New girlfriend just showed me her deceased husbands fishing collection.
He has and made a lot of these lures. I believe they have a specific name but not sure what they could be used for in fresh or possibly salt applications. Also he has a TONS (boxes and boxes) of Mitchell reels, some of them brand new in orig boxes with all literature. Models 300, 301, 308, 310UL, 330, 400, 410. I never realized that there were so many models. I see on line that there are many more than I have listed above. It would be nice to find someone who was a guru on Mitchells so we could find out what to do with them.

Look forward to hearing what that lure is called and what it can be used for.

That's a spinnerbait, mostly used on FW bass. Not that it wouldn't catch in the salt, but kinda light for casting and the hardware won't stand the salt. Boone makes some like that for saltwater, but I have never tried them.
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Fresh water buzz bait. LMB will go airborn hitting that lure. My guess is those reels have some significant value.

Definitely a spinnerbait.....buzzbaits have a rotating blade that acts as a prop to churn the water.

The Mitchell 300 is a classic spinning reel still being used by many. Check ebay to see what the market value might be. Yours appears to be in excellent condition and with the box and paperwork should bring max dollar if you decide to place it on the market.

Definitely a spinnerbait.....buzzbaits have a rotating blade that acts as a prop to churn the water.

Yep, I have not been back to sweet water fishing since I caught my first striped bass...

Very weird thread. A bit sad, actually.

I suspect most of us would hope our wives asked our family and fishing friends what they could use or want, then seek their assistance with selling or giving away what was left.

I agree- sad and makes me think of what may happen to my stuff when I am no longer on the beach.

We knew a guy very active in the CT Surfcasters who passed on and he had a lot of plugs and gear. We offered his widow to help out but we did not want her to think we were trying to take advantage of her. She did not ask us for help and we never found out what happend to all of his gear- and he had thousands of dollars worth. So its a difficult situation to know how to help.

Maybe he was in the tackle business or bought some inventory when a shop went under.

I told my kids to give my Bassmaster plugs to Peter O'Neil if I die and he would be the one that may actually remember Dave at that time.

The problem with value on those reels is that they made so many of them over the years, they probably don't command a very high price. Maybe a bit more when they're in the original boxes as the one shown in the pic here.

Very weird thread. A bit sad, actually.

I suspect most of us would hope our wives asked our family and fishing friends what they could use or want, then seek their assistance with selling or giving away what was left.

I understand where you are coming from with your comment but she advised that no one in family fishes and did not give a hoot as to what happened to his fishing gear. My mistake.... I should have stated that in my original post. I agree with you ..


Thanks all for the comments and info on the spinner baits. I did a queery on youtube and found out these things are very special to a lot
of bass fisherman some stating best overall lure period. There are lots of new ones already made up and even more "components" to make more if need be. Will add them to my collection and give them a try when out for bass.

The problem with value on those reels is that they made so many of them over the years, they probably don't command a very high price. Maybe a bit more when they're in the original boxes as the one shown in the pic here.

The 300 was the single most widely produced spinning reel ever. They were kept in production for over 50 years, even as Mitchell changed ownership several times. Millions of them were made. However, one in excellent condition, complete with original box and paperwork, would still have value to a collector. The original Mitchells, without the "Garcia-Mitchell" label, would be especially valued.

Size wise, the 300 is about the same as a Penn 710 or 550 SS. The big surf version was the 302/402. Models with a "3" prefix have a 3:1 retrieve, and the "4" version of the same size is the "high speed" version with a 4:1 retrieve. By today's standards, both are slow.

If you find some beat up ones, my advice would be to fish them, if they're still usable. Beat up 302s are a dime a dozen, as are 300s. They usually only bring somewhere between $25 and $50. The 302, if the drag still performs well, is an excellent choice for crawling a swimmer, or even for fishing eels. About the same size/capacity as a Penn 704. The drags tended to be a bit temperamental, though.

Mitchell also made some huge spinners, about the same size as a Crack/Luxor 300. Those were the 388/488 models, introduced later on. They exist only as Garcia-Mitchells, or later owners (Browning and Johnson). They even had a skirted spool version, the 398/498. Many came with manual pick-ups instead of bails.

Also, since I see that you listed a 301 there, any Mitchell whose model ends in an odd number is a "left handed" model, ie, right hand crank. They are not interchangeable. You're stuck with the handle where it is.

The 308, 310/410 and 330 are small fresh water reels.