The Daily Alaska empire., 1938-05-24
Alaska Mary Ann Really Gets Her
 Fish at Windhanl
Boosters of Fly Creation Breathe Easily as
 Trout Succumb

Last fall, Frank Dufrcsne, Exc cutive Officer of the Alaska Game Commission, and Lew M Williams, of The Empire staff, both dyed-in- the feather fly fishermen. began taking great pride in the assault upon anglers society of a slinky little blonde named Alaska Mary Ann
 The straight of it is this: AL aska Mary Ann is fly creation Ga thing that if properly placed under a trout's surveillance will excite him or tickle him into getting him. self all fouled up on barbed hook
 Frank Dufresne brought the idea cut of the Kobuk River count. y where the Eskimos use polar bear hair to dress up a fish hook, with murderous results-to the fish
 MT Dufresne told MT. Williams, and the latter, enjoying the murder of trout a great deal, if he can mur- der them with something dainty like a trout fly, got excited over the idea.
 i And so the Kobuk hook, crude and Eskimoish, was sent to Weber the-fly-tier for more subtle imita- ton. The result was a hook with the looks of a fly-white and long polar bear hackles in streamer ef- feet, gray-white body, red tag, and dark eye.
 Alaska Mary Ann
 They named her Alaska Mary Ann and because she was such an attractive doll, began to boost her and sing her praises-as gentlemen will with a comedy girl Dufresne with his eastern sportsmen con- tacts through the Game Commis- sion, carried on a subtle publicity attack from the rear flank, while Williams, continually sneaked bits 1 of publicity fluff into the columns of The Empire.
 Result: Everyone was crazy about Alaska Mary Ann, but nobody had as yet put Mary on line and seduc ed trout to doom, until on the op- ening day of the fishing season in the East, Ray Holland, Editor of Field and Stream, stepped Alaska Mary Ann out with the boys and the trout to get limit catch before the rest of the anglers with time-hon- ored lures of less giddy names had even gotten to first base
 But still, Dufresne and Williams gazed with some trepidation on their lovely friend Alaska Mary Ann, for this was fly which was reported to be sure-killer-the reports hav- ing originated in the cunning brains of Dufresne and Williams-and mo- body had ever caught anything in Alaska with Alaska Mary Ann.
 Ali It's Worthy That held true until last Sunday MT. Dufresne is now breathing more easily, and Lew Williams is babbling even more incoherent things about Alaska Mary Ann.
 It's like this (the writer can see he is going to become a tool in this publicity drive): Williams went fish ing in Windham River, Sunday His friends fished with "goof," which is salmon eggs and only different from fly in that it is slimy and sinks and has to be replaced frequently because the fish can only eat it once-and his friends were having no luck.
 i But Williams and Alaska Mary Ann came strolling down the stream. Alaska Mary Ann pirouetted on sur face of the the waters and the fish succumbed. Thirty-five fish suc- cumbed, in fact. and the "goof" fishermen became more sedate and fished with Alaska Mary Anns, and they too were successful
 Alaska Mary Ann arrived a long time ago in publicity columns. She arrived definitely Sunday when she triumphed over bait. in this damp country of Southeastern Alaska where so many fishermen say the fly is much out of place.
 Alaska Mary Ann has done what MT. Dufresne and MT Williams said she could do.
 Bait fishermen abmit it, and fly fishermen cry it-"Alaska Mary Ann is no longer in the deb stage, for she has really arrived"
 And best of all, for Alaskas sake and the world wide advertising 1t will mean, the Alaska Mary Ann is Alaska's own.