Tangled Lines gift guide

The official Tangled Lines wader lineup. One set needs patching. One was purchased when the author was much larger. One never fit quite right but you never know. There’s another set in the car.
Patrick L. Sullivan
The official Tangled Lines wader lineup. One set needs patching. One was purchased when the author was much larger. One never fit quite right but you never know. There’s another set in the car.
Here is the annual gift guide for those of you with fly-fishers on the list. I have attempted to keep this simple and intelligible to the unafflicted.
The easy way out is the gift certificate. Most retailers offer them. I have been on the receiving end of an Orvis gift card many times.
So how much do you make it for? Hard to say, but know this: $100 just gets things started. If the goal is to get Fred a new set of waders so he stops complaining about the old leaky ones, better start at $300. Note also that they will still leak, eventually, but this is not your fault.
The old waders can probably be salvaged, too. Look for a wader repair kit with a small tube of stuff called Aquaseal and some patches that can be cut to size. Fred should have one of these kits anyway. Sometimes they come with the new waders.
Then you can get Fred a freestanding rack to hold all the spare waders that might or might not leak. (See photo.)
Rods: I am a big fan of Echo rods, especially the entry-level models. You can do a lot worse than getting a budding angler an Echo Lift kit, which is a rod, reel with pre-spooled line, and case for just under $200.
Anything else is going to require some subtlety on your part. Example: “Hi Fred. What sort of fly rod do you really want? And how’s Mom?”
Fred replies: “I have been eyeing the Spatzenjammer GBH 12-foot trout mini-spey for 250 grain Skagit heads.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” you say, keeping it subtle. “Have you seen a specialist?”
For extra subtlety, try asking Fred’s main fishing buddy what a good rod would be. This could be difficult, because Fred probably doesn’t know his buddy’s last name, home town, or anything that might identify him except a phone number. And even that will be in some kind of code. I have a contact in my phone that says “K fishing.” That’s it. I have no idea who or what this is, and when I tried calling I got a no longer in service message. Didn’t delete it from the phone, though. That would make too much sense.
You could throw yourself on the mercy of the fly shop. We have two actual fly shops in driving distance -- the Orvis store in Avon, and UpCountry in the Pleasant Valley section of Barkhamsted, with the West Branch of the Farmington River out back.
You’ll need to know some basic stuff. Where does Fred fish? What does he fish for? And Fred’s dimensions, plus a quick sketch of his condition, habits and general disposition.
Here’s an idea that could work: A bunch of flies and a nifty new box from a big online fly retailer such as Big Y Fly Company in Oregon or Fly Shack in New York.
I’ll save you the guesswork. If your intended recipient is a trout person, get a Fishpond/Tacky Double Haul fly box (about $35) and the following flies, six of each: Chubby Chernobyl size 12, Parachute Adams size 12, Light Cahill dun size 14, Elk Hair caddis size 14, Stimulator size 6, Pheasant Tail beadhead size 16, Hare’s Ear beadhead size 16, and Leadwing Coachman size 10.
The total for this should be about $100.
Don’t put the flies in the box because you’ll do it wrong. Let Fred do it. It will take forever and the family, busy with festive holiday activities, will be grateful not to have the glum snowbound angler getting in the way.
LAKEVILLE — Barbara Meyers DelPrete, 84, passed away Tuesday, Sept. 30, 2025, at her home. She was the beloved wife of George R. DelPrete for 62 years.
Mrs. DelPrete was born in Burlington, Iowa, on May 31, 1941, daughter of the late George and Judy Meyers. She lived in California for a time and had been a Lakeville resident for the past 55 years.
Survivors, in addition to her husband, George, include son, George R. DelPrete II, daughter, Jena DelPrete Allee, and son Stephen P. DelPrete. Grandchildren; Trey, Cassidy, and Meredith DelPrete, Jack, Will and Finn Allee, and Ali and Nicholas DelPrete.
A Funeral Mass was held at St. Mary’s Church, Lakeville, on Saturday, Oct. 4. May she Rest in Peace.
Ryan Funeral Home, 255 Main St., Lakeville, is in care of arrangements.
To offer an online condolence, please visit ryanfhct.com
SHARON — Shirley Anne Wilbur Perotti, daughter of George and Mabel (Johnson) Wilbur, the first girl born into the Wilbur family in 65 years, passed away on Oct. 5, 2025, at Noble Horizons.
Shirley was born on Aug. 19, 1948 at Sharon Hospital.
She was raised on her parents’ poultry farm (Odge’s Eggs, Inc.).
After graduating from Housatonic Valley Regional High School, she worked at Litchfield County National Bank and Colonial Bank.
She married the love of her life, John, on Aug. 16, 1969, and they lived on Sharon Mountain for more than 50 years.
Shirley enjoyed creating the annual family Christmas card, which was a coveted keepsake.She also enjoyed having lunch once a month with her best friends, Betty Kowalski, Kathy Ducillo, and Paula Weir.
In addition to John, she is survived by her three children and their families; Sarah Medeiros, her husband, Geoff, and their sons, Nick and Andrew, of Longmeadow, Massachusetts, Shelby Diorio, her husband, Mike, and their daughters, Addie, Lainey and Lyla, of East Canaan, Connecticut,Jeffrey Perotti, his wife, Melissa, and their daughters, Annie, Lucy and Winnie, of East Canaan. Shirley also leaves her two brothers, Edward Wilbur and his wife Joan, and David Wilbur; two nieces, three nephews, and several cousins.
At Shirley’s request, services will be private.
Donations in her memory may be made to the Sharon Woman’s Club Scholarship Fund, PO Box 283, Sharon, CT 06069.
The Kenny Funeral Home has care of arrangements.
MILLERTON — Veronica Lee “Ronnie” Silvernale, 78, a lifelong area resident died Tuesday, Oct. 7, 2025, at Sharon Hospital in Sharon, Connecticut. Mrs. Silvernale had a long career at Noble Horizons in Salisbury, where she served as a respected team leader in housekeeping and laundry services for over eighteen years. She retired in 2012.
Born Oct. 19, 1946, at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina, she was the daughter of the late Bradley C. and Sophie (Debrew) Hosier, Sr. Following her graduation from high school and attending college, she married Jack Gerard Silvernale on June 15, 1983 in Millerton, New York. Their marriage lasted thirty-five years until Jack’s passing on July 28, 2018.
Ronnie is survived by her daughter, Jaime Silvernale (Wm. MacDaniel, Sr.) of Millerton, her beloved grandson, Wm. MacDaniel, Jr.; two special nieces, Shannon and Rebecca and a special nephew Sean Hosier. In addition to her parents and husband, she was predeceased by her brother, Bradley C. Hosier, Jr. and her dear friend Ruth Fullerton of Millerton.
Visitation was private. A celebration of Ronnie’s life will be held in the future. Arrangements have been entrusted to the Scott D. Conklin Funeral Home, 37 Park Avenue, Millerton, NY 12546. To send an online condolence to the family or to plant a tree in Ronnie’s memory, please visit www.conklinfuneralhome.com
Christine Gevert, Crescendo’s artistic director, is delighted to announce the start of this musical organization’s 22nd year of operation. The group’s first concert of the season will feature Latin American early chamber music, performed Oct. 18 and 19, on indigenous Andean instruments as well as the virginal, flute, viola and percussion. Gevert will perform at the keyboard, joined by Chilean musicians Gonzalo Cortes and Carlos Boltes on wind and stringed instruments.
This concert, the first in a series of nine, will be held on Oct. 18 at Saint James Place in Great Barrington, and Oct. 19 at Trinity Church in Lakeville.
For those unfamiliar with Crescendo, the award-winning organization was founded in 2003 and brings lesser-known works from the Renaissance and Baroque periods — along with contemporary fusion pieces — to new life. Its performances often blend classical composition with nontraditional instrumentation for a refreshing new take on an established body of work.
Gevert, who is German, Chilean and American, is a conductor, keyboardist and musical scholar. As the multi-national, multi-lingual (German, Spanish and English) creative director, she is a veritable whirlwind of talent, professionalism and inspiration who conceives of new musical treats for her audiences. She also hires and nourishes local talent, sources internationally known vocal and instrumental professionals, and provides her audiences with well-researched program notes for each concert, packaged in lush, full-color programs that resemble illuminated manuscripts.
“It is the excitement about and dedication to the music, along with the prerequisite vocal and instrumental talent, that characterizes a Crescendo member,” said Gevert. “I don’t care about things like how old or young you are or where you’re from — it’s all about bringing these performers together to provide unforgettable musical experiences for its audiences.”
“Traditional audiences for classical music performances tend to skew older,” Gevert continued. “For that reason, I’ve embarked on an effort to reach younger listeners, and have done things like taken a Crescendo choral group to perform at Housatonic Regional High School. I’ve also launched an effort to recruit and train young singers in Baroque singing techniques so they can perform with our existing choral group.”
The upcoming 2025-26 season includes, among other performances, a solo recital and benefit concert on Nov. 22 by the international Baroque opera star and countertenor Nicholas Tamagna. The curated program will include works by Handel, Vivaldi, and Monteverdi.
Two dazzling Christmas concerts follow: on Dec. 6 and 7, Crescendo presents J.S. Bach’s “Sweet Comfort” cantata and Mass in G minor, featuring the full chorus and soloists with a period instrument orchestra. On Dec. 21, the annual Holiday Concert will be presented: “A Tapestry of Traditions: Unraveling the History of Christmas Carols,” with the entire Crescendo vocal ensemble and Gevert on organ.
For the full schedule, concerts details and ticket information, visit: www.crescendomusic.org