Lure identification & Lots of Mitchell reels

[wader-dad]

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.

[BigBo]

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.

[Mike P]

Originally Posted by BigBo

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.