Discover Fly Fishing at WILSON'S - "Canada's Fly Fishing Outfitter" » fly fishing

The Rules

Jim Wilson — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 10:48:19 +0000

Today’s Globe and Mail has an article on the front page of the sports section entitled, “The Rules of Trotz” by Eric Duhatschek and it talks about how Nashville Predators coach BarryvTrotz has built his team into a winner by using sound business techniques and principles. The article lists five basic rules that can apply equally to any business including ours:

1. Help the players get better because it is good for the team;
2. Give the players ownership and listen to their input;
3. When something is broken fix it;
4. Always do the right thing; and,
5. See Rule No. 1.

Not surprisingly these same rules can apply to, say, a fly fishing trade show…:

1. Help the (Forum) get better because it is good for the (fly fishing community);
2. Give the (attendees) ownership and listen to their input;
3. When something is broken fix it;
4. Always do the right thing; and,
5. See Rule No. 1.

Just a thought…

On a business note, we are continuing to set up our store in Fergus this weekend so if you are in the neighbourhood please drop in and say hello! The phone number at our new fly shop is 519-787-3474.

If My Life Was A Book…

Jim Wilson — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 23:50:32 +0000

…and I was the author, I would write a story in which I likely had half the strength and courage this young woman displayed when her life took an unexpected turn. When she was 19, Amy Purdy lost both her legs below the knee. And now … she’s a pro snowboarder. In this powerful talk, she shows us how to draw inspiration from life’s obstacles. Amy Purdy became a professional snowboarder despite losing both her legs to meningitis. She encourages us to take control of our lives, and our limits.

I don’t know about you but after watching this 9 minute video I realized I don’t have any problems in my life whatsoever.

Contrary to popular belief, life at WILSON’S isn’t all about fly fishing… and nor should it be

http://www.ted.com/talks/amy_purdy_living_beyond_limits.html

Simms Waders: a Lesson in Pride

Jim Wilson — Wed, 01 Feb 2012 05:03:03 +0000

I am in Bozeman, Montana at the invitation of Simms to attend a meeting with 11 other owners of some of the best fly shops in North America. LeLands, FishWest, Blue Quill, TCO, Kingfisher, Chicago Fly Fishing Outfitters & River’s Edge amongst others are here and I consider this invitation quite an honour because I am sitting amongst some of the brightest retailers in the industry. To be honest, I am focused on listening and taking notes because I don’t want to embarrass myself too much…

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.

Recent Headlines = More Fishing?

Jim Wilson — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 04:28:28 +0000

“World economy in ‘dangerous phase’ IMF warns” – Toronto Star

“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…

Ecommerce Update

Jim Wilson — Thu, 05 May 2011 13:30:55 +0000

Part of me hesitated writing this but because of the number of inquiries we continue to get on a daily basis we thought we should let you know what is going on… which is this.

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!

The Annual Rite of Spring…

Jim Wilson — Tue, 01 Mar 2011 14:19:42 +0000

The first day of March is symbolic for a number of reasons, not the least of which is the light of spring we see at the end of the winter tunnel. Around this time of year fly fishermen start stirring from hibernation and spouses wake to find gear bags dug out of basements lying in the front hallway like a suitcase waiting for an expectant mother on her way to the hospital. Dining room tables are overrun with reels taken out of pouches and sorted alongside fly rods and boxes of flies that are again sorted by type… and then resorted the following week by hatch. This process is a reawakening of a shared passion and an annual rite of spring that brings a smile to every fly angler’s face in Ontario because, at the end of a long day at work, we know that trout season is creeping ever-closer…

Life Isn’t All About Work

Jim Wilson — Thu, 27 Jan 2011 05:01:56 +0000

It’s late January. It’s snowing. I’m heading to work. I drive over Bronte Creek on Appleby Line and just as I crest the hill on the north side of the creek and reach Sideroad 2, I slow down. I have a meeting in Milton that I have to be at in 40 minutes – but I can’t help myself. I turn and head down into the valley to see how the creek is looking. I slow down as I near the valley floor and go even slower as I approach the bridge that I know so well. I stop and look north towards the dogleg upriver that leads to Zimmerman Park and then look south where the creek flows past the Scout camp. I feel better for having taken these few moments but recognize the clock is ticking and my meeting awaits – but I smile when I realize that so to is the coming season… Life isn’t all about work.

[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!]

Fly Fishing Links

Jim Wilson — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 05:01:16 +0000

We have been asked on occasion why we have such a comprehensive list of links on our website and the answer is pretty simple – we like promoting friends! We encourage readers of our blog to take a few moments and wade through our lists of places to stay, fly fishing artists, conservation organizations, fly fishing clubs, guides, photographers who focus on fly fishing (no pun intended… sort of), women who fly fish, health organizations that incorporate fly fishing into recovery programs, ezines & magazines, museums, and links to good places for a bite to eat after a day on the water. We have over 200 links and we are always looking for interesting sites to add so if you have any suggestions please send an email to jim@canadasflyfishingoutfitter.com.

Very Best,

Jim

Diane Michelin, Fly Fishing Artist

Jim Wilson — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 05:01:46 +0000

The main benefit of being in fly fishing retail is having the opportunity to meet some truly wonderful people from all walks of life and one of those people is a passionate fly angler and professional water colour artist who currently resides in Nanoose Bay on Vancouver Island by the name of Diane Michelin. Originally from Montreal, Diane’s fly fishing art is appreciated in private collections throughout Canada, the United States and in Europe and if you are lucky enough it may eventually appear on a wall in your home as well.

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

Ecommerce Update

Jim Wilson — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 05:01:09 +0000

Ooohh Baby – it’s a work night and it’s late… Better put the coffee on extra strong tomorrow morning! We finished loading the new categories onto our new ecommerce site tonight (Monday) and we will start loading inventory tomorrow. It looks like we are going to load fly fishing reels first and make sure everything is kosher before moving on to other categories such as fly fishing rods and fly fishing waders and will eventually make our way to the fly tying materials… Hold on – why do I keep typing “fly fishing” in front of everything ? Oh ya, I am now into the habit of typing “fly fishing” onto the site for search optimization so we appear on fly fishing searches for people in fly fishing looking for information on fly fishing rods and fly fishing reels and fly fishing waders and… Holy Andy – enough already!

Sorry…