# anyone else using/collecting older Mitchell 300 reels?



## 30-06-hunter (Sep 22, 2013)

I have 6 or 7 of them and use 3 of them regularly, anyone else a fan of the older Mitchell reels made in France?


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## OKEE (Jan 3, 2008)

Not on purpose I inherited them from my grandfather . Several are broken. At one time I was going to have them fixed and I was able to find parts online. Just never got around to it. I still use a couple of them.


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## Bears Butt (Sep 12, 2007)

I have 4 of them, my favorite reels. Two are used regularly, one occasionally and the fourth is broken, but I keep it just in case I can find the part it needs. I was in a DI last week and a guy ahead of me picked one up for $10....I would have bought it had I seen it first.


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## Fowlmouth (Oct 4, 2008)

I have two of them that are regularly used.......Good reels, just wish they were not so noisy.


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## MUDDuck (Jul 1, 2013)

The Mitchell 300 and 308 were the reels that I started fishing with and still use a couple of them once in a while. If someone needs some parts or even a reel to use I've got a 300,301 LH and a 308 that you can have all for $10 PM if interested.


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## BROWN BAGGER (Sep 13, 2007)

I just refurbished a mitchell knock off. it was tucked away in my bosses garage. K-mart sportfisher 2100. looks just like mitchell but isn't the same I know. cleaned it up and hand painted back to new. lol I dont know what it is, I spend 150.00 on reels but the old school reels intrigs me. calling it retro fishing.


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

I owned quite a few Mitchell 300s

Two models of Mitchell 300 were manufactured: One was industructable and worked flawlessly. The other model, the one I always bought, had a bail pickup that didn't work, new out of box.

.


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## 30-06-hunter (Sep 22, 2013)

wyogoob said:


> I owned quite a few Mitchell 300s
> 
> Two models of Mitchell 300 were manufactured: One was industructable and worked flawlessly. The other model, the one I always bought, had a bail pickup that didn't work, new out of box.
> 
> .


You hit the nail on the head, some have bail issues no matter what you do.


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## Critter (Mar 20, 2010)

I still have my dads Mitchell 300 that he bought when he got out of the service after WWII in 1945. I still remember him taking it apart and lubing it up with Vaseline a couple of times a year back in the early 60's when there was a actual fishing season. For you younger members it ran from the first weekend in June until the last weekend in October if I remember right. 

I might have to take it out now and clean it up and take it fishing again here in the not too distant future.


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## Fowlmouth (Oct 4, 2008)

Critter said:


> I still remember him taking it apart and lubing it up with Vaseline a couple of times a year back in the early 60's when there was a actual fishing season. For you younger members it ran from the first weekend in June until the last weekend in October if I remember right.
> QUOTE]
> 
> I was thinking it opened Memorial weekend........Either way it was something to look forward to every year.


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

One time my brother and I were fishing fall salmon and trout on the Manitowok River in Wisconsin a few miles from Lake Michigan close to where the cranes are made. I had a Mitchell 300 on a fiberglass True Temper rod. Snagging for salmon was legal back in the day so I had the reel spooled up with 30lb test mono.

I hooked onto a very large male spawning King Salmon. While reeling him in the gears stripped on the reel (two teeth on the half-dollar sized gear that turns off of the small gear on the handle shaft). If there was tension on the reel it wouldn't do anything when it came to the rounded-off gear teeth. If you put some slack in the line it would wind it up on the spool past the bad gear teeth.

So my brother held on to the line and would pull a little slack every revolution while I fought the behemoth. It was a mess. The drag worked until you hit the stripped gear teeth and if you weren't careful the spool would free-wheel and a large amount of line would "pop" off.

Man, a 40lb King is like a freight train but eventually my brother and I wore the thing out and got it in a net.

I actually replaced the gear in that 300. It's what you did in the 70s; fixed things, not throw things away.

39+ pounds:


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## Old Fudd (Nov 24, 2007)

Love the Old Hard Body French Made Mitchell 300's. Have the first one my Pops gave me in 1959.. Have bout 10 others to go with it..Wife bought me one of the Carbon New Type, Piece of Junk. Backlash all the time Drag would get dirty and stop working. I try and buy the old ones if they show up on KSL. Last one was purchased with a Mitchell Garica Glass Rod. 25.00 What a deal.. Love Em.


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