by Jim Stone, The Pickleville Philosopher
Well, I went fishing today I got some really small rainbows and a really small brook trout. He was small but his colors were big and brilliant. Brook trout have bright orange dots with a circle around them, it reminds me of a full moon eclipse. Also their relatives, the Atlantic char in Alaska.
It brought a pretty funny story to mind. It was my first year guiding in Alaska,we were on the tip of the Barinoff islands on the inside passage just out of Sitka. You got there boat or floatplane, no roads anywhere just hundreds of islands.
When you're the new guide in camp the old guides call you a greenhorn or rookie. Well I was the rookie, we took a big barge in about two weeks ahead of time to set up camp and get boats and gear ready for the incoming clients to arrive, eager to start fishing for king salmon and monster halibut. The first halibut I caught was just under three hundred pounds it broke my nose and shattered my glasses but that's a whole different story.
In Alaska when you are guiding in a wilderness you are not allowed to disturb the ground with buildings or even trails everything has to be built above the riparian habitat so that it goes as undisturbed as possible. We built boardwalks to and from every tent which were built on platforms above the ground it was like a huge tree house except it was just off the ground.
Under the canopy of the trees southeast Alaska is a temperate rain forest it's one of the most breathtaking places on the planet. Well, we got all ready for the guests to arrive, we had been out and learned where the fish were. I had grown up in Utah most of my life the biggest piece of water I ever fished on was Bear Lake, the ocean was so vast it had me so intimidated. I was a bit scared of it at first. Everything was going good, all the guests had been catching lots of big fish. Being that I was the rookie in camp I had to stay in one day a week and help cook meals, me and Bozwood my dog. I didn't mind I loved to cook and Bozwood loved to sample everything.
The guides had warned me to watch out for one of the guests, Willy, they said he was a prankster and if given a chance with you being the new rookie he would more than likely try to get me. Me and Boz didn't think much of it, we would just take it all in stride. Willy loved to cook and hang out with the guides and guests. We headed to the cook tent to do our part in helping with dinner. When we walked in the cook tent, Willy was standing behind the counter. He had a giant king crab sitting on the counter,he was putting whole carrots into its giant powerful claws and the king crab would chop them into pieces, then Willy would throw them on top of a bed of lettuce in a big salad bowl.
Boz and me were speechless. Me and Boz new each other so well that we had a silent language.
I could hear Boz say, "He's really using that king crab to chop up the veggies to make a salad. Yah, Jim I think he really must be crazy."
Willy was kinda a short man with long kinda sixties hippie hair. He had a heavy raspy voice that was deep and loud. He blurted out, "Hey you and your mangy dog must be the new rookies in camp. Get me something to toss my salad with."
Boz was insulted,he was a beautiful hound and I just zipped my mouth and went to where the utensils were and got him two big serving spoons to toss his salad with. I went over and handed them to him.
He raised his voice again and said, "What the hell are you thinking rookie? Are you trying to insult me? I only need one!
Little did me and Boz know he only had one arm. I turned three shades of white and was more embarrassed than I had ever been. I thought he was really mad so I just started helping in the kitchen.
Willy spoke up again wanting me to make him a chilly willy. It was a big mug of beer with a six ounce shot glass full of tequila dropped in the middle of the mug over the beer. "Hey rookie you're taking me fishing tomorrow. I hope you and that big dog of yours know where the big halibuts are."
Wooo, me and Boz were happy when dinner was served so we could vacate the premises and steer clear of Willy. We were almost out the door. "Hey rookies I'll see both of you at sun up!" It was a long sleepless night for me. Boz didn't much care he just curled up in his sleeping bag and snored the whole night away.
We got two our boat in the dark ready to take Willy halibut fishing about an hour before he would show up. "Oh geese Boz," I whispered, "here he comes. Let's try to be pleasant to him."
"Hey rookies I thought you would be late. I'm ready. Let's go!" I knew where there were some monster halibut. We no sooner had got there and let our bait down than Willy was hooked up. The water was about three hundred feet deep. Willy had a long battle to get this big fish up. He would pin his fishing pole under his armpit and use his stomach and waist to keep his fishing pole in line than reel with his only hand. He was a pro at it. "It's a big one rookies get my net ready! Here he comes! He's about two hundred pounds! Net him rookie! Net him now!
Well the net was for king salmon in the fifty to seventy pound category not a two hundred pound halibut. I scooped at the giant fish and just pissed Willy and the fish off . Willy yelled, "I told you rookie get my net ready!
Well Willy's net was a twelve gauge pump shotgun loaded with slugs. "Shoot that fish in the head," he yelled. Booom I shot the fish. "Good job rookie, pull it in the boat now and let's head in. It's time for a chilly willy."
We did like Willy wanted and headed in. Boz and I didn't have to help in the kitchen tonight so we stayed in our tent and ate beef jerky and crackers for supper. We didn't want any more trouble from Willy.
Well after supper Willy came buy our tent and had brought our dinner to us. He fessed up and let us know he was always hard on the new rookies. "It's part of your initiation boys! Welcome to Alaska you two are gonna work out just fine. Willy, Bozwood and me had bonded. Come to find out Willy loved dogs and was a river guide for steelhead trout in his younger years. He gave up guiding and became one of the most respected boat builders in the country. He built three boats that are still on the market today the predator, the assaulter and a river drift boat. Just simply the best in my opinion.
It was Willy's last night in camp, dinner was over, all the guests had gone to bed except Willy,Boz and me it was our turn two boil ten gallon pots of water to do dishes. willy was having a chilly willy talking to me and scratching Boz's ears
"Hey, Jimmy you need a sink with a hot water system so you don't have two boil water every time.
I responded man a sink would be nice. Willy was heading out in the morning on the float plane so we said our goodbyes. The plane came in early that morning and off our new friend Willy went.
Two weeks went by just guiding every day. Boz and me had seen so much beauty. We all had a day of with no clients coming until tomorrow. I was cleaning my boat and getting gear ready. Bozwood was up shmoozing one of the female guides. Boz loved her and was always making sure she was ok. He was a big lover boy until a bear came to close to camp then he turned into a bigger bear! He had a ferocious bark and would scare any bear rite of the little island we were on, sending it swimming to another island.
We heard the double propellers of a Grumman widgeon float plane dropping from high in the sky coming right in and landing. The pilot got out and said he had a special delivery for the guides and Bozwood.
Willy had handmade a two bin sink with a hot water system in it. We looked in the sink. There was a gallon of tequila, a swim suit edition of Sports Illustrated, a bottle of jergens, and a box of dog chews also a brand new sage fly rod, hand built, bear lake blue. It said Jimmy Stone special on the side. It was the neatest thing that I'd ever seen. Bozwood, me and Willy were friends for life. I had Willy build a drift river boat for my outfitter a few years later. We went to Medford, Oregon and watched Willy build the boat. He even painted the boat bear lake blue. Willy is gone now he taught me so much in life.
The two things that I still hold onto is take all insults with a grain of salt and always be proud and hold your head up.
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