Alaskan Masters

  In my sporting life one word more then any other is often miss used and used imprecisely! The Wilson family Alaskan pioneer's successful homesteaders, all around expert fly fishers, hunters, outdoors men epitomize the meaning of the word master! In the early days of this century I met the Wilson family at their amazing homestead called lake Marie www.lakemarie.com . Before discussing the male members of this hunter gatherer clan, an introduction to the fairer sweeter side namely Marie Wilson is in order.

  David and John Wilson along with their Dad created the lake Marie fly fishing lodge 90 miles from Anchorage several years ago. The lodge named after mother Wilson was in it's early stages of development when one afternoon while Marie was in her kitchen a Grizzly Bear entered to see what was cooking! Marie grabbed the lodge rifle and one big bear by by!

  When I heard that tale and met Mrs. Wilson my undying respect for this special family began.

  Without going into details my first encounter with the Wilson family turned out to be an unofficial world record for light Bamboo fly rods. With the help of Head Guide Wrangler John Wilson I caught and landed a 34 pound King Salmon (he gets fatter with every telling!)

  That story " Monster Kings & Sweet Bamboo" was most read world wide in the genre for many months. More then landing that big king or enjoying true Alaskan wilderness, it was the Wilson family that I'll never forget. First time I met David the brother who owns and lives at the homestead and never has a paperback book far from his eyes, or his brother John who for more then ten years help run the fly fishing operation before moving on to other challenges. I knew these boys were all about the wilderness and were equipped genetically to handle any situation!

  John on my second trip to lake Marie amazed me with his surface popping for King Salmon? Yes, John perfected a fly and presentation that persuaded Kings to hit his surface fly like a rainbow trout! I witnessed this feat many times watching he and Mr. Wilson senior take king after king with this crazy method, it works! One of John's favorite teaching phrases for new fly guides I loved, "Just have fun out there " My time with David and John and their much accomplished Father was unforgettable....

  As the photos attest the Wilson men are still giving piscatorial graduate school lessons to those aquatic beasts most in need. Dolly Varden, fat Rainbow's John and his Dad are not interested in the latest lazy fly fishing guide innovation tying a usually red colored bead just above your fly, " We do not fish with the new craze up here! I fly fish, not beadfish.

  A bead is not a fly, beads came about because of lazy guides who don't want to tie flies. I'm old school, I use a real fly old school."

  I agree with John only flies ought to be used in fly fishing, many new age guides cut corners mainly because they can get away with it! When diligent operation owners insist on back to the basics we all when in this game. Keep it simple, keep it real, keep it only old school like my friends Alaskan Masters the Wilson family...

  One last Wilson Alaskan memory, on the first night at the Lake Marie homestead around 2am I heard sounds of boards being ripped off walls? Rolled over went back to sleep. Before breakfast we went outside to the guides small cabin. One of the young guides had left half a sandwich tucked next to his bunk against the wall. The cabin wall looked like an explosion took place.

  During lunch that first day I noticed bear paw prints on the wide lodge front window and several of the salt & pepper shakers looking like the incredible hulk had mangled them! During the winter bears had broken in and rampaged the kitchen after getting into the flour bin, they left perfect white giant bear claw prints on the window from the inside!

  I visited lake Marie twice and became a fan of the Wilson's a family that reminds one of what kind of stuff built America in the first place, old school all the way....

  Many possible fly trips are in the works for 2007, Patagonia, India, Russia if details are worked out. The highly touted Upper Sacramento California fishery may be next trip weather permitting. 2006 was a great fly fishing year and I look forward to more of the same. Thank you all for your loyal readership all these years, it has been a great ride... 

  His brand new Holiness or rather lowliness Fletcher Quill is spending his early morning unraveling the worlds ten most sacred secrets given to him by his true Holiness the Dali Lama. Quill is in his six room suite surrounded by purring Sera Monastery Siamese cats, while watching one of the CD's titled "Making Gold Secret Number One". In this CD which will self destruct after one viewing! The ancient recipe is divulged, one first attains pure silver from Carson City Nevada, a particular vain of pink quartz, an amount of a particular inert gas. The mixture is then placed under tremendous pressure and in ten days an amount of gold five times the mixture is realized, pure gold! Secret number two explained again in a CD is the secret of immortality.

  This CD explains how one can become immortal at any moment of material life by either pure luck or by study or by pleasing the most important fairies, gods, guardian angels or of course by the supreme being... The actual process is simple, one's body and soul is given permission to never die regardless of the situation. The immortal body's ability to regenerate instantly or slowly is manipulated and set free. Of course immortality can be forfeited if any mortal sin is committed.

  Fletcher can faintly hear the young Monks and their waking chants, the lilting opening chords to Buddy Guy's " Mustang Sally "echoes throughout the thick walls of Sera Monastery built in the 1400's. The Dali Lama and the senior lama's have allowed Quill to include his own debating subjects for daily debates and choose the ongoing chanting music which for the last 3 weeks has been either early 1900s Chicago Blues, Mississippi Delta Blues, San Francisco 1960s primal psychedelic rock, early 60's British rock ala the Glimmer Twins Keith & Mick.......

  Fletcher moves one of the temple cats and begins watching secret tape number three, "Secret to living a perfect life!". In this tape the answer is very simple, one only has to spend every waking and dreaming moment thinking and acting within the guidelines of love, tolerance, generosity, kindness, forgiveness, light heartedness.... If one never leaves this state of continual giving and joy a perfect life will be lived!

  Quill pauses to consider how far off the mark his pathetic grave robbing existence has been and what on earth has allowed a total heathen creep like him to be privy to these secrets? The cell phone rings its her High Blondness La Sharon," "Sharon sweety, miss you like cold vanilla ice cream! But first I'm now searching through my own traveling reference library reading chapter 6 of John Gradner Young's 1837 treatise on ancient Egyptian Manners & Customs. The aspect of concern is an obscure reference to the boy King Tutankhamen's supposed Royal Wife? Mother? Sister? Friend? Sharon baby I need you to email me these texts found in my secret library codex. First send Ephemerides Novae by Ioannes Stadius published early 1500s, also send my three dimensional Earth replica by 16th Century Master Cartographer Gerardus Mercator, also my first edition Golden Bough and my most coveted hand crafted by old 666 Al Crowly himself " Enochian Alphabet" (language of Angel's) written in word squares on parchment from Adam & Eve's personal belongings.

"Ok there your lowliness, weirdness. Not trying to hard to be a little tooo obscure on your Hollywood gal pal are we there General?"

"No worries we now begin kite Olympics run up and full demonstration of the free power Pyramid Power Grid system. After which I'm outa here and back to Raven's Haven. So how is my cat Timba?, Ahh sorry Sharon surprise visit from 666, Abbott Sammy and others to be announced I'm sure?"

"Oh how you sometimes disappoint me my crafty shiny newly minted Shaman OHO, you know how I love it when you refer to my own published gems such as maybe second only by my highly touted "Book Of The Law" written in only three quick days or perhaps "The Sword of the Song" called by Christians "Book Of The Beast". One more thing where is your copy of "Dweller in the Abyss"? You call that a literary gentlemen's traveling library indeed my good man!"

"Great, you're here, so where is Abbott Sammy?"

"I have been here for awhile. Very interesting the degree of scholarly vibage between you two spirit Geeks. So when do we get started on the kite Olympics Quill?"

Mean while within the Dali Lama's private Sera Monastery chambers six of the most senior resident lama's are discussing the positive and negative effects of Fletcher Quill's debating questions and his morning chanting Chicago Blues medleys featuring Muddy Waters, Willy Dixon, and the Chicago Blues all stars....

"Your Holiness the debate on whether hot blonds can have maintain relationships with other hot blonds was enlightening! Though the debate topic "Is American Pop Music dead?" quite stimulating."

"Yes, we must all be patient and allow our young monks to be exposed to a more complex value system based on what night Paris Hilton does or does not wear panties?"

"Point taken Ronpoach, yes American contemporary culture is about as deep as Brittany Spears reading list. We will allow your new OHO (Outer Head of Order) to fowl our air a bit longer your Holiness, it is grand to see you again. Please join us in making a Mandela in celebration."

"Did you truly permit Mr. Quill access to the worlds most secret of secrets your Holiness?"

"Yes of course, our Fletcher Quill is already aware of more secrets then all of us my son..."

"Now let us adjourn to the laboratories where both pyramid energy grids and this incredibly strong light weight cloth that must come from another world?"

  In the Sera Monastery most famous of the legendary Yellow Hat sect located at the foot of Tatipu Hill about 3 kilometers from Potala Palace a four story edifice known as Coqen Hall is now set up as fully operational testing labs to see exactly what 666, Quill and his nasty associates have conjured or discovered? Sera Monastery was built by Sakya Yeshe a disciple of the great Tsong khapa known as Dharma King of great mercy! Fletcher Quill's gang of semi resident spook's, spirit's, energy's or whatever's that follow him seem to be mingling easily as if they were all back in Haight Ashbury circa 1967 Junish...

  The Monastery is also famous for it's three Zhacangs (Tantric teaching college's), in a small gathering space near the Zhacangs a group of novice monks consider Quill's effect on their daily routines...

"Jonsu it makes much since for us to debate death of American Pop culture because that looming country still leads the world!"

"Yes point taken Yang, though the old master Lama's seem hard pressed to continue tolerating this western Shaman of quite dubious character. If his pyramid energy grid actually produces clean unlimited free energy it will change the world."

"This morning I heard the adults speaking of the miracle of the magic cloth? What is this magic cloth?"

(How long will Lama's hang with Quill? Is it all going to Quill's tiny head?)