L Suffix on Mitchell Match Reels (L Suffix)

The letter "A" Suffix after model numbers on some Mitchell spinning reels marks the transitional period away from Garcia (USA) involvement with Mitchell in 1978 along with other transitions to the looks and mechanics of these same reels.

Charles Garcia & Company, Inc. (1947 - 1955) – The Garcia Corporation (1955 – 1978) - Exclusive distributor of Mitchell for The United States and Canada. Garcia was not originally the Canadian distributor. There was an independent importer working under control of Ets Impecco Paris. This became bothersome at one stage, and then Garcia took control of CDN. Garcia became the owner of Mitchell in June, 1974 and then sold it back to Carpano & Pons in 1977. Garcia Tackle Ltd was the name used for the Impecco subsidiary to distribute Mitchell in the UK. We got license from Garcia to do this. It was not ever a Garcia Europe though, purely British. (Updated October 5th, 2008 by JP Gumprich)

Match is a term used mainly in The UK for Competition Coarse Fishing. Mitchell made several Match Competition Mitchell Reels specifically designed for this event with the word Match engraved in script on the cover plate. These include but are not limited to; the 440 and 840 series Auto-Bail reels. Naturally, other models and brands were also used in this competition.

Match is a term used mainly in The UK for Competition Coarse Fishing. Mitchell made several Match Competition Mitchell Reels specifically designed for this event with the word Match engraved in script on the cover plate. These include but are not limited to; the 440 and 840 series Auto-Bail reels. Naturally, other models and brands were also used in this competition.