old mitchell 308 reel repair?

Hey guys, i got an old Garcia Mitchell 308 reel from my uncles house when he passed away. it looks like a nice quality reel, and would like to put it into use. the bail dosnt snap back doun after a cast, and it just dosnt feel like its in good working order. I dont have much money for repair, but if anyone knows of someone that can give it a tuneup- for a reasonable price, it would be extreemly apreciative!!!! thank you

not sure on a price but John Walter in Byron fixes reels

eyebuster is correct,

John’s Tackle Service does an excellent job of fixing reels. 507-775-6406 located at 15 Field Ave. SW Byron, Mn. 55920. Nice guy and very prompt .

Back in the 60’s these were top shelf reels. The Mitchell 408 was favorite of mine for trout. Mitchells had an inherent spring issue with their bails though. It is a light-wire coil spring and with use the ends like to weaken and drop off. Dollars to donuts this is your problem.

Get the reel fixed. And get a spare spring if you plan to fish it. The fix is fairly easy and that reel is a fine piece of equipment from years past.

Another thumbs up for John’s Tackle Service even if you do not live in the area his rates and shipping charges very reasonable.

Here is all of John’s Contact info……..

John’s Tackle Service

15 Field Ave. SW

Byron, Mn. 55920-6301

Phone 507-775-6406

Email [email protected]

Byron is 8 miles west of Rochester.

You can contact Mitchell at Pure Fishing which is in Spirit Lake, IA at 877-777-3850. Ask the operator for reel repair. They have a turn around of 48 hours on most reels. They have the parts for all the reels.

I have a Mitchell 408 reel almost like the 308 my problem is the reel wont lock on the axle after changing spools with the 308 I found out my 308 will lock the spools on, but none of the spools will lock on the 408 I’m thinking it the axle is the problem, anybody have any thoughts on my problem.

potatoemaninpa wrote:

I have a Mitchell 408 reel almost like the 308 my problem is the reel wont lock on the axle after changing spools with the 308 I found out my 308 will lock the spools on, but none of the spools will lock on the 408 I’m thinking it the axle is the problem, anybody have any thoughts on my problem.

On the end of the main axle,there are 2 flat prongs.Yours are probably pushed in too far.Those retain the spool.I have rebuilt many of these.

Thanks Milemark, I have fixed my 308’s and my 300’s ever since I was a kid but I have never run into a problem like this one, some of my reels date back to the mid to late 60S Thanks to all that replied to my post. Ed

There are several “buy it now” listings on E-bay for the bail spring you need. Replacing one is not too difficult.

June 14, 2018 at 11:22 am #1780383

I got a Mitchell 308 reel I use for trout mostly spinning I think I might have 2 problems one is ever rotation of the head I hear a click and if you turn the handle very slow you can feel resistance at the same spot every time. The second problem is when I took off the side plate to see if it needed grease or cleaning, I noticed wear marks on the inside of the side plate from the Oscillation Slide. I’m hoping to get it back into good working condition, it seems like a great little reel.