Iv'e always had a soft spot for the dinky Mitchell 304 - there is something about it that I find most appealing. The look I guess. The round body, satisfying clunk of the bail arm, the tick of the ratchet and many more. There were not many variations over the years - a small change here and there.....for those who need to satisfy their thirst I can only direct you to the Mitchell Reel Museum where you should find all you need.
I have fished with them everywhere and for everything. My friend Pete and I had a rule one season where we would only use 304's - we caught our first River Wye barbel (pioneering days) using them in the late 1980's early 1990's and even used them at Redmire Pool. If I see one on my travels I just can't resist them!
A lot has happened at this delightful spot on the Purbecks since Paul Nash was a resident and was commissioned by Shell to deliver this delightful lithograph (1937) as part of their Visit Britain's Landmarks series - printed by Waterlow Limited - as rare as ephemera goes unless you have about £1K spare...
I can't believe we are well and truly into another coarse fishing season - to celebrate this I thought I would post some buried treasure and ephemera that sometimes turns up or makes itself known from some dark corner of the tackle shed.
Woolworths or Woolies was a regular haunt for me, the child angler. I would spend an age in the fishing isle with pocket money burning a hole in my trousers - floats, hooks, bait boxes, reels and brightly coloured reel pouches all spring to mind. Here are some size 10 hooks to nylon - river hook pack no less!
