[coachd]

A friend of mine recently gave me a reel he found cleaning out someone's attic. It's marked:
Garcia Mitchell 495. Can any of you old salts give me some background on the reel...how old it might be and whether its worth my while to use it off the beach....thanks

 

[611906]

If the "495" number is accurate---sounds like it could be a "left handed" (ie, right handed crank) version of the 496. The 496 was a skirted spool version of the 486, which was about the same sized reel as a Penn 706. Like the Penns, the old Mitchells could be converted to a manual pickup, and some came from the factory that way.

I would say it's late 1970s, maybe early 1980s vintage. Not worth much as a collectible, but it might be to some old Mitchell loyalists. They are tough, durable reels, I would use it if it was mine. Pretty simple inside, even more simple than a 704 or 706. Very reliable, decent---tho not fantastic---drag.

Up until 1990 or so, the Mitchells were made in France. After that, they were made in Korea. The French ones should have "FRANCE" embossed on the reel foot.

 

[coachd]

Mike...thanks for the reply...I plan on using the reel in the spring for chunking and floating live bait. Coach D

 

[cat14361]

ha mike you seem to have the knowledge of good reels so can you help me figure out what reel i can match up with my 10ft. 1piece lamiglas chunck stick 4-12oz. i looking for a casting reel without the level wind on it. maybe you might know of some good ones. please get back to me asap. before i go to the store an buy anything.

 

[611906]

I'll stick to ones that are generally available. If you're on a budget, the Penn Squidder is a good choice at around $70. It's virtually indestructable, but it takes an educated thumb to master.

Two more modern reels that I like are the Newell 229 or 235, and the Daiwa Sealine 30. They run about $135 or so. The Newells are a very fast reel with graphite spools and take a little more practice to tame than the Daiwa. There are two Daiwa Sealine 30 reels--the better one is the newer version with the gold aluminum spool.

The Penn GS 525 Mag is a little on the small size for that application, and the bigger 535 isn't the best casting reel I've ever tried.

You can find Penns almost anywhere. I've seen the Newells at Beckmann's in Lynbrook and Causeway in Wantagh. Causeway also sells the Daiwa reels and is a Daiwa warranty center for parts. That's a very good shop and I have no problem suggesting them as a starting point in your reel search--and I'm not affiliated with them in any way

 

[cat14361]

ha mike p it seems to me like you have a lot of history & good pointers for all aspects on the fishing class. why thanks my fellow fisherman or might i say one of the knowledgeable one's. tightlines...cat