Mitchell 300 fishing reel service including how to remove a broken screw

This video addresses a common problem of how to remove a broken or butterflied screw on a fishing reel. It continues to show the complete servicing of a Mitchell 300 fishing reel.
I have been servicing #fishing #reels for over 25 years and am sharing my experiences here. If you enjoy the video, please like it and subscribe to see more on fishing #reel repair and service
Questions? Comments? I reply to all.
Thank you for watching - Dennis

[petemoss]

Hello Dennis . . . Thank you for showing this video to all of us that have Mitchell 300 fishing reels,
personally I have just about over a dozen all made in France - few were bought many years ago
others found and bought at yard sales .

[archiewatson]

Thanks for the video Dennis. I was working on a Mitchell 300 this morning that had an angry anti-reverse and your video very quickly got me on track.

This reel is a tank and is in great condition inside and out. All I did was remove some line that had wrapped itself around spool gear, cleaned it up, and then serviced it. Not bad for a $2 reel that "didn't work anymore".

[thomasmyers]

Something I picked from working in a boat store for years is using a drop of valve grinding compound on the end of your screwdriver. The compound is gritty and it almost locks the screwdriver into the screw. Doesn't work every time, but you would be surprised how many times it does. Once again thank you for your videos always learning something.

[wayneo]

Thanks For The Info on These Mitchell Reels ! When I Was A Teen These Were The Reels to Have.

[christopherjenkins]

Dennis, can you believe I’m up to 64 French Mitchells now and every single one of them has taught me something. The Mitchell 300 was the reel that me and all my friends wanted when we were growing up in the 1950s. There really wasn’t any other reel out there that came close in our minds. Of course I really did not know much about other reels that were available back then but the Mitchell 300 was by far the most popular. I never thought I’d end with so many Mitchells as I have now. I am always just absolutely amazed at the over-engineering in these reels. Oddly, out of all my Michells I only have one 300 and tat one was given to me just last year. Most of mine are the larger saltwater reels. I’ve never had a Mitchell reel break down on me while out on a fishing trip. They are all such fine little machines. I have one DAM Quik 270 Super that has a butterflied screw that needs to be fixed as well as a few other big saltwater reels that have this type of problem. With my vision difficulties I usually get someone with great vision to help me with such precise drilling. I always love it when you work on a Mitchell! Great video. — Chris

[barclaysauers]

They made enough Mitchell 300's for every man, every women and every child alive in San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego to have a least one. 13 plus million of those little French wonders!

[garrettlauzon]

Great Video Dennis ! Definitely a sticky situation. An important reminder to use the proper sized screwdriver for a screw. I recently uploaded my own disassembly (not service since the reels are already serviced) videos for the Mitchell 308A, 300A and 300C. Feel free to check them out

[flavioaguiar]

Muito bom! Excelente! Obrigado, amigo. (Brazil)

[ChrisSchwamb]

This video is perfect timing for me. I have a Penn Slammer 260 with 2 of the 4 screws that will not budge. This is my next and last resort. I also have a Mitchell 407 with a different problem: When I push the button to remove the spool it stays on the shaft. I've tried penetrating oil and heat with no luck. Any ideas?

[joshemory]

How would you go about removing a butterflyed rear screw? It is recessed, plus, there's no cover to remove that would expose the stud once the head is gone? This one is sentimental... it was my great grandfather's who passed when I was a kid in 2001... fond memories fishing with him.

[kelyhi]

I have a Penn Peer #209 that belonged to my grandfather and I have a bit of a problem with it. It operates very smoothly untill I rotate the real to the right (crank side down) then it becomes very jerky as if the drag is engaging and disengaging. If I press the spool to the left it will smooth out again. Any ideas?

[gtrevino]

I ran across an older video of yours where you bought a large lot of Mitchell parts. If you still have some, I would like to have 2 Mitchell tools and will need the two gears for a 330. Also, I'd be interested if you have the handle for a 300/330 with the larger knob. Please let me know about pricing and shipping. I can email you if you prefer.