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I am parting with my vintage Mitchell 402 Saltwater reel. The reel is in very good condition with working retrieve, bail and drag. I spooled it with braid, but never used it though.It has some blemishes in the paint and some dust on it, but otherwise it's ready to go. Recent;y lubed. I'd remove the braid and fish it with mono. $80.00 OBO

Long story short, I used to fish a ton as a child and then work/career took me to places where there it wasn't very feasible to fish so it kind of disappeared from my life. Whenever I visited family, I'd be sure to grab my old gear but found that I had a number of my rods snap on me as it seems they just had shelf lives which made them brittle over time so I'm very hesitant about using rods that are over 20 years old now as a result. These were fairly low budget freshwater rods so that may have played a factor. I am in possession of over a dozen of my grandfather's saltwater fishing rods. They are mostly conventional Penn rods with a few spinning rods with Mitchell reels in the mix. I haven't researched them yet, but these have been around since I was a kid so they are at least as old as the 1980s & am guessing most circa the 1960s (but there could be some older ones mixed in there). Rods were mostly used with surf casting or fishing from the boats for stripers and blues in mind. There is a pretty heavy duty one with and mount for fighting belt in the butt and rollers on the eyes that he may have taken out deep for cod and/or tuna. I have no doubt that with some servicing the reels could be brought to working order but will the rods still be useful? I think they have a great aesthetic so happy to continue keeping them up on the wall as decorations but part of me really wants to get them out in the field again. I'm having PTSD from snapping 2-3 of my cheap freshwater rods but I'm thinking that these were built with a higher level of quality which means they won't become fragile and brittle with age like the cheap freshwater stuff I used as a kid. What you guys think, will the rods hold up or are they purely decorative at this point?

Hello All. I recently picked up a Mitchell 306 which I’ve totally cleaned, regreased, and am trying to put back into service. I have made the following modifications: -Mitchell Manual Pickup Arm (original Mitchell Part #81593) -Mitchell Manual Pickup Roller (reproduction sourced from The-Fisherman in Florida...he sells Mitchell parts on EBay) -Removed Planetary Gears and installed Mitchell crosswind cam gear (original Mitchell Part # 81592) -Spooled it with 20lb Original Fireline backed by Mono The reel is functioning great, save one issue: Line Lay. It is laying heavily on the top of the spool but less on the lower portion. It can cause the line to almost get caught under the bunch sometimes. I know on some other model reels you can shim the spool with a washed, but if you know the Mitchell 306, the push button spool release mechanism and the way it mates to the reel shaft would not permit this. I went down to a large field and walked the line out under tension, then rewound it rightly under light drag, but had the same issue. Is there anything I can do, or is this just the nature of the beast when trying to adapt these old classic reels to using modern lines?

$260 shipped to your door…entire lot in pictures…priced to sell trying to give someone a deal while helping me clear out my garage… Mitchell 498 is a collector’s piece in like new mint condition Brand New Swiss Victornox 8” knife all the Lures and tackle you see with most not having been used cobia jigs The Super Krocodiles I believe I paid 30-40 buck each…

Like New, Mint, Never Used…No box, no bag…$480 shipped to your door… Mitchell Sports 498X Pro Millennium: 2000 When this version was released, it could only be obtained by special order through select European vendors. Mitchell outdid themselves by introducing a special paint application never before tried and will probably never be used again. The paint pattern was layered to give the effect of a granite design or marbleized finish. This reel was made specially for the Millennium. By July of 2000, Mitchell stopped production of this model. By year-end, inventory was sold out. Extremely low volume was produced of this very special version.

Hello All! Does anyone have a source for a Mitchell 308 bail assembly (Part #81290) as pictured below? This is the bail assembly, not just the bail wire. I picked up one of these little beauties at a flea market this weekend, but I found that the hole on the plate of the bail assembly has been egged out so I either need to source out a new(er) assembly or drill it out and put a brass/bronze bushing in it. I'd prefer the easier route if possible, but google isn't cutting it for the normal sources. Any help is appreciated. Thank you! -Buckmark22

Received a package yesterday with what I thought was a "parts reel" Mitchell 302. After cleaning it of some kind of thin gunk the reel appears unused or so lightly used it does not show. Spooled with good 20lb mono and a huge leather bag to carry it in! I will replace the drag stack washers and lube. It is in much better shape than the one I was going to fix with parts.

Hi, I like and fish older Mitchell reels. Thinking about picking up another saltwater model and I'm sort of intrigued by the older posts from the early 2000s about 386s with a PUM refit. Anyone care to comment on the 386 and/or 486? I already know that they're not Stradics which I also like.

These have all been in my basement for too long. All are in working order except the 3500b. The liveliner drag isn't working. Asking $25 each p/u only. Located in Matawan nj 07747. Daiwa podcaster 100H Okuma avenger av65 Okuma epixor ef55b Okuma avenger av65a Mitchell 300 Shimano 3500b

I have a shop in my small coastal community that has hundreds of vintage rods to search thru. I saw a video of Conolon Rods being built at a factory. I am using Mitchell reels and would like to match the reels with rods. I am wondering if anyone knows how long they made Conolon rods. I want to find ones that will work in the surf. Also what colors they were made in so they may be easier to find.

My grandfather gave me this reel a couple days ago. On the foot of the reel, there is a number 2 stamped. Also on the body of the reel, there is a number pictured that reads 325755. I'm assuming that is the serial number but I'm not positive. My question is, how old is this reel? And How much is it worth?

I have 4 antique reels and I don't know what to do with them. Anyone have any suggestions? I have: 1. Ocean City "90" Automatic fly reel 2. Johnson Citation Model 110B closed reel 3. Mitchell Model 300A open face reel 4. Bache Brown Spinster (aluminum and black) reel Bryan A.

Hi, all. I am new to Mitchells and also to this forum, so I hope the older salts will have patience. It’s the old story. I inherited a couple of Mitchells from my father, and I also had one that he gave me when I was a kid. So I decided to teach myself how to repair and service them. Started with a 302 (many thanks to DesertCatFish for his post that walked me through that), then moved to a 300 (other Internet Mitchell aficionados guided me through that one). I figured my childhood 320 would be a piece of cake – so many fewer parts and mechanically much simpler. And it was easier – right up to the point where I had to replace the disassembled Anti-Reverse Lever Spring. I tried putting it in six ways from Sunday, and of course there are no instructions or pictures of dissembled 320s to be found on the Internet. The schematic is not much help (I need an UNexploded illustration). So I’m hoping for some guidance from Mitchell old hands. Or better yet, a picture of a stripped down 320 showing how the spring is placed (they really are quick to disassemble, especially compared to, say, a 302). The spring (part # 81188) is basically a one inch slightly curved ribbon of spring steel. It was used in the 324, 340, and 524 as well, but judging by the schematics for those reels, it was fitted in differently. Below are a couple of pictures to illustrate my problem (I tried to include the pics in the text, but it wouldn’t work). The first is a picture of the spring set in a notch of the anti-reverse lever, where logically you would think one end would go. The second is a picture of the underside of the drive gear, with the spring under a quarter to show size. It seems logical that the other end of the spring might slide into one of the cogs when the gear is inserted in the housing, but I can’t see how to do it. - And five or so other placements of the spring didn’t work, either. Any help you can give will be much appreciated. I realize the 320s were low end reels even in their day, but I have fished my entire life with this one and it has great sentimental value to me. Thanks for any help you can provide. (I think the pictures loaded in the opposite order from what is described.)

Hello, First post, seeking wisdom on a Mitchell 310UL I just got my hands on. It's in almost perfect condition except that when I open the bail and then crank the handle it takes two or more rotation to trip closed and feels real mushy. I already changed out the bail wire and while I had the reel apart it snapped shut just fine, once I put the shaft back in and put the spool on it was mushy again. One thought it that the person who sold it too me serviced it and there was a lot of grease on things that maybe shouldn't have grease on them inside. So that's what I've got, works with no spool/shaft (incidentally had just wiped the grease off that little trip lever) by the time it's back together if I turn the handle gently it'll just spin and never trip at all. Thoughts? Thanks in advance!

Very Good Condition - Original Box included (box is not in great shape.) I bought this reel second hand at a garage sale. I never fished it myself and it looks like it may have never been used.

I have a very nice Mitchell 302 from the end of 1952. Still has the sticker and everything. I have had it inspected, cleaned. repaired, and lubed once after I bought it, but was not thrilled with the work or the price. I use this reel in salt and freshwater, and it's time for another bath. I can do the spool all day, but want a pro to do the reel guts. Any recommendations?