Fishing line?

[simon1]

I'm not much of a fisherman...started with a cane pole, line, cork (real cork), hook and worms...then a Zebco 33, and now open faced and open faced ultra lights.

I'm going to put some new line on Dad's old vintage Langley and was going to go braided instead of mono. Is this line that's on it the old cotton braided type? I know the braided lines now are synthetic but still wanted to go as original as I could. I think I'll try braided on my ultra lights also as I heard they cast farther and the sun doesn't deteriorate them as bad as mono. I'll be fishing in my pond for bass and crappie. Five pound bass is about as big as I've gotten out of the pond, and two to three pounders are more common.

Original line on the Langley Streamlite 311:

 

[simon1]

I was able to get the backlash out of it easier than I thought. Had SWMBO pull the line out until it hung up then was able to pick it out instead of cutting it. I think I'll take it up to the bass shop by the lake and see if they can service the old reel, but it seems to work just fine. I may put a lure on it and try it in the pond in a few days.

 

[gadabout]

How did that work out?

 

[simon1]

How did that work out?

Works just fine. Only problem is me...I'm not reel (pun intended) good on thumbing the reel...yet.

Found another old Mitchell spinning reel of Dad's when I was going through his old tool box yesterday, need to get a pole for it now. That "free" reel will cost about $50 for a new pole and line, plus getting it serviced. I do need to work on using the bait casting reel though.

I've seen reels for $400, $500 and poles for over $200. Not me...I don't have a sponsor.

 

[djh]

I'm guessing that you are quite handy, Mike and servicing an older fishing reel is not so difficult. If it requires nothing more than CLA you should be able to do that yourself.

Good luck... and enjoy the memories.

 

[simon1]

I'm guessing that you are quite handy, Mike and servicing an older fishing reel is not so difficult. If it requires nothing more than CLA you should be able to do that yourself.

Good luck... and enjoy the memories.

Thanks, David. The old Mitchell I found probably hasn't seen the light of day in 40 years so I think I'll take it to the local bass shop and have someone who knows what they are doing go over it. I've seen several youtube vids. on servicing the old Mitchells but I didn't find much, yet, on the Langley.

 

[gadabout]

The Langley will be far simpler. Just remove the screws and scrub everything clean with an old toothbrush and Simple Green. The only part that’s a little tricky is the level wind mechanism.

 

[Macfrommichigan]

The difference between a pole and a rod is about $95.

 

[bberg100]

Thanks, David. The old Mitchell I found probably hasn't seen the light of day in 40 years so I think I'll take it to the local bass shop and have someone who knows what they are doing go over it. I've seen several youtube vids. on servicing the old Mitchells but I didn't find much, yet, on the Langley.

The weak link on the old Mitchells is the bail spring. Sometimes gets soft, sometimes just breaks. Great reels though, new ones are nowhere as good. I used to troll a Dipsy Diver and pop gear with a 300, try that with a new Mitchell, not.

 

[simon1]

The weak link on the old Mitchells is the bail spring. Sometimes gets soft, sometimes just breaks. Great reels though, new ones are nowhere as good. I used to troll a Dipsy Diver and pop gear with a 300, try that with a new Mitchell, not.

I took the Mitchell across the street from some property I have in Okla. The guy is an avid fisherman and he said the bail spring may be a little weak when he checked it out. I noticed some fishing line peeking out of the bail catch lever hole and took the spool off. I pulled the line from the inside and couldn't get all the line out, but got most of it. It works smooth now on releasing the bail. I'm going to take it to the bass shop here and have them see if anything in it needs replacing. As smooth as it works now it may just need a cleaning and lubed.

The details on it are just like its twin, Dad had two, and with the full bail instead of the half bail on the first ones made, and no serial number on the foot, from what little I've seen on dating them puts it being made between 1940 and 1946.

I'm still working on controlling the spool spin with my thumb on the Langley and getting the drag set up right...I still get it going too fast and get the birds nest quite a bit. I like spinning reals better than baitcasters...I can use those real well. SWMBO likes my old Zebco 33 and a Zebco she got at Wallywold. She can operate the spincasters just fine. One time she broke the line on one of the Garcia ultra-light spinning reels and when she put the line back through the eyes she didn't open the bail before she put the line back in the eyes. She couldn't figure out why the reel wouldn't reel up line.