Mitchell 1060 Medium game 6/0

[oldmanjoe]

Stumbled on this reel .. Needs a little love and polish .  Will start on it in the next day or so .

[MACflyer]

Pretty cool looking reel Joe. Any idea when it was manufactured?

[JasonGotaProblem]

"medium game" while probably entirely logical, it's a term I've never heard used before with tackle.

[oldmanjoe]

Pretty cool looking reel Joe. Any idea when it was manufactured?

"medium game" while probably entirely logical, it's a term I've never heard used before with tackle.

The reel was available in 3 versions 
Mitchell 1060 (6/0-2:1 Big Game Trolling)    1969 (S)    ?
Mitchell 1060 (6/0-3:1 Big Game Trolling)    1969 (S)    ?
Mitchell 1060 (6/0-4:1 Big Game Trolling)    1969 (S)

  This one is 4;1  , I call it medium game .  475 yards of 30 pound test .
  I have most of it apart and cleaning up now .  Every screw on this reel was stupid tight mostly from salt corrosion . 

[CincyDavid]

Great looking reel. I associate Mitchell with the 300 series spinners and completely forgot they dabbled in other markets.

[oldmanjoe]

All cleaned up and greased .   A lot of rash/scratches ,  but I will take care of it another time.

[MACflyer]

Looks good Joe, battle scars and all. You planning on fishing it?

[JasonGotaProblem]

So. What color will this one become?

[oldmanjoe]

Looks good Joe, battle scars and all. You planning on fishing it?

I will fish with it , I am gathering the parts to build a stick for this reel now .

[oldmanjoe]

So. What color will this one become?

I have a darker gray now ,but I am looking at for a closer color match .

[oldmanjoe]

  Another time came ! New raincoat to fight the salt ...

[foakes]

Beautiful work, Joe!

Best Regards, Fred

[MACflyer]

Looks great Joe! Your "another time" is much quicker than mine.    Hope you catch some nice grouper and big snapper with that reel.

[oldmanjoe]

Thank you for the kind words . I really like this reel, it is a pitbull .   Very well made and throughout , yet simple to work on .

[oldmanjoe]

   Looking around and found this Dutch site .   You can translate it into english.
https://www.de-complete-visser.be/2022/03/18/vintage-review-mitchell-big-game-series-1040-1060-1090-1120/
.There is a lot of information on the big game reels and a tutorial for the big game reel
 Lets see if I can do a copy and paste ,  Looks like the picture did not come through .

VINTAGE REVIEW. MITCHELL "BIG GAME" REELS SERIES 1040 1060 1090 1120
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Vintage review
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March 18, 2022

PART 1
HISTORY
Carpano & Pons, better known as Mitchell, grew into a giant in the angling industry after the Second World War. When Mitchell captured a significant share of the spinning reel market in the early 1960s, the idea arose to produce reels as well.

Ultimately, these became 3 classic series, which were commercialized with varying degrees of success:

The "Captain" 600 series
Classic star drag reels in sizes 1/0-4/0. Manufactured between 1964 and 1987 and typically Mitchell: very solid yet democratically priced. There are versions with a metal spool, intended for medium to heavy boat fishing, as well as versions with a lightweight synthetic spool for surfcasting. This Captain series was clearly intended to compete with the American Penn and became a major worldwide success. The Captain will be discussed in a later article.
The "Big Game" 1040 1060 1090 1120 series
The wealthy Big Game anglers who participate in tournaments worldwide are the jet set of the angling world. Their exploits make headlines in all angling magazines, and the exclusive reels and rods they use are "the stuff that dreams are made of" (to quote Humphrey Bogart). Since the 1930s, the absolute top in this segment were the American manufacturers Fin Nor and Tycoon, makers of the iconic gold-colored lever drag reels and the Bimini King rods. In the early 1960s, Mitchell decided to launch a prestige reel, intended as a competitor to the Fin Nor. Robert Mimeur designed the reel, and for its construction, they called upon a manufacturer of precision instruments. For marketing, the French national Big Game Fishing team, led by Pierre Clostermann, was enlisted, among others. The team tested the prototypes during championships and made every effort to put the new reels in the spotlight. This "Mitchell Big Game" was made in sizes 4/0, 6/0, 9/0, and 12/0. The series enjoyed rather limited success, and production was discontinued in the late 1970s. This article covers this series. Assembly/disassembly will follow later in Part 2.

Advertisement with a 1040. Still with a round ratchet knob, so an early model.
The "President" series
Years later, Mitchell gets the opportunity to acquire the Italian brand "Gladiator" from JC Rossetti, and this workshop would produce the Mitchell "President"   big game reels during the 1980s. Made in sizes from 2/0 to 14/0, including 2-speed models. The "President" is not really a success either, and will eventually disappear without a trace.
DESIGN

Drawing accompanying the US patent application
In the drawing accompanying the patent, we see the reel in the 'fishing position'. On the right side plate is the crank (since we turn with the right hand) as well as the heavy lever of the lever drag. Also on this side is the small lever that operates the ratchet alarm.

The heavy spool sits loosely (not coupled) on the central shaft, and the entire assembly rotates on 4 ball bearings. The pressure disc is coupled to the central shaft and is located to the left of the spool. When the lever pull is activated, this disc is pressed against the brake lining (left side of the spool). Due to friction, the spool and drive are now coupled. If the fish overcomes this friction, the clutch "slips" and the reel releases line. There is a small rotary wheel (the 'preset') on the lever used to adjust the drag.

Over the course of the production years, minor adjustments were made to the design. The intermediate stop for the "strike" position was missing on the first prototypes, but it was soon added. The construction of this intermediate stop was particularly successful: you push the lever against the stop and the reel is in "strike". If necessary, you can effortlessly push the intermediate stop in with your index finger while your thumb pushes the lever forward to the "full" position. The distance (and thus the difference in braking force) between "strike" and "full" could also be adjusted. The shape of the intermediate stop became somewhat more ergonomic over the course of the series.

Typical of the early production years are:

the button of the ratchet/detector is round instead of elongated.
Not yet a spring-loaded ball that holds the lever in the "free" position.
The stopover is a flat plate, becomes more ergonomic later.
The pendulum is 'hollowed out' on the inside. Later, it becomes solid.
On the left side (the side of the drag), there are two small holes at the bottom to drain water. These holes disappear later.
CONSTRUCTION

Balzer was the distributor in Germany. Advertisement from the 1970s
The reel is exceptionally solidly built from excellent materials. The large components (side plates, spool, handle, etc.) are made of anodized aluminium, and the mechanical and heavily stressed parts (gears, shafts, reel foot, etc.) of stainless steel. If I compare this Mitchell to the Fin Nor, I personally find the Mitchell superior in terms of design and at least equal in build quality. The price was therefore very steep at the time. 900 D-Mark was serious money in the 70s.

PRODUCTION

We know the exact production figures for the Captain and President reels. However, the figures for the Big Game series have not been preserved. We therefore have to make some educated guesses. Looking at the reels offered on eBay, the 4/0 and 6/0 clearly make up the bulk of the production. The 9/0 is offered very rarely, and the 12/0 is extremely rare. To such an extent, in fact, that we can speak of a "ghost reel": everyone knows it exists (after all, there is a photo in the 1979 Mitchell catalog), but no one has ever held one in their hands. The general opinion was therefore that the 1120 was never sold commercially. Later, this proved to be incorrect. I know of two examples: one with an American collector who found an 1120 after years of searching (mint in box, no less!). And one with a French big game angler. I was recently able to add the latter to my collection, truly a unique moment! What is certain is that in the first few years, only the 4/0 and 6/0 were sold commercially. The 9/0 did not appear on the market until around 1970, and the 12/0 only in the late 1970s. In the 1979 Mitchell catalogue, we see the 6/0, the 9/0, and the 12/0. The 4/0 is no longer offered.

The serial number is displayed very prominently on every reel: on the foot, it reads "MADE IN FRANCE" on one side, and "SERIAL N° ....." on the other.

On the left side, centrally located in the side plate, is a small decorative cover bearing the inscription Garcia (missing on early production), Mitchell, type (e.g. 1040), and below that the catch-up ratio (e.g. 4:1).

The overtaking ratio can be 4:1, 3:1, or 2:1 on the smaller models. On the two larger models, it is always 3:1.


The decorative medallion in the left side plate
The reels in my collection are:

4/0, early model with round ratchet knob, hollowed-out crank No. 20166
4/0, early model with round ratchet knob but already solid crank No. 20300
4/0, No. 20893
4/0, No. 21205
6/0, No. 20697
6/0, No. 21429
6/0, No. 21843
9/0, No. 22208
12/0, No. 22872
Numbers I found on the internet (Google Images):

6/0 No. 21853
9/0 No. 21655, No. 21728, No. 22572
Looking at it this way, I am inclined to think that the series starts with No. 20,000 and ends close to 22,900. Conclusion: the total production, across all models, is most likely less than 3,000 units. When we realize that the factory in Cluses produced more than 10,000 spinning reels per day , it becomes clear that the Big Game was indeed a particularly exclusive product.


My 1120. Extremely rare, and this one has clearly been through a lot. Is urgently due for a service. To be continued.
HOW TO ADJUST A LIVER DRAG
Ideally, the drag is adjusted with the complete set (reel, rod, line) rigged. The line is threaded through the guides and attached to a hand scale with a loop.

On the Mitchell, the lever can be placed in one of 10 'click positions', but essentially there are three standard lever positions:

FREE

The lever is turned as close as possible towards the angler. If the brake is properly adjusted, we have free spool here: the line runs out with little resistance.   Important : ALWAYS set the brake to free spool first before turning the preset knob to adjust the "strike"!!! Otherwise, you could damage the reel. After fishing, it is also best to set the reel to free spool to relieve the mechanism. Then set the clicker to avoid tangles.


Lever in the "FREE" position
STRIKE

The "strike" braking force is determined by the line strength. When trolling, this is typically 20 to 30% of the line's breaking strength. For a 40-pound line, this means a "strike" drag of 8 to 13 pounds. In principle, we drill the fish with the liver in this "strike" position.

The lever rotates in the shape of a circular arc when we activate the brake.

We determine a spot on the second quadrant (so past the halfway point) where we want the "strike" braking force. On many reels (including the Mitchell), this is already provided in the form of a sort of intermediate stop, often labeled "strike". In that case, we will adjust at this position. If nothing is provided on the reel, you can mark a strike position yourself using tape and a marker.

To adjust, we turn the "preset" dial. On our Mitchell, this is located above/to the side of the lever. Clockwise = more braking power. Counter-clockwise = less braking power.

We set the lever to strike and pull the line until the reel slips. Read the braking force on the scale.

If the drag is set too light: return to FREE, tighten the preset slightly (always a little at a time), return to STRIKE, and test with a scale. Repeat this until the drag on STRIKE reaches the desired value.

If the drag is set too heavy: follow the same procedure, but gradually lighten the preset until you achieve the desired result.


Lever up against the intermediate stop, so in the "STRIKE" position
FULL

If a fish needs to be pulled to its maximum at a certain moment (e.g., at the end of the fight), the drag can be pushed past the strike position to "full" (sometimes also called full stop or full drag). If you want to know how much drag that is on your reel, measure with the scale as before. On certain reels (such as our Mitchell), it is possible to adjust the distance/difference between STRIKE and FULL yourself. However, on many reels, this is not possible, and you have to settle for what the reel does in the "full drag" position.


Lever past the intermediate stop, in "FULL" position
CONCLUSION
The Big Game was a beautiful reel that, strangely enough, did not become a commercial success. A few years later, Penn launched the "Penn International" lever drag, and this Penn would indeed become the market leader in this segment. Why Penn did succeed is not immediately clear. Intrinsic quality is clearly not the issue, as the Mitchell is at least as good as the Penn. According to experts, it may have to do with the color. Lever drags were traditionally associated with the gold Fin Nors. Certainly in Japan (a top market for Big Game reels since the 1970s), the gray-blue color of the Mitchell was definitely not well-received, and the Japanese resolutely chose the Penn. Later, other manufacturers also learned the hard way that the general public in the USA and Japan only wants gold lever drags.

If you are looking for a Mitchell Big Game (for collection and/or fishing), you will notice that it does not turn up frequently. I have never come across one in Belgium, and it almost never appears on the market in the Netherlands either. Quite a few were sold in France back then, but even there you rarely or never see the Big Game on auction sites. Back when transport and import costs were still normal, I bought a 4/0 and a 6/0 via eBay USA at very reasonable prices. I found my 9/0 in France and a 4/0 (complete with oak box) in Germany. As a young man in the 70s, I used to dream away in the catalogs of Mitchell and Abu (both affiliated with Garcia), and the Big Game really stood out in terms of desirable quality (though completely unattainable at the time). The Holy Grail of European reels, so to speak. Not easy to find, but more than worth the search!


With a lot of luck, you can find a beautiful specimen in the original chest made of solid wood.




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