The Magnificent Frigate

Posted on January 16, 2025 by Ed Mitchell

The Magnificent Frigate

I’m not a serious “birder” yet I do like watching them over the water. Here in New England the biggest and wildest of the bunch has to be the Northern Gannet. Totally amazing. And their presence marks the arrival of Atlantic Sea herring and one of your best shots at a monster striped bass. That said, in the seven years I spent on the Florida’s Gulf Coast, I saw more birds and more variety than I had ever seen in New England. And the biggest and craziest of those winged critters has to be the Magnificent Frigate.

Honestly, I didn’t know anything about them until one day out on the flats I happened to peer skyward. Hanging high above me on boomerang shaped wings, was the largest bird I had ever seen, remaining effortless aloft. Enormous, huge. With only a wide-angle lens with me, I grab a shot to study later.

Back at home I searched through my copy of  Peter Harrison’s excellent book Seabirds. It didn’t take long to narrow it down to the Magnificent Frigate. Harrison reports the Magnificent Frigate has a wing span of up to 8 feet, and can neither walk or swim, resting only in trees. That got me digging for more online. Turns out Frigates eat, mate, and sleep on the wing – sometimes staying airborne at sea for months at a time. Incredible. About 6 months later I heard there was a Frigate rookery near me in Pine Island Sound between Pine Island and Captiva. I launched their several times hoping to see it.

 

 

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Captains for Clean Water

Posted on January 11, 2025 by Ed Mitchell

Captains for Clean Water

Bought a new hat. Did I need another one? Not on your life. No, I got this for a special reason. Have you noticed that fishing isn’t getting better these days? Damn. Its true pretty much no matter where you go. Why is that? Too much pollution? Too much habitat destruction? Bad fisheries management? Too little political attention? Too much angling pressure? And now climate change? Or is it all of the above? Folks we have to gang together and support any and every effort to reverse those nasty trends. That’s why the new hat.

 

Captains for Clean Waters is a wonderful conservation group in Florida. Here is what they have to say. ” Captains For Clean Water is a grassroots 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that fights to restore and protect our water resources. In 2016, we started as a couple fishing guides that had “had enough” of Florida’s poor water management practices devastating the estuaries we rely on. We were convinced that if everyone knew about the issues, they would’ve been fixed long ago. The solution is known, but has been delayed for decades due to lack of political will and public awareness. So, we set out to change that.” Roger that !

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Evening Light for Tailing Reds

Posted on January 10, 2025 by Ed Mitchell

Evening Light for Tailing Reds

The tide is down, the light is down, the wind is down and – your hopes are up.  Time to hunt for tailing reds

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Mark’s Girdle Bugs

Posted on January 7, 2025 by Ed Mitchell

Mark’s Girdle Bugs

Awhile back, as a birthday gift, Mark Lewchik gave me some of his great girdle bugs. Man, they are fantastic. Far better than the ones I tie. Everything is right on target.  I mean it. The head, the placement of the legs, the high gloss wing case. Some even have an extended body increasing their life-like look. Hell, if I dropped one of them in your kitchen you ‘d grab a can of Raid!   (This specific pattern is known as Pat’s Rubber Leg Stonefly)

 

Posted in Flies and Fly Tying | 2 Comments

The Baby Seamaster Mark 1

Posted on January 6, 2025 by Ed Mitchell

The Baby Seamaster Mark 1

The most sought after saltwater fly reels of  the last century were handmade by Captain McChristian in Florida. Truth is Bob’s reels were known far and wide as the finest ever made and are still held in high regard. Below is a Baby Seamaster Mark 1. The Baby Seamaster was the smallest of the lot, measuring roughly 3″ in circumference and 1.5″ deep. It is Direct-Drive and only holds a six or seven weight line, depending on how much backing you hope to squeeze on it.

Baby Seamaster Mark 1

Bob called his original store, opened in the 1950’s, Captain Mack’s Tackle Shop. It was located on Coral Way in Miami at SE First Avenue.  He made spinning reels for a time and then switched to Direct-Drive fly reels which came in several sizes- Mark 1, Mark 2, Mark 3, Mark 3W and Mark 4. They ran on a sealed ball bearing and had an incredibly diamond hard finish. He also made Anti-Reverse fly reel, and eventually created his Dual Mode reel in the 1980’s, which amazingly was both Direct-Drive and Anti-Reverse, patenting it in 1987.

Getting one of his reels was no easy task. You almost had to walk in the front door and convince him you were a good enough angler to own one. Years ago I called him a few time hoping to get a Mark 2 or Mark 3 Direct-Drive. He said he put my name on a list and would be in touch. Never happened. The last time I called he told me he was done with Direct-Drive and had switched entirely over to his new Dual-Mode.  Oh well that’s life, you win some and lose some. Bob passed away in August of 1995, but his name and his reels remain legendary and highly collectable.

 

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