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)
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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In the next issue of Estuary magazine, I’ll tell you about a fly that was once well-known in the Great North Woods. Today it is long forgotten. It is a fine little streamer created for brookies and landlocked salmon. Do you know it?
Got two more nice flies to show you from the vise of Mark Lewchik. The first fly is designed to match the large offshore sand eels that were around this year. Typically we only see the smaller inshore variety, which rarely grows over 4 inches. These offshore sand eels reach twice that size.
The bottom fly is a juvenile menhaden or “peanut bunker” Mark has done an excellent job of mimicking the shape, size and coloration of this common bait fish. This fly should prove to be a killer.
Here’s a nice striper my son caught in the waters off Orient Point, New York
