Colorful author and columnist, his droll meditations about fly fishing such as "Fly fisherman are born honest, but they get over it", served to make him one of the worlds favorite outdoor commentators. His "Exit Laughing" column on the back page of Field and Stream magazine fast became a fixture in the American sportsman's minds. A favorite book written by Zern was entitled "To hell with fishing" published in 1945. Ed Zern is the creator of the renowned "Chevron-Texaco Conservation Award".