i had a rod and reel that was all one piece. the
reel was enclosed, silver and shaped sort of like a bullett. i
remember you turned the handle back to release it. i know from where
the rod fit into the reel casing it was completely silver down to the
bottom. can someone tell me who made these. dont fish much but just
sort of thought i might get me one like i had i think around 1957. .
thanks for reading and any help you can provide.

I had one as well, but in the early fifties. Don't remember the
manufacturer, but I think it was purchased at Western Auto. Didn't use
it all that much, as that was just abour the time I caught the
flyfishing bug.


Could it have been a promotional item? My grandfather got a single shot
12ga, Western Arms shotgun from a Western Auto sometime during the '50's.
Free with a certain purchase amount. Just a thought. I've been told they
(the shotguns) were mass produced by ??? and stamped for several brands.

Jeremy Moe

On May 25, 9:52 pm, riverman wrote:
On May 26, 6:03 am, em pinball wrote:

Back in the late 50s i had a rod and reel that was all one piece. the
reel was enclosed, silver and shaped sort of like a bullett. i
remember you turned the handle back to release it. i know from where
the rod fit into the reel casing it was completely silver down to the
bottom. can someone tell me who made these. dont fish much but just
sort of thought i might get me one like i had i think around 1957. .
thanks for reading and any help you can provide.

Is this a picture of what you are talking about?http://tinyurl.com/5gcccv

(the top three images)

--riverman

That be it!

On May 27, 3:29*am, wrote:
On May 25, 9:52 pm, riverman wrote:

On May 26, 6:03 am, em pinball wrote:

Back in the late 50s i had a rod and reel that was all one piece. the
reel was enclosed, silver and shaped sort of like a bullett. i
remember you turned the handle back to release it. i know from where
the rod fit into the reel casing it was completely silver down to the
bottom. can someone tell me who made these. dont fish much but just
sort of thought i might get me one like i had i think around 1957. .
thanks for reading and any help you can provide.

Is this a picture of what you are talking about?http://tinyurl.com/5gcccv

(the top three images)

--riverman

That be it!

In that case, you're talking about a Great Lakes Whirlaway.
http://tinyurl.com/4evgxn (Notice how the ad has the rod backwards,
with the guides on the wrong side!) I cannot remember ever having seen
one, but I bet it was an upper midwest local thing, which can be
pretty global if you're from there.

Apparently they come up on eBay all the time. There's one there now
for $10. http://tinyurl.com/5bzvg7 Cheap nostalgia, if'n you axe me.

--riverman

On May 27, 8:11*am, riverman wrote:
cheap nostalgia, if'n you axe me.

--riverman-

errrrmmm...before I start a flame war amongst the geriatric set, what
I meant was 'inexpensive nostalgia'. A good thing...

--riverman

On 2008-05-27, riverman wrote:

In that case, you're talking about a Great Lakes Whirlaway.

I fished with a similar one-piece rod/reel back in the early 50s when I was
just a wee lad. My grandmother borrowed it from a neighbor so I'd have a
rig to fish with. It was considerably more elegant, though.

The reel was a spin cast with an angular profile, front and back, like the
classic Zebco front cone and had a couple inches of grip handle protruding
from the rear to leverage against the body. It also had a double knob crank
and was also released for casting by reversing the crank half a turn. The
line came out through the formost part of the grip through a hole with an
indent for the thumb to pinch the line. It was a very sleek rod and worked
flawlessly. I would have very much liked to own one like it, but I was just
a pup and it appeared to be quite expensive. I never saw another like it.

Oh yeah, we fished a lake high up in the CO mountains and I caught diddly
almost all day while my family was reeling 'em in. Just before sundown, I
was reeling in for the last time when I thought I snagged. I tugged and
pulled and yanked to no avail. I was so mad and discouraged and about to
ask for help when the line gave a little. Was it really a snag? I pulled.
I reeled. More progress. I got excited. I continued on until I finally
landed the biggest dang fish I'd ever seen. It was almost half as big as I
was, literally, and twice as big as anyone else's biggest catch. It was one
the most memorable fishing trips of my life with the coolest rod/reel I've
ever seen.

nb