Mitchell Reel Forum

Good Morning Everyone,

I have lurked for a while, but decided to join so I could chat as well as read the great threads here.

I wondered if anyone had ever spent any time identifying the Mitchell reels that were used by John Wilson in the earlier series of Go Fishing, circa mid to late 80s please? I had only recently started to watch a number of them (again), and he seems to use them for both fishing for pike on some smaller lakes, and fishing in his beloved Wensum too. As these are mostly VHS quality films, it's pretty hard to see any real detail to identify.

For anyone from outside of the UK, John Wilson to most UK anglers was one of the most loved fisherman, who had regular television programmes from the mid 80s onwards. He was always enthusiastic and happy, whether catching big or small fish and had a way of making you feel you were there on the bank with him.

I thought it interesting to see him using Mitchell reels, I assume out of his own choice, as he would have had access I'm sure to use pretty much any brand, and also later was involved in a few brands to which I believe he consulted and designed for, so I am not sure he would be seen using other brands after a certain point.

Anyway, hope this might be an interesting topic.

Regular_reel,
to the Mitchell Reel Museum.
Living here in the States, I had never heard of John Wilson till your post, so I checked YouTube and found one of his videos. In this video, he was using, at least, one Mitchell Prince 308. I say this because in one shot you could see the 308 sideplate with the Prince logo on it.
As you stated, he seemed to enjoy the fishing, but now I'm going to try and find out what a "Monkey Climber" is and how it works.

Regards,
Ted Lanham

Thanks for the welcome It's great to be here.

He was always very popular, and brought angling in the UK really to the mainstream, television and magazine articles I'd say. I think he was watched often by those with only a passing interest in fishing, as he was so enthusiastic, and often in some lovely picturesque surroundings.
It was a very sad day when he passed away.

I found a nice little link here to mention his first proper reel purchase:

https://jwfe.co.uk/john-wilson

Thanks, I hadn't seen anything that wasn't so grainy that I could make out any detail really. I think everything I'd watched had been converted from very old VHS tapes, maybe not in the best quality way too.


Ah Monkey Climbers, it's a carp fishing item (or at least a static bait fishing item), a bite indicator if you will.

All the best,
Steve

Regular-reel,
I checked out your link, and it sounds like Mr. Wilson had quite a long and successful career that allowed many others to enjoy his many fishing experiences. Back in the day, a show titled " The American Sportsman" gave me the same joys every Sunday. Especially, when the weather prohibited me getting out in the wild myself.
Thanks for the help with the "monkey climber". I think I have an idea what they were used for.

Regards,
Ted Lanham

It was always as you say, lovely to watch someone else fish, even if you weren’t able to get out yourself.
I think also John’s calm voice, with great enthusiasm would encourage me to get out again fishing the next time I was able to.

I’ve actually just watched another of his series on YouTube, and this time, his 308 Prince was very clear to see, with what were almost non-deliberate close ups. Lovely to hear the click of the anti-reverse too as he chatted.

I’d gladly take a picture of my “monkey climbers”, but they are still in my fathers garage untouched for the last 25 years, as that was the last time I fished those kind of methods. I’ve not yet shifted the kit to my house, as I’m not sure my wife would be all that supportive of that!

All the best,

Steve

Regular_reel,
I've checked out a couple videos about these money climbers, and I think I see their value. Many years ago, I did my share of carp fishing with corn and Wheaties doughballs. We never used anything so sophisticated as those monkey climbers. We just always kept the line between our fingers so we could feel when the fish would bite. Very interesting.

Ted Lanham

Good Morning,

I guess they are usually used in conjunction with electronic bite alarms, and provide the tension of bringing the line in position for the alarms to work most effectively when a fish takes the bait.

As you say, a finger on or around the line seems a great way to do it too though.

All the best,

Steve