Team Tuesday - The Little Things
For me, enjoyment on the water isn’t dependent on the ‘big ticket’ items that you’d normally think make or break a fishing trip. While the number and size of fish to the net certainly do add to my enjoyment, I’d be miserable quite a damn lot if I only relied on the scorecard to determine my mood; I don’t catch many fish and when I do , they’re usually small! The little things such as the wildlife I come across, the company I keep (there’s often cross over there) and the quality of gear I use all play just as important a role in having a good time for me as whether or not the fish are biting. I’m sure there are plenty of other flyfishing guys and gals out there that feel the same way, and I’m almost certain the team behind the Simms range of apparel are some of them.
When I first started exploring the Simms range of apparel earlier this year, I was of course expecting the quality factor that the company is renowned for. But what I didn’t expect was the attention to detail and innovative little touches the team at Simms put into their line-up. Often these little touches are subtle, and I don’t discover them until I’m out on the water, the ingenuity causing me to pause momentarily in a mix of appreciation and admiration.
For instance, we all know how useless a standard fishing shirt is for cleaning sunglasses, right? Yet, if you’re like me, you’ll still (unsuccessfully) use it anyway and make matters worse. The Simms Intruder Bicomp Shirt is no exception, but it does have the ingenious addition of a small sunglass chamois stitched inside its bottom hem. It’s only a small alteration, but it could mean the difference between spotting that trophy brown before you spook it or going home empty handed. Having that little chamois is right there, at my fingertips, has been invaluable and let’s me fish smarter, not harder.
Speaking of fingertips, mine cope a hiding over the cooler months at the best of times, let alone when I’ve inadvertently dunked my arm into the water while netting or releasing a fish. There’s nothing worse than having wet clothing frozen against your skin in a bitter Central West NSW winter, let me tell you. This has all changed since discovering the Simms Katafront Hoody, which comes with hydrophobic cuffs built into the jacket that leave your forearms dry as you move them in and out of the water. It’s a gamechanger for both early and late season for me when it’s too warm to throw on something like a wading jacket but chilly enough that I need that extra layer.
While I could sit here and talk to you about each and every little innovative touch I’ve discovered in the Simms apparel range (such as the breathing holes in their Sungaiter face shield range that FINALLY put a stop to that annoying fogging of my sunglasses I detested so much), I won’t. Where’s the enjoyment in that for you? Instead, I strongly encourage you to start exploring the Simms apparel range yourself, so you can experience those pleasant little subtleties in design the Simms team have included to make your day on the water that much more enjoyable. After all, what’s the point of fishing if you’re not enjoying yourself?
Check out more of Tom's awesome imagery HERE