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Used a vintage combo I recently acquired for the first time today - a Garcia Mitchell 300 (actually a 301 since I'm a lefty) and a Garcia Conolon 2508. I haven't tracked down the exact ages but these both existed at least as long ago as the early 60s. I tore down, cleaned and lubed the reel. The rod was almost mint. Lots of fun pulling in 10 gills and shell crackers. This light action rod really bends!
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Old school rocks! Good bend in the old girl, glass I bet. Handle is on wrong side of reel :biggrin
Yes, fiberglass for sure. Can't wait to tie into a big crappie or a bass with it.
I have the same rig, I love it. Congrats on a good day and your purchase. I am a lefty myself.
That rigs looks to be in great shape for its age. I have a few old rod and reels that I inherited from my grandpa. I’ve always been to scare to use them. Didn’t wait to mess them up. They are probably a lot tougher the. Today’s gear though. I see The Fishin Machine use vintage gear all the time though.
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Wow, those two bring up memories. I still have a 301 somewhere out in the garage. The con0lon is long gone. I think the 301 was about$15.00. A new bail spring and cleaning and I bet it would work fine.
Bob
I still have a 300 and it can still fish. The 308 was a favorite for trout growing up in PA. Fished for a love time before moving to an Orvis 50A.
I have Two Mitchell 300,s made in France,,,also have a 308 made in France
I have a conolon graphite rods I used on a coast trip a while back, still works very well. Not as clean as yours though, that is mint. Very nice rig that we all pined over 40 or 50 years ago. Never got a good reel til I bought one for myself.
Same here. I could never convince my folks that a higher quality was worth the extra. That was THE reel back in the 60s. Hey Stan, the handle up there is on the correct side! LOL.Quote:
Originally Posted by skeetbum
Bob
Yes, I must be very careful when using this rod! It only has 2 or 3 small blemishes. The rest is perfect. The rod will not be in the regular rotation, just one to use now and them for added fun.
I will be getting a Mitchell 309 (the lefty 308) this week. This nice thing about these old Mitchells is that they are very easy to work on. I had never been inside one and was able to completely tear down, clean and lube the 300 in less than an hour (and I'm no reel mechanic).
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Got the trifecta tonight with the Mitchell/Conolon rig. What a blast!
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Fiber glass sure has a different bend and feel to it for sure
Congrats on the trifecta, good job.
my go to and only want reel back when was a Mitchell , 300 and 308 back around the mid 60 era was my thing . you couldn't kill one and by golly they wasn't cheap either . had to pull a many a weed and mow the yard about all summer to get dad to buy me one .
brings back memories , I remember carp fishing with the 300 quite well , it used to be my thing as a kid . the drags were really smooth on them old reels and they could handle a big fish quite well .
a hook set and a reel screaming on a big ole carp was about some kinds of cool when I was a preteen .used to chum em with corn and wait patiently to see all the mud swirls and tails up on the surface and I liked to set the rod down no sinker with an open bail and wait for the line to start rolling off .
lift the rod carefully , get set ,flip the bail and SET THE HOOK ! and hold the rod high on them bonefish simulation runs big carp frequently do …..:yikes
KABOOM time by golly :Rofl
cool rod and reel bro …..:cheers2
Brings back good memories. My first big boy rod was that same brown Garcia rod with a Mitchell 308 reel on it. Caught hundreds of trout and bluegill, and probably thousands of crappie fishing many years in California. My dad then was stationed in Hawaii and I used that combo to catch a lot of very fine saltwater fish, but the combo wasn't really made for that kind of drag screaming punishment and I finally wore the reel out. Don't know what I did with the rod. Can't remember breaking it or giving it away, but I don't seem to have it anymore.
Congrats on your score. That same rod/reel combo (with 300) was my first spinning rod and reel. I bought it at Grant's(?) or Woolco(?) in Nashville after starting my first summer job out of high school in 1965. Caught lots of fish in creeks, ponds and below Pickwick Dam with it. The rod did very well with 6#, good with 4# with some occasional back reeling against bigger white bass and smallmouth. I remember trying 2# test a couple of times but couldn't get the drag/ back reeling down on bigger fish. I loved that rig.Quote:
Originally Posted by Fishfishwish
I still have the reel, unused and stored in Tupperware for many years now. It is still workable, but needs some cleaning. You may want to locate some bailsprings for it. I replaced several broken bailsprings over the years. Seems like I broke the rod while casting a fairly heavy lure (probably a half ounce Pedigo Spinrite tail spinner).
This combo made me a life-long devotee to spinning tackle. Although I bought a couple of 5000 baitcasters later, I quickly got rid of them and stayed with light and medium-light spinning gear through all my bass club and inshore coastal fishing years. Most of my fishing this year has been with new ultralight rods, which I am greatly enjoying. Rods, reels, line and lures just keep getting better. Hope you continue enjoying a truly classic combo.
Lots of good memories here. Thanks for sharing.
Did some more research. The reel was made between 1963 and 1968, based the Garcia script, the 3-0-1 script and the chevron-shaped anti-reverse switch. Based on the serial number, it's probably mid-60s.
I have an Ambassadeur 5000 on a Browning Silalflex. Caught a few bass with it last month. Nice set up but I think these vintage spinning rigs will get more use. I fish mostly with ultralight gear these days.
https://www.crappie.com/crappie/fish...ntage-fishing/
Just finished with the tear down, cleaning and lubrication of this 308. Gonna put it on a Wright-McGill vintage rod. Should be great fun for some ultralight action.
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IMHO the old Mitchell 300s were the best reels ever made . Been thinking about finding one for old times sake . Really a nice rig you got, great find !:fish
Lots of 300s on eBay. I think this guy sells them, cleaned and lubed.
Mitchell 300 fishing reel.
Thanks for the info, now I guess I gotta put my money where my mouth is . :ThumbsUp
Gonna have to look on fleabay, website said they are done for a while .:dono
I wondered about that. I've seen plenty on eBay. And you don't need to pay much. Good luck.
Finally gave the Mitchell 309 (lefty 308 ultralight) a little work out tonight on an old Wright & McGill rod. Nothing biting but crappies (not complaining).
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Nice. I have an old Mitchell 408 (Hi Speed ver of 308), in fine shape. I use it for bream every now and then.
That 408 is a keeper.
Given it's age, the 309 is a nice UL reel. I have the shallow spool, the drag is pretty good, it has a very nice sounding drag clicker, it casts very well, and has a low 4.6:1 gear ratio. It's a bit heavier than the modern reels at 7.5 oz, but on the very light McGill & Wright rod, it has a nice feel. I might upgrade the line guide to the roller version and try it with some two-pound test.
Some nice fish, like the old rod. I had a Browning Silaflex years back. Those older glass rods had a lot of bend in em.
Seems like these old rods would be good crappie rigs for some applications. You'd have to work hard to rig the paper lips with these soft rods.
I have a Browning Silaflex baitcaster with an Abu 5000 on it.