What reel?

[Boris.The.Barbel]

Hi Everyone, a question on the reel front. I have recently been in the search for a vintage reel for river + Carp fishing would anyone have a recommendation? one of which is reliable and can take a bit of battering :hat: , thanks for your time. Cp

[Davyr]

Fixed spool or centre pin?

[GloucesterOldSpot]

Malloch?

[Boris.The.Barbel]

fixed spool sorry forgot to add, all sorted with center-pins

[SeanM]

I've got an Abu 444 which looks nice on a cane rod. It has a rear drag so you can loosen it of baitrunner style when carp fishing if you want. It's smooth and reliable, but the drag adjustment is a bit fierce needing only a half turn from zzzz to OMG! For barbel fishing I leave the anti reverse off and let the reel backwind if a barbel catches me unawares.

The Ambidex match looks nice and seems reliable, but I haven't had a lot of big fish on it.

Staying with the Youngs family there's also the Delmatic. I've had barbel to over 10lb on mine, butI'd be worried about the longevity of the plastic bits.

The Intrepid Deluxe is a nice reel and I've not had any problems with mine, but some on here have commented on their ability to explode under pressure!

Then there's the Mitchell 300. Totally reliable, spares are easy to obtain, but you either love them or hate them

These are the reels I've had personal experience with and of them I'd go for either the Mitchell or the Abu, with a slight leaning towards the Abu.

These classic fixed spools can usually be obtained very cheaply so why not try a few makes and see which you prefer? You might end up like me with half a dozen which you pick from as the fancy takes you!

[The VFC]

Good advice from Sean I reckon - I'd lean more towards the Mitchell myself though. I think Sean is actually referring to the Intrepid Elite rather than the much smaller Deluxe.
Jim

[MGs]

Having Mitchells and Ambidexs I'd go for the Mitchells every time.

[Boris.The.Barbel]

thanks for the replys everyone, having had a few of the modern mitchell reels i can vouch they are brilliant quality, i'll be on the search for a mitchell then thanks again :thumb: great response :hat:

[Watermole+]

If you want to combine all-round smooth operation with genuine vintage appeal, get yourself one of these..

[The VFC]

Altex - very nice: which model is that? Looks in fabulous nick.