# Estate Sale Finds



## PunyTrout (Mar 23, 2007)

I scored a Garcia Mitchell 300 spinning reel today in excellent condition along with a fiberglass fishing rod.The rod is 6 1/2 foot, two-piece with metal ferrules. The makers mark on the rod is worn so I'm not certain of the specs or the maker. The glass is red and it has a clip above the fore-grip that allows the forward section to double back and have the tip section fold into the clip.

If anyone can guess the manufacturer or era of the rod that would be cool.

I also scored a spare spool for a Mitchell reel size large. t does not appear to fit the model 300 although it is the same size diameter. The spare spool is metal rather than plastic. Maybe I'm missing something but the gears and hole pattern are different. Anyone familiar with these reels can feel free to chime in.

Thanks


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## Waif (Oct 27, 2013)

Late sixties early 70's maybe ?
Aluminum type spools were the older ones.
Sometimes it takes turning them a little before they seat ,and/or pushing the button in the center of the shaft the spool fits over.

Other differences encountered are the fastener to hold the spool ,increase decrease drag tension. Not sure all are interchangeable as I've had line catch under one before when switching them around. Somehow.(Could have been the usual user error...)
Round ones seem better than the ones with multi pointed "arms".

Yours looks older (earlier anyways). Not a clear picture of the line guide on the bail , but yours might not have a line roller. 
Also the anti reverse level lever is an older style.

Good reels if the drag is kept clean and lightly lubed.
Not as precise as some rear drags ,but pretty good. I've landed a heck of a lot of fish with 300's.
Have degreased one and ice fished with it too. Pretty good build tolerances to do that.

Those clips were popular in the early-mid seventies.


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## ESOX (Nov 20, 2000)

That is a late 60's very early 70's 300, with the"L" shaped anti reverse lever. The newer ones had a straight lever. The sound of that little clicker is so ingrained in my memory, I cant even begin to estimate how many casts I made with a 300 from the mid 60's through the early 80's. Nor can I count how many fish I caught with one.


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## ESOX (Nov 20, 2000)

A pic of the logo on the rod would help. I am thinking it's a rod made in Detroit by Betts Tackle Co.


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## PunyTrout (Mar 23, 2007)

Turns out the spare spool fits perfectly. I just wasn't using the spool eject button. 

I also scored a box of flies, a really cool hook sharpener, and a small bait box that mounts to a belt. Also a few boxes of thousands of hooks. (As if I need any more hooks.) And a bunch of other assorted goodies.










The reel seems like it was made to some pretty fine tolerances. Should be fun to land a trout or two with it. :woohoo1:


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## ESOX (Nov 20, 2000)

PunyTrout said:


> Turns out the spare spool fits perfectly. I just wasn't using the spool eject button.
> 
> I also scored a box of flies, a really cool hook sharpener, and a small bait box that mounts to a belt. Also a few boxes of thousands of hooks. (As if I need any more hooks.) And a bunch of other assorted goodies.
> 
> ...


No nylon BS in that reel. French asembled, all European made components,. Simple, straightforward design with metal gears.Don't limit yourself with that reel, the drag is smooth, the frame and gearing more than up to anything most MI fish can throw at it. After the complete ban on commercial and sportfishing on the Great Lakes ended in the early 70's, I caught innumerable 10#+ walleye, Huge pike and toad smallies on my 300's spooled with 8# Garcia Royal Bonnyl..


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## PunyTrout (Mar 23, 2007)

ESOX said:


> A pic of the logo on the rod would help. I am thinking it's a rod made in Detroit by Betts Tackle Co.


Esox, You just nailed it. Looks like the remnants of the word *Betts*.










Great guess. I know nothing about them. I never would have deciphered that.


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## Waif (Oct 27, 2013)

PunyTrout said:


> Turns out the spare spool fits perfectly. I just wasn't using the spool eject button.
> 
> I also scored a box of flies, a really cool hook sharpener, and a small bait box that mounts to a belt. Also a few boxes of thousands of hooks. (As if I need any more hooks.) And a bunch of other assorted goodies.
> 
> ...


The piece that holds the spool in your pic with the three arms/fingers is what I have got line caught under. (No idea how..L.o.l.).

Without a line roller ,drag too light beats too tight. You can always palm a bit of the spool with a thumb or a pinky or whatever... 
You get tightening it on a fish , it can invite to much tension before you can back it off again.
Or , you might be more nimble than I...

The high capacity spool can use backing on it. It holds a lot of line! Right around a couple hundred yards of eight pound I think.
There used to be a plastic bobbin kind of piece with a slit on it's side to fit over spool neck as a reducer. But of course there were also spools made with less line capacity too.


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## ESOX (Nov 20, 2000)

the three arms are the drag knob. the push button center is how you release the spool. Great design, dont know why no one still uses it. 

Here is my Moms old 308 trout reel, the UL version of the 300. My Dad gave her that shortly after they went to the straight lever anti reverse switch I was referring to.


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## tincanary (Jul 23, 2018)

ESOX said:


> No nylon BS in that reel. French asembled, all European made components,. Simple, straightforward design with metal gears.Don't limit yourself with that reel, the drag is smooth, the frame and gearing more than up to anything most MI fish can throw at it. After the complete ban on commercial and sportfishing on the Great Lakes ended in the early 70's, I caught innumerable 10#+ walleye, Huge pike and toad smallies on my 300's spooled with 8# Garcia Royal Bonnyl..


Nylon isn't BS, it's a safety feature, at least when it comes to baitcasters. All of the Ambassadeurs have a nylon gear that drives the level wind. If you pinch your finger between the frame and line guide, you want it to fail or else you could get hurt. That happened to Shoeman with his Record 60. I noticed the line guide was cockeyed a little before I even broke it down. When I took it apart, the idler gear had a broken tooth. I asked about it, and sure enough he said "I pinched my finger". It did exactly as it was designed to do.


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## ESOX (Nov 20, 2000)

tincanary said:


> Nylon isn't BS, it's a safety feature, at least when it comes to baitcasters. All of the Ambassadeurs have a nylon gear that drives the level wind. If you pinch your finger between the frame and line guide, you want it to fail or else you could get hurt. That happened to Shoeman with his Record 60. I noticed the line guide was cockeyed a little before I even broke it down. When I took it apart, the idler gear had a broken tooth. I asked about it, and sure enough he said "I pinched my finger". It did exactly as it was designed to do.


I thought I was the only moron who ever did that!


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## tincanary (Jul 23, 2018)

ESOX said:


> I thought I was the only moron who ever did that!


I remember when I was a kid and I'd do with with my grandpa's old Lews baitcaster on purpose. He'd yell "it'll cut your finger off!" Here's the offending piece from Ralf's reel. The good news is he still has his finger. I can't imagine what it would take to brake a hardened steel worm gear free backed up with a brass or bronze idler gear. Ouch.


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## ESOX (Nov 20, 2000)

tincanary said:


> I remember when I was a kid and I'd do with with my grandpa's old Lews baitcaster on purpose. He'd yell "it'll cut your finger off!" Here's the offending piece from Ralf's reel. The good news is he still has his finger. I can't imagine what it would take to brake a hardened steel worm gear free backed up with a brass or bronze idler gear. Ouch.
> 
> View attachment 416201


Oh I got my finger jammed so badly in a 6500 C4 that I broke one ear off the level wind pawl. That kinda stung! Just to add insult to injury, the fish that was screaming out drag and caused it got away too.


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## -db- (Jan 12, 2016)

The rod is a St. Croix Betts (Wisconsin-made) produced after they acquired the Betts of Detroit brand. This isn't a bad thing as St. Croix is quality stuff but the old Detroit-marked Betts rods are cool, too.

You can nail down the reel, and determine date via the serial number, here: http://vintagemitchells.com/dating-reels


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## tincanary (Jul 23, 2018)




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## tincanary (Jul 23, 2018)

I'm going to hit this and see what I can find. There's bound to be tons of fishing equipment https://yardsaletrail.blogspot.com/


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## piketroller (Oct 24, 2016)

Sounds like a good excuse to drive up the river/lakeshore and get an ice cream cone in Grind Stone and pick though the yard sales.


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## tincanary (Jul 23, 2018)

piketroller said:


> Sounds like a good excuse to drive up the river/lakeshore and get an ice cream cone in Grind Stone and pick though the yard sales.


I'm heading back home from my mom's that weekend so I'll probably take 69 to Port Huron and go from there down to New Baltimore. Might find some nice project/parts reels.


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## PunyTrout (Mar 23, 2007)

-db- said:


> The rod is a St. Croix Betts (Wisconsin-made) produced after they acquired the Betts of Detroit brand. This isn't a bad thing as St. Croix is quality stuff but the old Detroit-marked Betts rods are cool, too.


Wow! you double-nailed it. There are a few images on google of other rods that even share the same components. and glass.

https://picclick.com/Vintage-ST-CROIX-Fiberglass-92-7-6-112051339275.html

https://www.ebay.com/itm/112051339275

Thanks for the tip. 

I already own several St. Croix rods. Now I own another...


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## Scout 2 (Dec 31, 2004)

I have that same rod and reel. It was my FIL's and I was wondering about it but this info cleared it all up. He used this combo as long as I remember being around him


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## tincanary (Jul 23, 2018)

ESOX said:


> Daiwa and Abu is all I have on the boat.
> 
> You forgot the Diplomat is still Sweedish as well.
> 
> how much for the 3600? want to trade a pile of functional c3 4s for it ?


I'm always looking for parts reels, as you've seen in some of my for sale postings I like to build Frankenreels. One of the members here is buying my chrome framed 5600 soon, gonna meet up with him on the way up to my folk's in Lupton. If you want the 3600, I'll take a Ulysses for it. It doesn't have the 6.3:1 gears or ceramic hybrid bearings like Ralf's. This one is 5.3:1 and has the factory bearings, but they have been cleaned out really good and lubed with TSI 321 high speed oil and a Carbontex drag and lighter brake blocks have been installed. It's all spooled up with 50lb Power Pro too. All you gotta do is fish it


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## ESOX (Nov 20, 2000)

Ah hell, I dont care what brakes it has, I run my reels wide open. lemme ponder this. never had a 3600 size round, unless you count millionaire Zs's.


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## tincanary (Jul 23, 2018)

ESOX said:


> Ah hell, I dont care what brakes it has, I run my reels wide open. lemme ponder this. never had a 3600 size round, unless you count millionaire Zs's.


Remember the old 3500C they made in the late 70s/early 80s? It's about the size of that, but a lower reel foot so it's easy to palm.


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## msfcarp (Jun 6, 2006)

tincanary said:


> I always look for reels I can refurbish. Shimano Bantams, Shimano Calcuttas, Abu Ambassadeurs, and Abu/Zebco Cardinals are what I'm almost always on the lookout for. Those old dogs may not be as buttery smooth as the brand new stuff, but they will do anything the new reels will do and last a lot longer.


I have several 4’s and 3’s and love them but feel they don’t handle braid as well as newer reels, tends to tangle around the bail or wrap around the spool release knob.

I did get lucky and find one at a flea market, and just missed out on another at an estate sale once.


Sent from my iPhone using Michigan Sportsman


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## tincanary (Jul 23, 2018)

My brother grabbed this guy for me at an estate sale up by his house, dropped it off yesterday. It's going to be a custom build for a MS member.










She was pretty damn greasy after breakdown and had a fair amount of dirt inside, but that frame shines like the grill on a '52 Packard after cleaning and hitting with Blue Magic metal polishing cream.









Here's the brake plate. The 4.7:1 gears (high speed back in 1978) will be replaced with custom made 6.3:1 gears complete with the click wheel so our MS member can hear a fish pulling drag. The Teflon drag washers will be replaced with greased Carbontex to up the drag capabilities and make it smoother over all.









Lastly, the bushing level wind will be replaced with a double bearing level wind and have a lighter weight titanium line guide instead of the factory heavy chrome bullet used in that time period. Also on the chopping block is the factory bushing cog wheel which will have a double bearing cog wheel in its place, effectively bringing the bearing count from 2 to 6. It should be quite the piece when it's finished.


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## junkman (Jan 14, 2010)

IMG_0685




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junkman


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Aug 7, 2019




Reel





Found this sticking out of a trash can a few years ago.


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## tincanary (Jul 23, 2018)

There's something you don't see every day, a low profile knuckle buster.


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## oworm (Jun 1, 2017)

I picked up an old/new French Mitchell 300A on ebay a couple years ago, still in its original packaging. Early 80's model. I have about 4 of these reels in my possession including a 300 Garcia/Mitchell model which still has the clicker anti reverse retrieve.

These reels were the norm for Salmon spinning and worming fishers in the UK, up until they were outsourced to Taiwan. The Taiwanese models failed within two years no matter how well cared for. I had one that lasted only one season of hard fishing.

One of the things I like about them is that there are three spool depth options. Deep (12lb, 10lb or 8lb), Mid (8lb and 6lb) and shallow (5lb and 4lb).

I recently took possession a Scottish made Diawa Alltmor 11' Spinning Rod. This will be married to the 300A for Nostalgic reasons, and put into service!


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## tincanary (Jul 23, 2018)

Those old Mitchells along with the Abu/Zebco Cardinals just don't quit. Plus they're super easy to work on. They may not cast as far as the newer stuff, but they aren't throwaway reels either. I've been fortunate (unfortunate?) enough to wrench on a Shimano Stella and that was a very labor intensive process. The schematic doesn't show proper orientation of many washers in the rotor and bail assembly and once I got it right, it didn't feel as smooth as a factory fresh unit. I triple checked my work and had everything in there correctly, nothing under or over lubricated either. 

The only spinners I work on now are the ones mentioned early in this post plus Penn spinners. Other reel techs I know charge a premium for working on such complex reels, often over $40 per hour, they call it the "Stella tax". On those overly complex reels I limit them to a drag upgrade and nothing more. If they're in dire need of servicing I tell the customer to send it back to the manufacturer because they will get it right most of the time.


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## oworm (Jun 1, 2017)

tincanary said:


> They may not cast as far as the newer stuff, but they aren't throwaway reels either.


My Daiwa Capricorn 4500A is reserved for the big River. I'd like to learn to use a small multiplier for the bigger work though. Never used or tried one.


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## tincanary (Jul 23, 2018)

oworm said:


> My Daiwa Capricorn 4500A is reserved for the big River. I'd like to learn to use a small multiplier for the bigger work though. Never used or tried one.


They're fun, I use baitcasters for everything except the tiniest of baits, and even then I have some tuning tricks up my sleeve to get those smaller ones throwing light stuff. My favorite reel in my collection is my Abu 4500CS. I added another 5 bearings and polished some of the internals and it will sling a 4" Senko with a 1/4oz bullet weight out to 50yd no problem on my 7' M KastKing rod. Here it is during a free spool test. Not bad for an almost 30 year old dinosaur.


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## oworm (Jun 1, 2017)

What would I expect to pay for such a thing of beauty as this, used?


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## tincanary (Jul 23, 2018)

oworm said:


> What would I expect to pay for such a thing of beauty as this, used?


It depends. The reel above is a pretty rare one, Abu doesn't make the 4500CS very often and if they do it's usually in runs of 100 or less. They're made for the Japanese and Swedish markets only. A mint used 4500CS typically runs $200+ and those in decent shape (working, minimal scuffs/boat rash) typically go for $100 to $150. The one in my post above isn't mint, there are some small scratches in the side plates, but there is also $150 worth of upgrades and labor into it. Once you get into special colors like Heritage Bronze, Apple Red, or Sunset Orange, the price goes up. Heritage Bronze is the rarest color with only 50 in the wild and a mint reel with the box and associated literature will go for $500+.


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