New member here, just saying Hello

[morlock]

New to this forum, not to fishing. Got interested in vintage reels purely by accident only a few weeks ago. Being a long time antique firearms enthusiast I appreciate the old-school craftmanship on any mechanical device, so long story short... I picked up a box full of miscellaneous junk at a local thrift store, you know those plastic tubs filled with all kinds of semi-related to each other and often broken items. This one had a bunch of fishing gear, a few lures, usual Chinese-made stuff. Since I could see through the plastic, a few items attracted my attention. A couple of old-time looking reels and a few old lures. Paid my $9.95 and used my 20% discount coupon, so it was even cheaper. About half of the items went straight into the trash can. But there were two reels that I was after. One was a Mitchell 300 and the the other one was really cool-looking Penn Long Beach DeLux. Did a bit of research on the Penn and found out that it was a pretty rare one, made in 1938. So, not having any use for the Penn, I sold it for the amount that very surprised me to put it mildly. The 300 is a type of a reel I could use as I mostly fish for trout in a smaller creeks and rivers. I took it apart, cleaned it and it works well enough for actual field use. It sort of reminds me of driving an old truck with manual tranny. The gear noise alone is very unique. After reading a few threads on this fine forum, I've decided to upgrade to the 308 or 408 Model. Am I on the right path? Thank you in advance and apologize for the longer than intended post.     

[Keta]

Hi.

[MACflyer]

Welcome! Don't think there's a right path repairing and using old fishing gear, but for many it's an enjoyable path.

[foakes]

Welcome aboard!

Best, Fred

[morlock]

Thank you, guys. I want to get into using vintage setup that is functional, but also looks good. Out of all the smaller reels I've checked out, I like the looks of a Mitchell 308/408 model the best. Like I mentioned, I have no meaningful personal experience in this field except for the 300 Model. Another thing which might be a bit unusual is I want to pair it up with a short telescopic rod of the same vintage (late '50s-early '60s). Nothing longer that 5 feet. What are the choices out there?

[foakes]

There are some very high quality ultralight vintage reels out there from the 60's thru the late 70's.  These I consider to be the "golden age" of spinning reels.

These would include the Mitchell 308/408, Penn 716, 716Z, 714, 714Z,
D-A-M Quick 265, 110, 110N, 1000, 1001, ABU/ZEBCO Cardinal 3, and the Daiwa 500C, 700C, 1000C, GS-1, Mini-Mite.

My recommendation would be if going to a 308/408 —- to get the 408 in dark blue.  It is a high-speed reel with much stronger gears than a 308.

I would also not consider a telescoping rod, since they are more prone to issues, plus you lose the "solid feel and flex" necessary when fishing ultralight gear.

My choice would be a Fenwick, Garcia Conolon, or Eagle Claw in the 5' size, in fiberglass, and if looking for easier transport —- go with a 2-piece 5' or 5'3" rod —- and get a case for it with a soft sock.

This would keep everything vintage in the correct era, plus it would be a lifetime combo that would not break the bank.

Best, Fred

[oc1]

I want to pair it up with a short telescopic rod of the same vintage (late '50s-early '60s). Nothing longer that 5 feet. What are the choices out there?

I don't recall any serious telescoping rods from the '60-70's.  Maybe a St.Croix bream buster, but not much else.

[Brewcrafter]

Welcome from the SoCal Inland Empire!  You are in the right place to learn about how to maintain and enjoy classic reels and tackle.  Any questions you have someone here will probably have the experience to give you a solid answer.  - john

[morlock]

There are some very high quality ultralight vintage reels out there from the 60's thru the late 70's.  These I consider to be the "golden age" of spinning reels.

These would include the Mitchell 308/408, Penn 716, 716Z, 714, 714Z,
D-A-M Quick 265, 110, 110N, 1000, 1001, ABU/ZEBCO Cardinal 3, and the Daiwa 500C, 700C, 1000C, GS-1, Mini-Mite.

My recommendation would be if going to a 308/408 —- to get the 408 in dark blue.  It is a high-speed reel with much stronger gears than a 308.

I would also not consider a telescoping rod, since they are more prone to issues, plus you lose the "solid feel and flex" necessary when fishing ultralight gear.

My choice would be a Fenwick, Garcia Conolon, or Eagle Claw in the 5' size, in fiberglass, and if looking for easier transport —- go with a 2-piece 5' or 5'3" rod —- and get a case for it with a soft sock.

This would keep everything vintage in the correct era, plus it would be a lifetime combo that would not break the bank.

Best, Fred

Great info, Fred, thank you very much! That's exactly what I was looking for. I will check all those reels out. Yes, I do realize that telescopic rods have their drawbacks, but the type of fishing I do often requires some serious bushwhacking and I found that something portable works best. I've been using Eagle Claw telescopic for a long time and it never let me down as of yet. I catch mainly small to medium size trout, nothing more than a 12-14 inches usually, but managed to hook and land a small salmon a couple of times. I prefer something that is no longer than 5 feet simply because of the rough terrain and thick brush often times restricts casting with anything longer than that.   

[morlock]

Thanks again, guys. I am glad I found this forum. Very easy to use and navigate through. Like I said, this is all relatively new thing to me. I've fished almost my entire life with everything from gill nets to trotlines and underwater spear guns, but an idea to get into the vintage gear came to me rather unexpectedly, even though I've been into Lugers, Mausers and pretty much all pre-WW2 firearms for a long time. I do most of my fishing on the West side of the Cascade mountains with a few coastal rivers now and then, but one of the most unique places I've ever fished was the Gila river, down in southern New Mexico. You can catch catfish, perch, bass and trout all in the same river. And I must say, I've never caught or had a better tasting catfish anywhere else. That place is remote and hard to get to, but very well worth it. 

[Gfish]

Welcome Morlock!
I have a Long Beach Deluxe. Yeah, a kinda rare older Penn, probably a '36. Have several M.G.-300's; version 3, version 4 or 5 and a '74(version 7?). Excessive gear noise can sometimes be reduced with shim washers in several places. Best place I've found to start is the brass pinion.

[Shark Hunter]

Welcome Morlock!
Wealth of information here.

[morlock]

Absolutely! I am starting to learn a great deal about these vintage micro reels. So, I did look up all the ones Fred had on his list and I really liked the D.A.M lineup. I especially like the looks of the D.A.M junior. Any scoop on that one?

[alantani]

welcome!!!

[Dominick]

Glad to have you on board.  Dominick, San Mateo, CA