garcia Mitchell 900 Reel Questions

[TomBarrett]

In July 1978 I received a garcia Mitchell 900 reel as a birthday gift. Believe it or not I never used it. It's still in the original box. I think it's time to get back into fishing and to initiate it. I haven't fished in years. Growing up with spin-cast (closed face) reels I was intimidated by spinning reels (open face). My late brother made casting with a spinning reel look easy but I seemed adept at making tangles when using the type.

Anyway, how would one characterize/classify the garcia Mitchell 900 reel? Is it a light-duty, medium-duty, heavy duty reel or some combination? To me it seems somewhat large but, as mentioned I've never used it and the graphics on the reel suggest an 8-15 pound test line. I'm mostly interested in fishing for panfish, catfish, trout and small mouth bass in the ponds, lakes and streams here in central PA. Is this reel a reasonable item for that sort of fishing?

I see reels for right-handed people crank with the left hand (with rod held in the right). Although right -handed I've always found that awkward and much preferred cranking with my right hand. But, if I'm going to start using this "new" forty-four-year-old reel I'd better get used to cranking with my left.

Best Regards,
Tom Barrett

[Ed Horan]

I would think that the 900 is a medium duty reel. The 908 is a ultra light reel meant for 2 to 6 lb. test line. The nice thing about the 900 series is the 5 to 1 retrieve rate, which is a bit faster than the 400 series (4 to 1) reels. It also has a skirted spool. Basically, your reel is a 300 with faster gearing. I would like to suggest that you give it a good service before trying it out. Fresh grease and oil will guarantee that the reel will perform well. Grease seems to stiffen up over time and trying to use a 40 year old reel with old lubricants in it will make the reel seem stiff on the retrieve. Oil the bearing and a light coat of grease on the gears and sliding parts will make that reel seem factory fresh. I think you'll find 10 or 12 lb. test line to work the best, as well as giving you enough reserve line on the spool. Good Luck and tight lines.

[Bonaventure]

I agree with what Ed has said in his post. I would recommend that you use a synthetic grease, like SUPERLUBE or VIPERGREASE (made by LOCTITE). This type of grease is superior to what was used in the factory. I would not endorse Lithium based grease, It seems to turn black, maybe as a reaction between the lithium and the aluminum alloy.

I also had a Mitchell 900 circa 1979 and caught a lot of Walleye, Pike, Smallmouth Bass Catfish etc. with it.

In my opinion, the reel should be good for anything up to 50 pounds. Maybe not Muskie that big. Just my opinion.

If you dismantle the reel, be sure to locate and separate any shims, then put them back where they were found.

G. Glen Simpson
Dartmouth, Nova Scotia

[GreatLaker]

Tom, Welcome to the Mitchell Reel Museum

The Mitchell 900 was, what I call, a gasket reel. This means that there is an injection molded plastic gasket between the cover plate and the housing. This reel was distributed by Garcia in the USA at first, and was one of the last Mitchell reels Garcia was involved with for Mitchell. Sadly August 10, 1978, Garcia declared bankruptcy.

Your reel was the first version of the new 900 reels and probably has some collector value, especially if you have the original box, reel and paperwork. Just thought I would mention this before you use the reel as that will decrease the value.

I've attached a table below from the 1978 Garcia Fishing Magazine (Annual) which should answer your technical specification questions.

1978 Magazine Reel Table-edited.jpg (166.18 KiB) Viewed 5698 times

Kind Regards,
Bill

[TomBarrett]

Thank you all for your prompt, informative replies. It was thoughtful of you and helpful to me to learn about my "new" four-decade-old reel. And I received a nice welcome to the site. Nice touch that. It was good to receive pointers/suggestions about getting it ready after a long storage, hear about fish caught with the model, receive a very useful chart and even a hint that, should I choose to market it it's possibly a desirable, unused item. When I received it as a birthday gift it was from my younger sister. She is still with us but our brother who suggested it as a gift for me is not, having passed in the covid pandemic, so I may elect to keep and inaugurate the reel for sentimental reasons. We'll see.

Best Regards,
Tom Barrett

[GreatLaker]

Tom,
How about posting some photos of your reel?
Kind Regards,
Bill

[TomBarrett]

IMG_0005.JPG (13.58 KiB) Viewed 5676 times

[TomBarrett]

I'm definitely the king of the luddites but hope these downloaded photos of my reel and its paperwork come through. I'm getting dragged kicking and screaming into the 21st century, hate gadgetry and am the proverbial old dog that hates new tricks. However, learning the occasional new trick is probably good for me.

Best Regards,
Tom Barrett

[GreatLaker]

Tom,
Thank you for posting these great photos.
I don't think anyone has ever posted photos of a 900 on here in the recent past and you have a beautiful example.
Kind Regards,
Bill