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Mitchell Match 440A

Boredom in these times takes no prisoners, I have much against what I know is wrong have now secured another Okuma reel, just because Shippo liked the model, and now just ordered a qty of Nash hooks 'cus Richard uses them...
But I would never want again a 440 reel :)
But what is the Daiwa 13' rod you are using it with? I had an Daiwa Harrier Ivan Marks Match rod, with a 300 reel that was a lovely combination back when ABBA topped the charts, and there was the odd roach to be caught.
 
"With Maxima 2.5 lb main line and a 2lb hook-link with a nice old Daiwa 13' match rod, what more could you want?"




Stronger line😂
 
Generally speaking the "A" models were the later ones & had a red seal around the gear casing, also the gearing inside was poorer quality.
The bail arm mechanism was prone to skipping teeth under pressure, causing the bail arm to not close. i wouldn't dream of using mine for any sort of feeder fishing as the bail just isn't robust enough. i'd always go for the 410.
I still have 2 Mitchell Matches and a 410 plus 2 of the original 408's in my old gear drawer....all from the mid to late 70's
in the end i gave up with the matches and went over to the ABU 506M with the clutch & anti reverse removed....a much superior reel for any sort of light float fishing or trotting....
 
I got a 440 Match off of eBay a few years back, you can normally pick them up for £30-40, if you don’t mind them with a few aesthetic marks/scuffs.

My Dad used one for most of my childhood fishing ‘training’ and I wasn’t allowed to touch it... When my eBay one arrived, the sound of ratchet winding sound and the click of the auto bail arm were nostalgic, to say the least.

I used it for lightweight trotting and the occasional tench or small carp float fishing session, when I needed a longer cast then the ‘pin would allow.

The bail arm on mine went on a trip to the Bure last September, but I’ll be getting another. I can only imagine the swear words and tantrums that would ensue if I ever took a reel apart and tried to put it back together...

If I get 40+ sessions out of each eBay one, I’ll consider it money well spent.
 
Tony Rocca said:
As Mark said, the 410 is a far better reel for barbel, good float or tench reel the 440.

I use a 330, has the same auto bail arm but the gearing of the 300, for some of my grayling and tench fishing.
Click to expand...
Yes the 410 is more suited for barbel. It was basically a 300 with a faster retrieve. Same blue colour as the Mitchell match with brass gearing inside the 70's models. Basic but functional and very much a specimen hunting in vogue reel. I had my 410s stolen along with my sports kit in the 80s when my car was stolen and set alight. It happened a lot back then. So I was forced into updating to bait-runners which I think we can mostly agree are far better.
 
Old thread but had to reply to this:
Sorry guys but I am amazed at the "nonsense" talked here when it comes to using a Mitchell Match/440A for Barbel fishing.
How do you think we caught Barbel before Bait runners were invented 😂
I have used a Mitchell Match or Mitchell Match 440's all my life feeder fishing - catching Barbel on the Wye, Severn, Teme, Cherwell, Avon, Windrush and never had a problem with them !!! - Used them since I was a kid in the Mid 70's - brought up on the Wye !!
In the early 90's I used them on the Severn with a good old Shakespeare Team carbon Feeder rod and bagged up no end !!!!!
I have bagged up loads on the Wye over the years using the team feeder or a Berkley Tri Tip !!!
I still use them today - lighter than a bait runner, balances the rod better - you can reach the spool easier !!
My god Ivan Marks and the rest of the old match guys would be spinning in their graves at the nonsense talked here !!!! 😂😂😂😂😂
 
Each to their own Craig

Nobody (well a few might :p) talks nonsense, we each have opinions :)
 
Craig Thomas said:
Old thread but had to reply to this:
Sorry guys but I am amazed at the "nonsense" talked here when it comes to using a Mitchell Match/440A for Barbel fishing.
How do you think we caught Barbel before Bait runners were invented 😂
I have used a Mitchell Match or Mitchell Match 440's all my life feeder fishing - catching Barbel on the Wye, Severn, Teme, Cherwell, Avon, Windrush and never had a problem with them !!! - Used them since I was a kid in the Mid 70's - brought up on the Wye !!
In the early 90's I used them on the Severn with a good old Shakespeare Team carbon Feeder rod and bagged up no end !!!!!
I have bagged up loads on the Wye over the years using the team feeder or a Berkley Tri Tip !!!
I still use them today - lighter than a bait runner, balances the rod better - you can reach the spool easier !!
My god Ivan Marks and the rest of the old match guys would be spinning in their graves at the nonsense talked here !!!! 😂😂😂😂😂
Click to expand...
Each to their own Craig. I never owned a MM but used and owned 300's and 410's. There are barbel anglers who still use the Mitchell's, but they don't really compare to a modern quality fixed spool reel in terms of line-lay, drag system, and useful features. Some years ago I started using again a fibre glass TE Big Pike with Mitchell 306's. Unfortunately, they were nowhere near as good as their modern day equivalents. I won't be using them again. Shame as they are nostalgic pieces of equipment.
 
Craig Thomas said:
Old thread but had to reply to this:
Sorry guys but I am amazed at the "nonsense" talked here when it comes to using a Mitchell Match/440A for Barbel fishing.
How do you think we caught Barbel before Bait runners were invented 😂
I have used a Mitchell Match or Mitchell Match 440's all my life feeder fishing - catching Barbel on the Wye, Severn, Teme, Cherwell, Avon, Windrush and never had a problem with them !!! - Used them since I was a kid in the Mid 70's - brought up on the Wye !!
In the early 90's I used them on the Severn with a good old Shakespeare Team carbon Feeder rod and bagged up no end !!!!!
I have bagged up loads on the Wye over the years using the team feeder or a Berkley Tri Tip !!!
I still use them today - lighter than a bait runner, balances the rod better - you can reach the spool easier !!
My god Ivan Marks and the rest of the old match guys would be spinning in their graves at the nonsense talked here !!!! 😂
Click to expand...
Is that the shakespeare team rod that comes with the four push in green quivers ? I've still got one of those in the loft . Think it cost me a weeks wages .
 
Wayne Botley said:
Is that the shakespeare team rod that comes with the four push in green quivers ? I've still got one of those in the loft . Think it cost me a weeks wages .
Click to expand...
Dear Wayne,
No its not that one - It's the 3 piece one with a straight thru avon style top section 11ft 4" rod with a Shakespeare Team Carbon Feeder orange graphic on the butt section it was specifically designed for feeder fishing on the Severn and Warks Avon - still have 2 of them here.
Over the last 18-20 years I have mainly been using a Berkley Tri tip with my Mitchell 440's LOL
 
Wayne Botley said:
Is that the shakespeare team rod that comes with the four push in green quivers ? I've still got one of those in the loft . Think it cost me a weeks wages .
Click to expand...
Wayne this is the one
www.ebay.co.uk

VINTAGE SHAKESPEARE TEAM CARBON EXTRA HEAVY FEEDER ROD CARP BARBEL TENCH BREAM | eBay

<p dir="ltr" style="margin-top:0; margin-bottom:0;">VINTAGE SHAKESPEARE TEAM CARBON EXTRA HEAVY FEEDER ROD CARP BARBEL TENCH BREAM. THIS IS PART OF SOME OLD SHOP STOCK I AQUIRED. </p> <p dir="ltr" style="margin-top:0; margin-bottom:0;">THIS IS QUITE A SCARCE ROD SUITABLE FOR THE LARGER COARSE...
www.ebay.co.uk
 
Ady Brayshaw said:
Each to their own Craig. I never owned a MM but used and owned 300's and 410's. There are barbel anglers who still use the Mitchell's, but they don't really compare to a modern quality fixed spool reel in terms of line-lay, drag system, and useful features. Some years ago I started using again a fibre glass TE Big Pike with Mitchell 306's. Unfortunately, they were nowhere near as good as their modern day equivalents. I won't be using them again. Shame as they are nostalgic pieces of equipment.
Click to expand...
I find that nostalgia ain't what it used to be Ady ☺️
 
I manage admirably with a pair of original ‘ 300’s and what some would call bean poles = Built cane Rods, they are as capable now as when they were first made,some 60 years ago ,they have had their share of doubles in the last few years with no problems at all .
I also use carbon rods and modern Shimanos, neither is better than the other , its all down to what you are comfortable with and matching your equipment to the prevailing conditions.

I do know that being able to fish comfortably and successfully with either discipline makes me feel a more complete angler , but it is a personal thing at the end of the day.Knowing your gear and having confidence in it is paramount.
Nostalgia does not come into it , I prefer modern foul weather gear to the old stuff that soaked you through after a shower.
Soft unhooking mats are a big improvement on a stony gravel bank to unhook fish .


David
 
Had a Blue MM from new, couldn't get on with it, bale arm had a mind of its own, swapped it for a bomb rod from the chap who started the bait boat thing in Tetbury. For nostalgia imo can't beat the Shimmys 5010 ,6010 for Barbel, had all the Mitchell's from the 60,s onwards, not a patch on the Shimanos. Garcia Mitchells were fine reels and were a joy to own but not for modern day Barbel fishing imo.
Ivan Marks a hero of mine, and had his match rods, but you just cannot compare those old rods with modern materials, unless the nostalgia light blinds you.
 
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