Mitchell Reel Museum Discussion Group

Chris,
A rod building friend, gave me 2 vintage Conolon blanks UL. I built them with a rapid reduction guide train. I use them with a 204 or 308, for trout. I also picked up a Mitchell MH saltwater rod I pair with a 406, I also have several rods I've built for saltwater I use 300 and have used a 204 for flounder.

Ah yes- UK/ USA terminology!! Here in the UK people can fish competitively, either against one another or in a team in a fishing "match". The aim is to get the highest weight within a given time period after "drawing" for a swim (choosing a place to fish from a draw against others). People who fish in "matches" are called "matchmen" and they tend to use specific 'match" rods which are designed to cast; catch and retrieve quickly. The Mitchell 440 range is ideal for this and has been used since the 1960's for this purpose- having a 'dab" bail allows it to be used very quickly- a quicker action allows, in theory, more fish to be caught. A match rod has a quick action; is around 13 foot long; is very light; and can be worked for hours on end without tiring! Some good 'matchmen" can earn a very good living at being top of their game.- I was never that good!!

I have one of my 300 reels on a Berkeley Buchaneer 7 foot medium action glass rod. I have had this one for about 45 years. I also have a 5 1/2 foot Berkeley light action glass rod that holds my 308.

Another Mitchell 300 is on a Hardy Fibalite 7 1/2 foot medium action rod. This rod is in nearly new condition and is really top quality. The only drawback is that it mounts the reel with 2 aluminum rings onto the cork handle, instead of a reel seat. A fellow at work gave this rod to me. I expect it is early 80’s.

I have a my 304 mounted on a 7 1/2 foot Bass Pro Shops house brand rod. It is ultra light action and is quite floppy.

I have a further 300 on a Shimano rod, graphite I believe.

Thanks for opening this thread on fishing rods.

Cheers and best wishes.

G. Glen Simpson
Dartmouth Nova Scotia

Hello Noodle, First let me you to the mitchell reel museum if you just joined, I'm not quite sure your profile says 2017. A while back we started a discussion about weather or not any of the match men used Conolon off the shelf rods or were they mostly custom made. In particular any Americans that may have went over to participate in the matches , or if you were in any distance casting matches in the U.S. It seems as though no one had any information about it, maybe you can enlighten us on the subject. Best Regards, John in Pa.

thanks for the information so far Gents. As regards the size of Carp in the UK. a guy called Dick Walker set the record at 44lbs in 1952, and this stood for 28 years. The record at present is 68lbs. By way of interest, Dick Walkers record was caught using a Mitchell 300!

Can anyone advise me how to add pics on here please?

Chris

bristolmod,
I am still curious about Match fishing.
So how large is the body of water where match fishing is held? Is it a lake or pond? Is the body of water, man-made or a natural lake/pond? Are the fish in the pond native (naturally occurring) or are they stocked? Is there more than just Carp in the pond or is it strictly Carp?

Kind Regards,
Bill

P.S. To post a photo. You go to where you type in your post and scroll down until you see "Upload Attachment". Photos are posted as attachments. Save the photo on your device and use the browse button to locate and select it. Then once uploaded correctly select: Add the File, to finish. Use the Preview button to see what it looks like above where you entered your text.
You must resize your photo to be no larger than 850 pixels wide.

yup the rise of commercials and f1 carp will kill the sport we grew up with, throw in the decimation of waterways to grow a few carp on to larger sizes so 'anglers' can camp out for a fish every other month...
im not the happiest bunny when it comes to fishing in the uk at the moment

any of you in the US want an idea of the types of water

http://makinsfishery.co.uk/

http://www.korda.co.uk/carpfishingnews/ ... w-members/

Dear Noodle and Bristolmod,

As a UK angler I agree with everything you say. The state of UK coarse fishing is a deplorable, but sadly reflects the times we live in.

The funny thing is that I think most anglers are still traditionalists at heart, but the commercial interests have the loudest voices and have taken over. I think abolishing the close season on lakes was a huge mistake.

Luckily, I have access to private Cotswold lakes, so what goes doesn't affect me. I feel particularly sorry for youngsters starting out today.

Returning to the original topic, I fished with 300's for 30 years but now use 410's. These are spooled with 6 lbs. line and matched with 1.25 tc. Terry Eustace Avon rods. I fish for Tench, but have landed Carp to 37 lbs. on this oufit. Provided no snags are present it is surprising what can be achieved with patience. I never use the reel clutch, but prefer to backwind.

Dear Bonaventure,

I am impressed that you know of Dick Walker who popularised the Mitchell over here. He actually caught his record Carp on a home-made cane rod of his own design called the MK.4. This was the go to rod for specimen hunters for 20 years or so, and was made commercially by B.James & Son of cane and later fibreglass. Other makers also built MK.4's or sold kits.

Hardy actually made a version of this rod which I believe was called the Richard Walker carp rod. This was also made of cane and glass.

For my sins I collect MK.4 rods. Walker hand-built 5 MK.4 rods from scratch and I am fortunate to own the one he made for his best friend Peter Thomas who netted the record carp. I also have the first prototype B.James rod which Walker tested at Redmire Pool and one of the first batch made, which were called signature rods because Walker hand signed them. Photos attached.

Like many of my generation (I'm 70) I was a confirmed "Walker man" which is why I use and collect Mitchells.

JF.

I also meant to comment that those rods you have are treasures.

Glen

Ah "Fishing With Mr Crabtree" Every boys "must have" birthday present from the 1960's. Still got mine, and I still read it. It epitomises what angling SHOULD be about- a gentle, skilled pastime that taught lads all about the Countryside; wildlife, and how to behave. Perhaps i'm looking back with rose tinted glasses, but todays "angling" has lost something.

someone mention terry eustace rods....

my carp rods are terry eustace carbon carps.. in 2 lb test curve been using them with 300's for years and have this season invested in some 410's for them

Richard Walker ive read a lot of his stuff but im of an age where Chris Yates and Rod Hutchinson are my sort of heroes
i mean Yatesy landed the first 50 on an avon with an ambidex (i think) and with 6lb line from a rather weedy venue..

i use quite a lot of avons but most are more contemporary being north western glass or shakespeare sigma and leeda blue diamond versions
one of the best things to come out of the current uk scene though are the pellet waggler rods seeing as i fish for perch quite a lot they are really rather useful

Dear Noodle,

Terry Eustace was a good friend of mine and I've used only his rods since 1980. It was always good fun visiting his first shop, and his early catalogues were a good read.

I've a pair of his 12 foot carp rods that I never got around to using. I think they are around 1.75 lbs. tc with cork handles. I suspect they are the same as yours. Terry always thought they were the ultimate carp rods.

I last spoke to him a couple of years ago.

Hutchinson is certainly a character and an entertaining writer, but he is responsible for a lot of what goes on today; especially the boozing on the bank which I don't care for. It's quite amusing that carp fishing is completely the reverse of what it was 40 - 50 years ago. Then it really was elitist and us ordinary anglers were in awe of the carp men. Not any more.

I wonder what Walker and BB would make of it all if they were around today?

Kind regards,

JF.

I've used the Shakespeare Wonderods with my Mitchell 300s ever since I was a kid. I like the fiberglass.