I still fish with a Mitchell 409. The one item I wish I could improve is more even line spooling. I've attached a photo of one of my spools with 6 pound co-polymer line. Does anyone have a tuning fix?
Mitchell Spool.jpeg
These reels and spools were designed to be used with mono.
You might see if an underspool spacer is missing or too thick.
One or the other may help to even the line lay
Also, is this a deep spool or a shallow spool?
Typically, deep spools will tend to bunch up like this if too much line is spooled onto the spool.
Also could be that the bail is slightly bent and therefore not squaring with the spool.
All of this is easily fixed and adjustable.
The 409 is an excellent tiny high speed Mitchell for left handers. Solid gears.
Best, Fred
Does this model have a bail bumper , that is worn or missing ? That would help keep the 90 degree bail to spool relationship . If you have shims under the spool remove one , spool wants more down stroke moving the line up toward the top of the spool . More even line lay .