Mitchell 386 Any good ??

[martin56]

Hi - took a chance & won a MITCHELL 386 SALT WATER fixed spool on ebay.

I have mitchell 440A (x2) & a 300 freshwater reel & they're great, i'm just hoping i'll get as much pleasure out of using the 386 (when it arrives)

Off to Fuerta Ventura in new year & using it for spinning/plugging + any tips on say float fishing a sand eel ( + wobbling them).

Any tips from anyone would be more than welcome.


Martin.

[SteveM422]

An old fishing buddy of mine used a mitchell fixed spool that looked very much like this during the early/mid seventies... If I remember it was quite a hefty piece of kit (although our hands were much smaller back then!) and he absolutely loved it... Many happy hours spent drowning worms off Chesil Bank!

[martin56]

Hi Steve - thanks for that - yes it looks a bit of a lump.

I'm a bit of a novice @ sea fishing & tend to approach it with my freshwater head on.
If you were float fishing a sand eel, how should i rig it up ?? Head down makes sense to me as fish (i'm thinking pike now) generally take a dead bait HEAD FIRST so the gills dont stick in it's throat as it tries to swallow it.
Does the same apply in SEA fish ?
I'll be going for tuna/large mackeral types from shore/rocks (like i've seen on the holiday pic's by the locals.)
I reckon 15lb line should be ok for this - Blue coloured line seems popular for the sea - any thoughts ?
I'm using the 386 with a 3.5 Metre ONSET shakespeare tele'beach rod (just fits in suit case). Also another 11' strong(ish) tele' with my Cardinal 104.
Will also be plugging/spinning as i said.
Thanks again.
Martin.

[chazyboi]

mitchells stand the test of time i collect them prolly not got the finess of newer plastic reels but just as good if not better on reliability make sure you rinse it after use salt water eats them alive,,

[martin56]

Thanks for that Chaz - will rinse as you say which makes complete sense, but i was under the impression that THIS reel claims to be totally corrosion proof (as you might expect from a DECENT sea reel ??)
Martin.

[chazyboi]

Originally Posted by martin56

Thanks for that Chaz - will rinse as you say which makes complete sense, but i was under the impression that THIS reel claims to be totally corrosion proof (as you might expect from a DECENT sea reel ??)
Martin.

never had one thought they were all cast i took it for granted these were i have two or three dogs that have corroded badly i used for spares i have 440a x 3 diffrent mitchell franchises browning garcia ect 300 x2 330 otomatic like 440 match 840 x 1 a recent aquisition and a couple of 200 range not my fav ugly reel ,a couple of round mitchells 1 being a cap
might start collecting the sea reels i did see one on flea bay that had been stripped chrome plated and drain holes drilled in the spool housing looked quite good he claimed he used it sea fishing,,i get my parts from a dealer in nottingham now if you need spares