Tippets: John Simms Profile, Making Aerial Mends

November 6, 2016 By: Erin Block

  • The life and artistic work of John Simms, founder of SIMMS Fishing Products, is highlighted in the latest issue of Big Life Magazine. “There’s a generative quality to John Simms, a man still in his prime with one lung and 79 years under his belt,” writes Ryan Waterfield. “You see it in his life’s work—and the many iterations of that work. There’s also a generous nature that has defined his endeavors.”
  • Mending line is an essential skill. Pete Kutzer of the Orvis Fly Fishing Schools demonstrates how to make an aerial mend in this short video. “One of the difficult things about mending is moving the line after it has landed on the water,” explains Phil Monahan, “To avoid this, in some cases, you can actually make the mend in the air, before the fly touches down.”