After a telephone conversation with Mr. Wayne Grauer, I do not think I will be called upon to give away any poorly tied flies this year. Wayne is a purveyor of both new and used bamboo fly rods and knows quite a bit regarding fly fishing history. Mr. Grauer complained that the quiz this year was really tough. Some of you may simply need a few extra hours of batting practice.

The answer to the question, “Who was the author of the books ‘Pavlov’s Trout,’ ‘Darwin’s Bass’ and ‘Fishing Lessons?’” is Paul Quinnett. If you can find a copy of “Fishing Lessons” on a used book list, it is a great read.

The name of the artist who did the color plates of fish for Ray Bergman’s book “Just Fishing” was Fred Everett. In 1952, Mr. Everett wrote his own fine book titled “Fun with Trout.” He was a long-time employee of the New York State Conservation Department.

The year the Harrisburg Fly Fishers club was formed was 1947. Charlie Fox and Vince Marinaro were early members.

The title of the book published in 1857, which urged anglers to “turn around and fish upstream” was “The Practical Angler,” by William Stewart. His middle name was Clouston.

The author of that marvelous, little-known book, “Rising Trout,” was Charles Fox, who also penned “This Wonderful World of Trout and Advanced Bait Casting.”

In his 1985 book, “The View from Rat Lake,” John Gierach wrote: “There are only three things in life that are dead center.” In his opinion they were, 1955 Ford pickups, B. B. King and dry fly fishing.

As you ride the bus back to Scranton, PA and the bush leagues, you will now discover that the other nickname that Ed Hewitt called Alfred W. Miller, aka Sparse Grey Hackle, was “Deacon” or “Deac” for short. Another great book, if you can find a copy, is titled, “An Honest Angler,” edited by Patricia Miller Sherwood, who was the daughter of Mr. Miller. The Lyons Press published this book in 1998.

Here on the range, frantic time has arrived. Barbara Ann came into the fly-tying room this morning and firmly informed her resident tier that the fly in the vice was to be the last one tied until all the packing is finished. It just so happens that this was the prettiest size 16 Parachute, Pale Evening Dun I have ever tied. Reluctantly, I dismantled the vice and began packing up the various items an 82-year-old fly tier finds necessary. It took awhile.

Tomorrow, I will go over the room inch by inch in an attempt to be certain that not one item will have been forgotten. If that should occur, the fly shops in Roscoe, NY will be happy to lighten my wallet. Sunday morning, April 22 we leave Texas, driving through Arkansas, landing somewhere in Tennessee. Monday, we will pass on through Tennessee into Virginia. Tuesday will find us briefly visiting West Virginia and Maryland and then on into Pennsylvania. With any luck, we will be sleeping in our log cabin on the Delaware Tuesday evening—there already by the time you read this. It sounds easy, but it has become more of a marathon than a sprint. See y’all very soon.