Jack M (Jack Mickievicz)

[steve98]

Does anyone know anything about Jack Mickievicz?
He had a shop along RT 6 in West Pike Potter Co.
I am 66 years old and first visited his shop about 1985 or1988 or so.
His shop was the best. Learned much from him in the visits there.
Except for Phil Baldachino on Kettle.
There are none like it.

Steve 98

 

[steve98]

Does anyone know anything about Jack Mickievicz?
He had a shop along RT 6 in West Pike Potter Co.
I am 66 years old and first visited his shop about 1985 or1988 or so.
His shop was the best. Learned much from him in the visits there.
Except for Phil Baldachino on Kettle.
There are none like it.

Steve 98

Thinking Brad From Potter would know since I also visited his small shop in Galeton

 

[dryflyguy]

Think he passed away at least several years ago now

I met him once way back when I took my fly tying class at fly tyers vice in green tree
He was friends with the owner - Tony Marasco - and he stopped by to talk with us about tying with synthetics
Was very impressed with his personality

 

[Swattie87]

Thread title edited for clarity.

(There was a prominent forum member and moderator that also went by that name who recently has passed.)

Carry on.

 

[lars]

Think he passed away at least several years ago now

Yes, he did pass. Henry Ramsay bought/acquired his inventories. From his website:

I’ve also had the privilege of learning how to process materials from a few of the greats in the business including my old friend Jack Mickievicz. Materials have been both a source of fascination and frustration in my pursuit of finding the perfect materials for the flies I tie. This frustration eventually led to learning how to process and prepare materials for my own use. Many a day has been spent over the years learning the nuances involved in preparing, dyeing, bleaching, and blending materials from Jack and others in the industry. In the end, I had the opportunity to purchase the remaining materials, dyes, and processing equipment Jack had used for the past 50 years with his tying material business.

 

[Dr.J 1952]

I took a rod building class at Fly Tyler’s Vice conducted by Jack in the early 1990s. Very insightful. Tony Morasco carried Jack’s blend of dry fly dubbing. I have been using his dubbing for my sulphur patterns for over thirty years along with a few other colors.

 

[lars]

one of the dealers at the last Fly Fishing Show in Edison was selling his packs of dubbing 12 for $10.
i scored and sent a couple of others over for some too.

 

[Bamboozle]

If I'm not mistaken, wasn't Jack Mickievicz's shop in Douglassville, Berks County, PA?

I unfortunately never met the man, but here is a bio compiled from Angler Sport Group and elsewhere:

Jack Mickievicz started commercial tying at the age of 12, and later opened a fly shop in 1968. He developed the spring wire bobbin in 1969, wing burners in 1970, co-designed the Renzetti presentation vice and introduced prepared dubbing to the fly tying market somewhere in the early 70s.​

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Jack promoted many common sense improvements to tying tools such as hex handles so they would not roll off the table. He often commented, “Tying tools weren’t very good in those days.”​

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He was always an advocate for substitution of endangered and threatened species saying, “I don't appreciate the logic in being a member of conservation organizations like TU and FFF and touting “Limit your kill, don’t kill your limit while insisting on Indian crow, polar bear and baby seal for your flies.”​

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Jack was one of the founders of the Dame Juliana League Fly Fishing Federation in 1971. He wrote for **** Surette and The Fly Tyer magazine in its early days, was an accomplished rod maker in both bamboo and graphite rods and taught both rod building and fly-tying workshops regularly.​

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Jack Mickievicz passed away on April 18, 2021 at the age of 80.​