Very informative Mark, for the lads like me that prefer a closed faced reel for fishing a stickfloat, try to get hold of a Ryobi cf100, I've got most of the ABU 500 series and all 3 of the CF Daiwa's but since getting hold of the Ryobi cf100 i use little else, it's a very good, well-made piece of kit.
Another informative vid, Mark. One of my club colleagues showed me how to close the pickup on the Matches. He pushes the line away from the spool with the back of his finger, and winds the bail shut, all without creating a hint of slack. Personally, I use the old Daiwa 2503CU, which suits me perfectly. I am using my daughter’s account, so it shows like she is commenting, when it is actually her dad!
I slowed down video 16 times when using the Match and there was no slack at all when winding it shut and it is only with fish that really belt off like mullet and seatrout that I use the manual method. The Match does have to be carefully maintained to wind it shut smoothly.
I did try the Shimano Stradivarius 2500, but found line twist an issues, and couldn’t get on with the double handle. I did like the easy spool reach, but found that the Daiwa 1500iA and 2503CU rocked that particular box, and didn’t have the issues with line twist. The single handle was another plus factor for me as well.
Well said re: pins they have a place but in my view just not versatile enough. My preference is the 507 with the match spool that can now be purchased with 60 yards of line and a few drops of Krypton greased lighting on the spool to stop bedding in and aids casting and line tripping out behind the stick float. Also great in windy conditions and no lost fish when bail arm flicks over.
The Daiwa auto bail was the 1657DM Mark. Still available today and still sits in Daiwa’s catalogue every year. The one advancement over the Match at the time of release was that you could close the bail both manually and by winding although you have obviously figured a way of manually closing the bail on the Match. Still a nice reel albeit a little heavy by today’s standards. Nice video 👍
Good informative video again. I’ve four of the reels you showed and my favourite trotting reel is my Abu 507 Dave Plowman conversion, loaded with 50 yards of Dave Harrell 2lb Pro Match,used it today on the Hampshire Avon,never fails .
Thanks Mark. I do use my 507 Gold MkII sometimes, but with heavier line for carp and it works well. True enough though, I wouldn't want to hold it all day. Then I can say the same for my old Mitchell 300 that I tend to use one day every year (with my old Peter Stone cane Legerstrike) just to remind me of how difficult they are to use by winding in the opposite direction to all other reels. The Stradic 2500 is great with fine lines.
I like using pins but discovered the "mullet" problem on a mixed fishery. Connecting with a trout of several pounds while fishing for roach, we parted company after a long battle. Inertia in the centrepin was sufficient that the brownie was able to use slack to break me. Pretty sure I'd have recovered line quickly, and set the drag lightly enough to avoid the situation on a fixed spool reel.
I think all reels suffer some compromises in some respect whether it's casting, playing fish or feeding line/retrieving line, a case of horses for courses and using whatever suits you best. Thyere's a lot to be said for long experience with a type of reel.
We all had match reals in my fishing club back in the day what we used to do is break of the tab on the plate behind the spool so you can then turn the plate around so that when you start to wind in the bail arm takes the line of your finger
Daiwa tdr the best match reel ever made I’ve had four that are 15 years old and still going strong never been cleaned or serviced just like the day I got them.
I use a old shimano graphite 25 reels i find they are easy to trot with as they are a very small reel. Im using mitchell reels now too. I own a couple of match 440a. I have a 506 but i prefer the 1044. I have a few pins but Cambridgeshire does not have many rivers suitable for trotting pin fishing.
My favourite float fishing reel was my trusty Daiwa 125M closed face, it never let me down and was perfect for stick float fishing. Those Mitchell Match 440A weren't very good reels from my memory at least.....the auto bail was just a gimmick that was prone to getting tangled around and was just extra unnecessary moving parts that are going to pack in at some point. Yeh, the line lay on the spool was very good, but that was the only good thing about that reel, it was also pretty heavy and not well suited for a days stick float fishing. Give me a Mitchell 300 over the 440A any day of the week. We're all different though, and one mans trash is another mans treasure and all that 👍
Hi I'm new to the channel I've just started coarse fishing again after 25yrs and I'm using a Mitchell 1160 RD reel with 5lb main 1.5lb bottom waggle fishing , What setting would you say I should set the drag at ??? .
For waggler fishing for roach you might do better with a lighter main line, say 2.5lb - I use 2lb Maxima as my standard roach fioshing main line for waggler fishing. With Mitchell Matches I screw the drag up tight and back wind but with other reels set it so that when there's a fair bend in the rod the reel yields line without breaking the hook length.
Hi Mark, I Love the channel, I am local to you and recognise the waters you fish, especially on the Dorset Stour. I am sure I heard you say on one of your videos that the blue Mitchell Match reels were better than the black ones, I can't seem to find that comment now, is that the case or have I dreamt it?
The thing with Mitchell Matches is that there were a) two models - the 440 and the 440A, and b) changes to the models over the many years they were produced. The first ones I had in the mid 70s were two 440 Matches without the bale rollers (both long since scrapped though by the the reels should have had bale rollers so obviously old stock) then I got 440As and these had the rollers. Towards the end of the run - late 80s some black reels were made that are very good (and rare) but eventually production switched to Taiwan and quality fell off a cliff - these were also black reels - got a feeling a mate bought one of these and it was so poor he took it back! So you see it's a minefield. Because Matches can be dated by the letter on the serial number I know that the ones I now own tend to date from about 1978 to 1981. I do have one black one (must see if it was made in France) that I bought in a job lot and I have yet to get it working properly. I have a book detailing all of this and it is complex! I also bought a 840 Match in about 1980 but suffered tangles on the river and swapped it for a 440A but these are made to a higher standard, and in the job lot there was a 840 that I have now got working really well and it's very nice to use on stillwater. This is the book but appears sold out: jimsreelshop.co.uk/The-Mitchell-Match-and-Auto-Bail-Reference-Book
@@MarkWintleFishing I always wanted a Mitchell Match as a kid but I couldn't afford one and so I started with an Intrepid Elite. Your channel has relit my interest in them which is a bit greedy really as I have two refurbished Abu 507's and three Shimano's, all for my float fishing. Love the channel, it has made me realise how much I has been missing river fishing. I don't really don't like fishing commercials and with the Stour and Avon close by I have two great rivers on my doorstep. I have taken the first step and joined two local angling clubs with waters on the Stour. Keep up the good work Mark.
them mitchell matches have long had their day.... i bought a shakespeare omni recently @£18 lighter and equally as good and its just a budget item... i have the new abu 507 mkii its ok but the daiwa 120m i used to have was much better.... all good fun tho.. amazing how all ones old tackle dissappears from the shed over the years and cant remember where it went....
In today's money a Mitchell Match would be around £150; they're well made and fixable and can take the hammer I give them. The orignal ones I had in the mid 70s lasted about 12 years. My favourite one for trotting is 40 years old but has been rebuilt twice (Trigger's broom...) and works well, and the line lay is the best and together with the inherent anti-spin when the anti-reverse is off and the auto-bale they suit me down to the ground. I suspect the Omni would last less than a month in my hands. My record for destroyng a new reel is one hour when a Grauvell carp reel I was given to try out seized up when I took it mackerel feathering!
