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is the mitchell 300 spinning reel any good
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I've been looking into that one also. It looks and feels nice but I haven't bought one yet.
I got the Daiwa Tatula 100 H
Very Nice Reel! -
It's average on performance and function but will out last any reel on the market. While most reels last only 2-3 years, expect to have the Mitchell 300 the rest of your life.Comment
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They are an "okay" reel. Forty years ago the Mitchell 300 and DAM Quick were top of the line but I believe there's lots better on the market these days. Berkley spinning reels were the other big seller back then but they were notoriously crappy. Their bail wires would break almost continuously.
Like all the spinning reels made back then, Mitchell 300 would commonly digest fishing line around the spool whereas most modern reels have spools with floating bonnets which pretty much eliminates that problem.
In a word, the Mitchell 300 is obsolete.Comment
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It is a classic and will probably last a lifetime. There are better reels but they will probably cost a lot more. I still have a few I bought 55 years ago and they still work fine. I don't remember mine ever digesting line but I guess it is possible. Most inexpensive reels I've bought or observed have failed to operate after a few years because the gears wore out. That has not been the case with the Mitchel 300.Comment
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I have a left hand model, I think it is 301. They do last forever. A slower retrieve ratio than most others but otherwise a workhorse.Comment
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I had a Garcia-Mitchell 300, or was it 308, ultra-light reel that I used with a 5-foot rod. It gave me excellent service until it was destroyed in a house fire many years ago. I don't remember any birds' nests.Comment
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I recall countless birds nests. It was especially bad with old style mono that had a lot of memory. After the cast when the bail flipped over, if the spool was at the extended stage, a coil of mono frequently got caught on the edge of the spool and sucked underneath. This commonly occurred at the beginning of the retrieve when there was little or no tension on the memorized line. The floating bonnet type reels eliminate this problem because it is difficult for any slack coil in the mono to slip below the edge of the spool which is well below where the line is collected.
As mentioned in other threads, trolling with a spinning reel will usually create a profound propensity for the line to coil up. Those old style spools gobbled line constantly in those situations. Mono would flip behind the edge of the spool in a blink of an eye!Comment
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The newest model 300 pro series is as good a real as you will ever need. With an improved bail and precision spool the line under the spool problem is gone. I recently purchased 2 rod and reel combos and so far they have performed flawlessly.Comment
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I have only used a Mitchell 300 for the last 30 years catching numerous fish of all sizes.
This reel is very easy to dismantle and clean.
For the price it is one of the best reels on the market today.Comment
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I have fished with 300, 301, and 308, the only time I had a rats nest was from having too much line on the spool. Proper maintenance and practice has made this my all time favorite reel.Comment
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I fish a lot and I hate replacing $100 reels every couple years. As a result I've degenerated back to mostly fishing with vintage spinning reels since they outlast newer reels by a very wide margin, and are far more simple to service and repair. As far as vintage reels go the 300 is a darn good one, they are mechanically simple, and properly maintained they are fairly smooth. Mitchell sold oodles of them so they are generally cheaper to buy and parts are more easy to find than other brands from the same era.
Vintage reels however, are not so idiot proof as the newer ones. Keeping your fishing experience smooth and tangle free requires a very small amount of operator know how.Comment
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My dad bought 300s for my two brothers and me when I was about 10. That was 57 years ago. I’m still using the original and have bought several used 300s as backups. They’re dead easy to self-service, damn near bullet proof if cared for properly, and incredibly good for a whole range of fish. I’d never be without one. As for bird’s nests: I’ve only found this to be a problem with old mono that’s been on the reel in storage for a long time. It retains its “coily” memory. I use mono pretty much exclusively, and with decent casting technique and fairly fresh line, I seldom have issues.
So... yes! The Mitchell 300 is a classic, dependable workhorse.Comment
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anyone know how strong the drag is on a 300,301 I caught a 28 " lingcod a few weeks ago and had problems stopping it from getting into the rocksComment
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JAX
What test line do you have on the reel?
I tighten my drag until the reel releases line in jerks, then loosen it a little at a time until it releases the line smoothly.
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