Mitchell reels Schematics

The founder of the Mitchell company is considered to be Louis Carpano, who was born in 1832. In 1860, he improved the milling machine for cutting gears and in 1868 he became one of the founders of the company for the production and sale of watches, milling machines and watch accessories.

In 1902, his nephew Constant took over the company, and a little later Constant's son-in-law, Charles Pons, joined the family business, now called Carpono & Pons, and became the leader of the company. In the 1930s, they worked with two manufacturers of fishing tackle, modifying some parts for them on their machines. In the late 1930s, they created the first prototype of an inertialess reel, and in 1948 they received a patent for this invention.

Mr. Pons, the director of the company, had a brother, Michel, a lover of all things American, who unfortunately died shortly before the reel was ready for serial production.

He decides to name the reel after his brother and, in the spirit of Americanization, changes the French Michel to the more Anglo-Saxon sounding MITCHELL. Thus, the first reel is released in 1948 under the Mitchell brand.

Leon Carpano and Charles Pons, inspired by the success of their first models, soon decided to design and market more versions of their reels, such as Salt Water, Mitchell Cap (Cap 54), Otomatic and Rapid.

In April 1957, it was decided to add a number to the name of each existing model, and the first "Mitchell" to be born was the "Mitchell 300".

In 1966, the "birth" of the 10 millionth reel was celebrated and by 1970 production had reached an astonishing 12,000 fishing reels per day.

Not surprisingly, the 20 millionth reel was produced in 1971.

Charles Garcia & Company, Inc. (1947 - 1955) - Garcia Corporation (1955 - 1979) - Mitchell's exclusive distributor for the United States and Canada.

In 1974, The Garcia Corporation, which was a dominant force in the fishing tackle market, bought Mitchell, but sold it by 1977.

In 1980, Mitchell was acquired by Browning and sold again.

In 1990, Johnson Worldwide Associates (JWA) bought Mitchell.

Since its introduction in the late 1940s, nearly 30 million Mitchell 300 reels have been sold worldwide. In 2000, Mitchell was purchased by Pure Fishing as part of the acquisition of JWA Fishing Products.

Mitchell Excellence is a series of spinning reels manufactured in the late 80s - first half of the 90s (1989-1995) in Asia (Taiwan, Hong Kong) for Mitchell Sports (part of Johnson Worldwide Associates).

The body is not only angular, but also has a characteristic bend. The main gear is hypoid, with a zinc wheel on a steel shaft and a brass gear. The reverse stopper has a switchable ratchet, the handle is folding with a pushbutton, the handle is symmetrical, for either hand (since the handle is reversible). In general, the reels turned out to be good, but they were not very successful. By the way, about a year after their appearance, Mitchell went bankrupt.

In the 80s, fashion changes. Fishermen have rear brakes, graphite, black color on their minds... All of this appears in Mitchell as well. Reels of different series, from the cheapest to the flagship 5500, are of the same type, the rounded protrusions of the body and its cover are intended to remind us of the legendary 300s, which are still produced, but have long been morally obsolete. Mitchell Sports SA continues to experience financial difficulties, especially against the backdrop of the fall of the American dollar (the USA is the largest market for Mitchell products). Layoffs follow layoffs, sales volumes are declining. The management sees the only way out in a complete transfer of production to Asia, in particular to Taiwan. The plant in Cluses comes to an end, the company moves to Marigny. The letter T is stamped on the legs of the last French Mitchells, denoting 1988 (in 1989, some reels were still assembled from previously produced parts). And here the story of ten years ago almost repeats itself: a new “sweet couple” comes out – Excellence/Performance, and the Americans (“Johnson”) become the complete owners.