Mitchell compact lc 800 silver reels?

Member Joined: Apr 24, 2011 Posts: 23 Location: Brighton

Looking to get myself some new kit as my daiwa moonraker rods are well past their best! Any advice welcome here, think i'm going to purchase a pair of sonik 13 foot sks rods but also need some reels, i always go for fixed spools as they're just so easy to use and maintain, looked at so many in the last few days in the £40-60 price bracket and the one that stood out so far is the mitchell compact lc 800 silver. Anybody else used these? Or got any suggestions? Cant find any reviews online but my old reels are mitchell and they've never let me down in something like 10 years of use!

Cheers guys
MikeO

Member Joined: Apr 24, 2011 Posts: 23 Location: Brighton

Theres also the next model up which is the mitchell Compact lc 8000 gold for only a tenner more?!

Posted: Mon Nov 28, 2011 6:44 pm

Hi there mate,have you looked at the Daiwa reels in your price bracket? -I have two Opus 5500 which have given good service,they have several sizes in this range,
All the best,Conga big grin

Posted: Mon Nov 28, 2011 7:07 pm

I agree with Conga, use a couple of Daiwa 5500 reels meself and they are quite robust for the price, cast well too. The only maintenance I do on them is to clean and re-oil the line rollers abot once a month.

Member Joined: Apr 24, 2011 Posts: 23 Location: Brighton

Cheers conga, eccles. They are a very good price and look like a really hardy reel as do most of the daiwa's, i've always loved the daiwa rods but have never owned their reels. I also checked out the daiwa emcasts but it talks about those being a carp reel in one review. Also came across the daiwa saltiga! £1000! I'd be scared to use it!
Trouble is i've looked at so many reels now it makes it hard too make a decision, i'm stiil pulled towards those mitchell reels i mention because i've got mitchell reels at the mo and they've been great but i might go with your recommendations as you can't beat something thats tried and tested by fellow anglers as opposed to whats wriiten in the angling press. Probably end up having to flip a coin!

Posted: Mon Jan 09, 2012 7:17 pm

Hi there MikeO,did you make a decision on which reel to get? If you went for the Daiwa range I would be interested to hear how you rate them.I must admit that I got mine originally for heavier freshwater use but have found them to be just as much at home for my occasional beach trips.
Tight lines,Mick big grin

Member Joined: Apr 24, 2011 Posts: 23 Location: Brighton

Hi Mick, I haven't bought my new kit yet, the rods i wanted were sold out before christmas so have been waiting for them to get more stock in and work has been crazy since so it's just not happened! Once i get my act together i'll post and let u know. Still havent decided which reels to go for but its definitely the daiwas or those mitchells.

Posted: Fri Jan 20, 2012 9:52 pm

Must say that Mitchell Reel looks to be a very good spec although I would have a problem with it: I do a lot of night fishing so need to know everything is going to work OK in the dark. The reel has almost no skirt to the spool which makes it very easy for line to get trapped underneath if one is not very careful - seen it happen to my mates loads of times. Some of the Daiwas have the same problem so I only use those with a nice deep skirt...

Posted: Fri Jan 20, 2012 11:26 pm

Anything in a skirt? lol. big grin

The shorter the better lol big grin

Cheers
keith big grin

Member Joined: Apr 24, 2011 Posts: 23 Location: Brighton

Lol

Thats a good point eccles. I'm always careful to check my line position on the reel before each cast but I don't really want to have to contend with tangles if i can help it. im guessing the difference in skirt is due the mitchell reel stating its a 'long cast' reel and the spool does look a lot shallower and longer than the opus. I can see how that would be effective but would it really increase casting distance by much? I guess the line would come of the spool with less resistance but im thinking the speed of it coming off might cause more resistance through the rings.

I checked out the opus again and also the opus bull, which do u own? I prefer the look of the opus bull but im not actually sure theres a lot of difference except for the price!

Posted: Sun Jan 22, 2012 8:32 pm

Well actually I chose the Daiwa BF 5500g around three years ago because at the time Fishingmad were doing them for only £27 including P&P. I considered that at that price I couldn't go far wrong as Daiwa has a good reputation. With Daiwa you tend to get a wider spool than with some others and this seems to allow the line to flow off the reel better when casting. Also with this particular reel you get a graphite spool rather than an ally job so one does not get the corrosion which you see so often on ally spools. Anyway, they have proved to be quite rugged (I go beach fishing several times per month) and other folk I know have been quite happy with them. The "bull" is quite a hefty reel and as my reels hold over 300 yds of 15lb line I don't consider that I need anything larger. I suppose if I wanted something a bit "posher", I would choose the Opus plus but as the man said, why pay more? Incidently, whatever you choose, check the tightness of the line roller screw as soon as you get it home - I have seen these come adrift sometimes and also re-oil the same regularly. Hope this helps.

Member Joined: Apr 24, 2011 Posts: 23 Location: Brighton

Yes it does cheers eccles. I'll take a look at the model u mention and shall post when i've bought my new kit

Member Joined: Apr 24, 2011 Posts: 23 Location: Brighton

Finally got my act together and ordered my new kit today. 2 Sonik SKS rods 13', one Mitchell compact lc 8000 gold reel and a Daiwa opus bull 5500 reel. Couldn't decide on the reels so went for one of each, they are quite different reels so figured it would be an interesting experience and im sure each one will be useful in different situations/conditions as well as just general beach fishing. Can't wait to get my hands on it all now. big grin

Member Joined: Apr 24, 2011 Posts: 23 Location: Brighton

New tackle arrived yesterday! so far i'm really impressed with the reels especially the opus bull. It's a shame i can't say the same about the rods though, i'm sending them straight back for a refund. The rods are very light and nicely finished but the reel seat is only a thin plastic type material which feels very cheap, butt cap feels like its only a matter of time before it comes off and I prefer a slightly more tapered tip. Going to stick with Daiwas which is what i've always used. Looking at the Supercasts which I know have been recommended on here a few times. A total pain in the arse but it's taught me a lesson!

Posted: Thu Feb 09, 2012 10:08 pm

Hmm, interesting people like Daiwa and Abu have been around for a while whereas Sonik only arrived two or three years ago. Suspect that they may have decided to reduce costs and quality too.