KC Walsh, the owner of Simms, invited us to Bozeman for the inaugural “Simms Fly Fishing Retailer Summit” and we kicked off the meeting yesterday with a tour of their wader factory. Let me correct that. To call the Simms facility a “factory” is doing the brand a disservice because the word factory implies mass production and, perhaps more importantly, a lack of attention to detail in the drive for the almighty dollar. At least at Simms, nothing could be further from the truth.

If you are not aware, Simms waders are made in Bozeman, Montana and, having now toured their facility, I know that the men and women who work here are artisans focused on producing the best fly fishing waders in the industry. Our group was taken through the production process from where the roles of Gore fabric are received by the friendly guys in the receiving department to the final inspection and shipping area where each wader is re-checked before being sent out. Between these points there are literally dozens of people who are involved in producing each pair of waders. We looked on with interest as roles of Gore were cut by hand based on a computer design to ensure as little of the fabric was wasted and followed the fabric as it was stitched by expert employees who sew each part of the wader together. Some of us tried our hand at the taping station that reinforces the seams and laughed as we realized how much skill it takes to do what appeared to us to be a simple job. Like any professionals, the people at Simms are so good at what they do they make it look easy. The production line ultimately weaves its way around an incredibly organized and clean room to the final testing area where each wader is checked for leaks. Think about that for a moment. Each wader is checked for leaks before being shipped. The craftsmanship and dedication to quality at this facility blew me away.

One thing in particular that caught my eye during our tour was a spot near the lunch room where production mistakes are hung for all to see. While we were there we saw a pair of waders on display that had been sent back by a customer because two left feet had been sewn onto them. The occasional mistake like this will happen at any company but what struck me was that these waders are not displayed with an intent to embarrass the person responsible but rather to remind everyone to pay attention to detail and take pride in what they do. As we heard from more than one employee on the floor during our tour, “Every wader we make is important because we don’t want to lose even one customer.”

The sense of pride we encountered from the employees was for me perhaps the most surprising thing I encountered during our tour. The culture at Simms truly is a credit to the management team and what I saw on the production floor gave me a better understanding not only of the products but but also of the company and its people. Simms charges what many consider to be a premium for their waders and having now seen the process and met the people who make them I have a better understanding of the craftsmanship involved and I know they are worth every penny. It was great to see a company where the people working on the floor not only believe in the importance of the quality of their work but they also take pride in learning from their mistakes.

And that is why we at WILSON’S are proud to be a Simms dealer.

“EU crisis raises bank risk…” – Globe and Mail

“Volatility is the new norm” – New York Times

“IMF warns of new threat to banks” – BBC

I don’t know about you but the more I read newspapers the more I want to go fishing…

We went live with our new website 5 months ago and our website traffic jumped by over 30% but so too did the number of calls and emails asking when the ecommerce part of our site will be live. To our surprise the biggest stumbling block has been the difficulty in getting the right information in a downloadable format from our suppliers. We require high resolution images and product descriptions in a CSV file and when we have approached the majority of our suppliers most have said, “Ummm, we don’t know what a CSV file is. Just go to our website and start cutting and pasting.” This would be okay if we were only dealing with a few hundred items but we have over 10,000 items that we have to transfer into our system so the cut and paste route doesn’t quite cut it (no pun intended).

Well, after a bit of insistence from us many of our suppliers have stepped up to the plate and we have downloaded a considerable amount of product into the site and we are now in the process of screening it for mistakes to prepare for a staged launch that will feature a limited number of products from a select few suppliers. Our ecommerce team is continuing to work feverishly (they have even been threatened with not getting dessert) and we hope to surprise everyone by actually having the site live in the coming weeks.

No one is more anxious than us to have the site live and we hope that you will like what we have done when you finally get a peek!

[EDITOR'S NOTE: We received another 2 shipments of fly tying materials in the store yesterday and we are pleased to report that because we have so much more inventory in fly tying materials it is getting difficult to find wall space. As a consequence the reorganization of the store has finally begun so come on in and check out what we've been up to!]

Very Best,

Jim

There are a few artists whose work in particular captures fly fishing in a way that many may appreciate but only anglers truly understand and Diane is one of those artists. As she says on her website, “My water colours describe the essence of fly fishing as told by exotic paraphernalia, rusty pick up trucks, fishin’ dogs and snazzy tackle. The story is about optimism, bits of fur and feathers, solitude and companionship. Each day on the river is notable in the mist off the water or the misadventure of the moment. Consequently, I am inclined to depict the everyday aspect of our passion amid the complexity of the water, light and colour. For it is this that fuels us in our inordinate conservation commitments and the nonstop chatter in the fly shop.”

For more information on Diane please check out her website at www.dianemichelin.com

Abaco Lodge in the Bahamas always had a lot of bonefish but we have seen an abnormal amount of large fish these last two months. Our standard 2-5 pounders are still there but the percentage of large fish, those in the 5-9 pound class, has been up substantially. The fall fishing has been nothing less than spectacular here in Abaco. Very few fronts moved in and the stable weather meant great fishing across the board. Comfortable days on the water and cooler nights by the fire have made a wonderful start to the season.

The Bahamas is bonefishing at its best but we aren’t limited to the gray ghost. The juvenile tarpon fishing this fall was predictable and sustainable, with us jumping more than 60 fish. We are working on improving the hook up to landed ration but there is nothing like hooking a 25lb tarpon in 12” of water on an 8 wt! We also had a verified snook sighting – the first we know of in the Abacos. Some of the more exciting fish on the flats are those that can bite back – shallow water shark fishing on a fly might just be the most underrated fishing we have. Lemons, blacktips, bonnet heads, and spinners are found throughout the Marls and if you put the time in you can convince them to take an artificial without chum. We use a floating line and large poppers leading to spectacular takes as the whole head comes out of the water to eat the fly. It is all about the bite! Amazing takes and exciting fishing, we think everyone should be rigged for this every day.

For more information on this lodge check out the Travel Section on our website. Remember, if you book this or any other destination through our store you pay the same as booking direct with the lodge but we give you a gift certificate worth 10% of the trip value to spend in our store !