Thread: Mitchell 306 balance issue

Picked up a nice looking 306 (old made in France) Garcia Mitchell 306 a few weeks ago. Needs some cleaning, but is very smooth with the exception of a slight wobble. Not sure if its a balance problem or if I need to tear it down, but I can't find a good schematic or a YouTube video for it. Anybody have a suggestion?
I'll be in gulf shores in June and if I can't do it myself by then maybe there's a local who's familiar...

Here's my suggestion: either find the schematic, get it fixed or sell it. Don't tear it down without it. I have had 2 baitcasters, Both of them broken Because I didn't find schematic while trying to fix it. You could find somebody to fix it because they have access to the schematics.

I was hoping that someone knows of a shop or individual in the GS area who works on vintage Mitchells (not sure if J&M will touch something that old) or that someone wanted to volunteer a schematic.
I've torn down and repaired a few Mitchell 300s but I'm thinking that the 306 will be a new animal. Which is why I haven't started it already.

I usually abandon the bail and go to a manual pick up. I have fixed wobbles before by using golf club lead strips
to balance the spool out. The 706Z and 704Z are infamous for their wobbles. Hope that helps some.

Call J and M ask the guys in fishing if the reel doc( Larry Strayhan) (might not be the correct spelling) still picks up reels.

Here you go - a lot more little parts than the Penn Z's. Here's a hint from a fellow vintage reel lover - I use puppy training pads to do my reel maintenance on - they work well to keep your bench AND reel parts clean.

https://www.google.com/search?q=garc...wKedm9XJp5pvM:

Like my Dad always says: "It breaks down less when it has less moving parts." Talking about cars.

It's more than likely a balance issue. Check the counter balance weight inside the rotor. Also, tighten the rotor while your​ spool is off, to remove any mechanical wobble you may have. In the end a 306 is only so smooth and balanced compared to modern reels. Throw in a manual roller (PUM) and things get worse.

Thanks RamZ and DRH, I grew up fishing old mitchels with my grandfather, they aren't his reels but fishing with them sure does being back a lot of memoires. He fished with the same set of Mitchell reels (3 or 4 300s, a 302 and a 306 for at least 40 years. I only remember him cleaning, greasing, and occasionally replacing a bail spring.

Well that was simple. Just finished with a 306 that was unusable but now is completely functional. Turns out that the 306 is considerably simpler than the 300. Thanks again to all who volunteered info and schematics! I love it when a 5$ find turns into something nostalgic and fishable! Now on to the 306 with the balance issue...