when i did fish years ago. i would make a cast on a spnning reel and just turn the handle to set the bail.  watching the videos, i view to close the bail use your hand..  i have a old mitchell 300 and it will not close using my hand but will close when the handle is turned.  i do not want to force it.  any suggestions?

 

 

 

You either have to pull the little lever out to release the bail or turn the handle. No choice with a 300.

To be honest you'd be better off keeping it as a momento of times past and buying even a cheap modern spinning reel. They are so much better today than the old 300 reels that I spent a long time saving up for in my youth!

You know I am curious about this, and don't mean to derail the thread, but as it appears the question on how to do it with the specific reel has been answered I thought it wouldn't hurt to ask.  What is the benefit of closing the bail manually as opposed to closing by turning the crank?  I alternate between the two, but I like halochef I have seen a lot of videos where they close it manually.  Up until this point I just assumed it was to save wear and tear on the reel as closing using the crank seems more aggressive.  Is there more to it?

I (somewhat reluctantly) admit that it is better for line management.  I have a very strong learned tendency to close the bail with the handle.  But I now, finally, acknowledge that it I have a much greater chance of introducing a loop that way.  Not so much when I close it by hand.

Yeah as Choporoz said, the idea of closing the bail by hand is to limit loops forming on your spool. A great habit to develop is when you finish your cast, bring your line up to the roller and close the bail manually. It can potentially save you some issues with your line getting tangled on your spool over time.

You either have to pull the little lever out to release the bail or turn the handle. No choice with a 300.

To be honest you'd be better off keeping it as a momento of times past and buying even a cheap modern spinning reel. They are so much better today than the old 300 reels that I spent a long time saving up for in my youth!

now i have to look!  thanks.  well we will see about spending  money on a new reel. its not the money...  i either just retire it or crank.  thanks.

Thats how my dad taught us was to close it by hand so I never questioned it, my guess would be its not as hard on the reel to do it by hand. 

Modern reels have so much improved gearing that you don't get the start up inertia when you turn the handle. Mitchells stiff drivetrain seems so backwards nowadays. I remember being very jealous of my cousin who had a Mitchell 810, which was the super high speed retrieve version until I had a go with it and the handle was a struggle to turn -even for a die hard 300 owner! Lol

SOB i see the lever.  .  but its awkward to use.  just spooled it with new line so i might have to be awkward or live with the loops    do you think clicking the lever will work like the hand motion?

Exactly the same, but it's fiddly. I used to do it, but it was a perverse torture. Then I bought my first "modern" reel. LOL

Huh, I do have occasional issues with loops.  So far it hasn't been an issue, and would clear on the next cast.  I guess I will have to try manually setting the bail to see if that clears up the issue.  Thanks for the help!

To manually close the bail, you do have move that bail stop release with your finger nail. When you open the lever release on the bail, you also NEED to prevent the bail from snapping shut with your hand as well. This does two things. First it reduces line management problems and - more importantly - helps to increase the life of those fragile bail springs on the old Mitchells. I use to be pretty proficient in field changing those bail springs back in the day. Ugh!

 

The drags on those bad boys was nothing to write home about either. I use to religiously lock the drag down tight and back reel with the anti-reverse lever off. Best suggestion was the one above, to keep it as a memento of days long gone by. Much better and cheaper options are available these days.

Every time I let someone borrow a spin combo, they inevitably will have a wad of knots in less than 30 min. My best buddy's personal record is third cast.  No matter how many times you tell them, they don't fish enough to remember to close the bail by hand. They don't even believe you when you tell them until they have to put that combo away for the day. I'm trying to teach my 10 year old daughter now.

Every time I let someone borrow a spin combo, they inevitably will have a wad of knots in less than 30 min. My best buddy's personal record is third cast.  No matter how many times you tell them, they don't fish enough to remember to close the bail by hand. They don't even believe you when you tell them until they have to put that combo away for the day. I'm trying to teach my 10 year old daughter now.

LOL, I told my 11 yr old daughter that closing the bail by hand was the ONLY way it's done...then one day fishing she calls from the back of the boat "Hey Dad, did you know if you just crank the handle the bail closes all by itself!"...thus proceeded the long explanation of why she must continue to manually close the bail.

You will get a lot of loops if you don't close it manually... especially if you are using light flouro

It doesn't make a difference how the bail is closed.  I do think it's easier done manually, I do it both ways.  Whether I crank or flip the bail by hand I hold the rod at about a 45 degree angle before reeling, that straightens the line and reduces the chance of loops.