Simms Fishing Products is an American fishing equipment, accessories and apparel manufacturer in

Bozeman, Montana Bozeman ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Gallatin County, Montana, United States. The 2020 United States census put Bozeman's population at 53,293, making it Montana's fourth-largest city. It is the principal city of the Bozeman, Montan ...

History

Simms was founded in 1980 by John Simms, a

Jackson, Wyoming Jackson is a resort town in Teton County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 10,760 at the 2020 census, up from 9,577 in 2010. It is Teton County's only incorporated municipality and county seat, and it is the largest incorporated town ...

fishing

guide A guide is a person who leads travelers, sportspeople, or tourists through unknown or unfamiliar locations. The term can also be applied to a person who leads others to more abstract goals such as knowledge or wisdom. Travel and recreation Exp ...

and

outfitter An outfitter is a shop or person that sells specialized clothes (an '' outfit'' is a set of clothing). More specifically, it is a company or individual who provides or deals in equipment and supplies for the pursuit of certain activities. In Nort ...

. John Simms established the company to manufacture a higher quality of waders and wading equipment than was available at the time. In the mid-1980s, John Simms introduced high quality

neoprene Neoprene (also polychloroprene) is a family of synthetic rubbers that are produced by polymerization of chloroprene.Werner Obrecht, Jean-Pierre Lambert, Michael Happ, Christiane Oppenheimer-Stix, John Dunn and Ralf Krüger "Rubber, 4. Emulsion Rub ...

waders to the U.S. market. John Simms later sold the company to Life-Link International, another Jackson-based sporting goods manufacturer. In 1992, K.C. Walsh, a Los Angeles-based management consultant, acquired Simms from Life-Link and moved the business to

. Simms employs 115 people in Bozeman and consolidated its manufacturing facilities into a new single facility in October 2013. In early 2023, Vista Outdoor appointed Derek Tarlecki President of Simms Fishing Products.

Products

Shortly after K.C. Walsh acquired the company and moved it to Bozeman, Simms introduced a line of breathable waders using

Gore-Tex Gore-Tex is W. L. Gore & Associates's trade name for waterproof, breathable fabric membrane. It was invented in 1969. Gore-Tex blocks liquid water while allowing water vapor to pass through and is designed to be a lightweight, waterproof fabri ...

. Simms is the only U.S. and one of only three wader manufacturers in the world to have a license from

W. L. Gore and Associates W. L. Gore & Associates, Inc. is an American multinational manufacturing company specializing in products derived from fluoropolymers. It is a privately held corporation headquartered in Newark, Delaware. It is best known as the developer of wate ...

to use Gore-Tex in waders. Simms was one of the first wader manufacturers to produce waders specifically tailored to women fly fishers. In 2006, Simms introduced a high-end zippered wader, using waterproof zippers from the YKK Group in Tokyo. Although not the first ever zippered waders on the market, the Simms G4Z wader set a new standard for zippered waders. In 2008

Trout Unlimited Trout Unlimited (TU) is a US non-profit organization dedicated to the conservation of freshwater streams, rivers, and associated upland habitats for trout, salmon, other aquatic species, and people. It is headquartered in Arlington, Virginia. ...

asked wader and boot manufacturers and anglers to eliminate the use of felt soled waders and boots to help combat the spread of invasive aquatic species. Shortly after, Simms announced that it would eliminate felt-soled waders and boots in its 2010 product line. Even though many states have banned the use of felt soled wading boots, Simms announced in July 2011 that they would re-introduce felt-soled wading boots because of high consumer demand. Simms manufactures many kinds of men's and women's waders, boots, outerwear, apparel, and travel accessories for fishers and outdoors enthusiasts. It retails its products through a worldwide network of independent fly fishing shops, large sporting goods retailers and online retailers. In 2012, 30 percent of its sales were international and Simms maintains warehouses in Europe, Japan and New Zealand. In 2022, Simms made a $50,000 donation to deal with flooding in Yellowstone National Park. This, and other donations, have been funded by Simms releasing special edition Watershed waders.

Awards

Simms Fishing Products has won Field & Stream Magazine's Best of the Best award eight times since 1998 including awards for waders, wading boots, jackets and travel bags. In 2016, Simms was awarded the President's "E" Award in recognition of its export business.

References

{{fisheries and fishing Companies based in Montana Recreational fishing Bozeman, Montana American companies established in 1980 Manufacturing companies established in 1980 1980 establishments in Montana