There’s long been a connection between fly fishing and the music of the Grateful Dead. (See the Abel reel, as well as the myriad sticker, hats, tee shirts, and pins.) As someone who’d rather listen to the screams of a colicky baby than any Dead song, I’ve never quite understood it, but I know that the intersection of Deadheads and anglers is real. For instance, my friends Tim and Joanne Linehan—owners of Linehan Outfitting in Yaak, Montana—are huge devotees of the band
Now Simms has kicked things up a notch with its Dead on the Water line, which includes special-edition G3 Waders, shirts, tees, and hats. And the company’s copy writers have taken the ball and run with it:
Somewhere between the river and the rhythm, between the cast and the chord, there’s a feeling — something you can’t hold on to, only experience. Fishing and music both have a way of pulling you in, setting you adrift, and leaving you somewhere entirely different than where you started. And for whatever reason, when anglers shove off, wade in, or arrive at the next bend, the Grateful Dead is often the soundtrack that carried them there. As for the why — we don’t exactly know — we just know it’s something you feel.
Maybe it’s the way both demand presence, surrender, and a willingness to embrace whatever comes next. You don’t force a river any more than you force a song — rivers and songs move, they shift, and they surprise. Like a river, the music of the Dead meanders. The songs may be familiar, but each time they’re played, they twist, turn, and take on a life of their own. Fishing is no different. Even on your favorite stretch of your home river — every bend, every riffle, every rise — something familiar, yet something new.
So if you love tie-dye, the smell of patchouli oil, and long stretches of guitar noodling, you can now let your Dead flag fly on the water. (I’ll wait for the Dinosaur Jr. collab.)
Click here to check out the Simms Dead on the Water collection.
Trending Products
