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Old mitchell reels


Tigger

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It amazes me how many people still harp on about old mitchell reels and how good they are....surely they're havin' a laught?

Back in the day I had a mitchell 410, 300 and a match and can honestly say I disliked them all.  Infact i'd go so far as to say they're probably the worst fixed spool reel i've ever had the misfortune of using.

I can still remember getting some abu reels and they were so much better, imo at least.

I never used the mitchells again and when my gear was stolen they were the only things I genuinely didn't miss!

Anyone on AN still a mitchell reel fan?

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Here’s a few of the reels that I used to use back in the 1970s and 1980s which I still keep in the back of a drawer (although the Intrepid envoy was from back in the early 1960s)

My-Oold-Reels-1-zps4ffb3e7e.gif

I still very occasionally use my Abu Cardinal 55 when surface fishing for Carp and my Abu506 closed face reel for silvers occasionally, and my blackCat Centrepin when lift bite fishing for Tench; but the rest of them have been consigned to the back of a drawer where they belong since the 1980s and haven’t seen daylight as there are far better reels about today in my view.

I moved on to using Diawa and Shimano fixed spool reels after this period.

Keith

Edited by BoldBear
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I also have half a dozen or so Mitchell's (4 x 300's & 2 maybe 3 410's)

Also a great big Mitchell Sea reel. (Now that is a nice one to use on Hol's - the only time's I Sea fish)

Can't remember the number but it's like the 300 but 3 times the size.

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Great pic Keith :). I thought the abu blew the mitchells out the water.

i've seen those huge mitchell sea reels Martin, as you say they do look like a 300 on steroids lol.

I think most people who had a black prince (as I did) progressed to the mitchells.....I should have stuck to me black prince lol.

 

 

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They were good "in the day" but compared to most intrepids they were far superior .

I have a boxful of Mitchells not worth selling on but dont collect them as such ,some are highly sought after but more to put on a shelf than a bank.

I dont rate them today enough to use them but i do use abu closed face reels most trips from the same era they fulfil the need i use them for as most know on here i stupidly becan collecting intrepids this is about 2/3rds of my collection i cannot go back far enough to get them in all in the fram

IMG_20191214_174913.jpg

Edited by chesters1
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Never really comprehended why folk hoard old junk that never sees the light of day let alone the river bank. I was never really a Mitchell man although I still have, and occasionally use a CAP that I did like many years ago although I really don't know why I even bother to put line on it now!

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All,

I would not say I "collected" them but I have an abundance of spincast Zebco reels.

I gave up on Abumatics when they started coming out of China. In 2014 Abu Garcia re-launched its iconic Swedish made round reels with updated editions of the  Record, C3 ,C4 , Pro Rocket and Morrum . All parts  and assembly made and done in Sweden.

I kinda have a "thing" for these Swedish products.

Phone

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I don't collect centrepin reels, but I like to try out different ones and a sort of collection has been a by product of my trying them out.

Although my collection has been dwindled down to about 30 pin's and that is a small collection in comparison to some professional hoarders lol.

I sort of do a similar thing with rods, mainly float rods, but I do have a strange obsession with hardy marksman avon rods???

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I love Mitchell's. I started with a bakolite centrepin, progressed to a wooden centrepin. I had an Intrepid Black Prince for Christmas once which I'd been ogling all year. But.... I always wanted a Mitchell 300 and a Allcocks Airiel. 

I bought a 300 second hand and stripped it, cleaned it and serviced it. Pennies.

Almost immediately Mitchell's started arriving with me for service and repair or scrap when folk new I could do them. Always did them for cost.

One day my Grandad gave me his prized Mitchell 840 match. Mint condition. I treasured it and used it.

Absolutely gutted when it and all my tackle was stolen from my garage in 94, several Mitchell 300s went too.

I didn't fish for a couple of years I was so upset. Also upset because it belonged to my Grandad and he's gone.

Funny this thread appearing, as there are two Mitchell's boxed on Ebay I'm bidding for at the moment.

Yup, I love Mitchell's, if I get them, I'll clean, service and use them. I've only just moved off a 50 odd year old centrepin because my wife bought me a newer one. Never did the Allcocks Airiel Match though.

If all else fails, follow the intructions.
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