ICONS: Rich Simms

Icons, a web series from Swing the Fly, looks at the most influential figures in spey casting and swinging flies from North America and beyond in the 21^st century. In this installment we visit with Rich Simms, a lifelong steelheader and one of the original founders of Washington’s Wild Steelhead Coalition.

Photos courtesy Rich Simms and Ed Sozinho

How did you get started pursuing steelhead? How did you start swinging flies?

I started playing around with fly fishing when I was a kid, fishing a small pond and creeks near my home for coastal cutthroat. I also got the steelhead bug by catching a steelhead in the creek in one of the creeks while targeting coastal cutthroat. I was lucky to have an uncle who introduced me to steelhead fishing, where we would head out on various forays to the Olympic Peninsula. I used to drift fishing for steelhead in my younger years. After a while, I wanted more of a challenge and started swinging for steelhead with a fly rod. I believe the years spent drift fishing with gear really taught me a lot about dissecting a run and recognizing steelhead holding water, so when I started swinging, it was just simply a different tool and approaching with a new technique.

You’ve had a long list of contributions to steelheading and swung fly culture. Is there one you’re particularly proud of?

Being an advocate and concerned with the plight of wild steelhead has been personally very rewarding along with an occasional dose of frustration. Helping to deliver a message of the importance in protecting wild steelhead and creating an organization dedicated to a future with wild steelhead that punches above its weight class. Out of that has grown a community of advocates and folks who care about the resource and want to take action for a better future with a fish we have much respect and reverence for. I am proud of friends I have worked with or been a part of the organization that have gone on to do great things in the steelhead conservation world. If you take the courage and time to stand up and use your voice, you can collectively make a difference. Being named Fly Fisherman Magazine’s first Conservationist of Year award was a nice surprise and I am proud of it because it was so unexpected and came about as recognition by my peers. 

Do you have a single favorite fly to swing? How about a favorite fly you have designed yourself?

I have certain patterns I have faith in, designed and tied myself. Most of them are variations of various style of flies. For summer run fish, I am very fond of classic hair wing patterns on a floating line.  One of my favorites include a “Peroxide Blonde,” tied on a gold Alec Jackson hook. It includes a red hackle tail, black ostrich herl body with a gold rib, blonde badger throat hackle with a black bucktail wing. For winter run fish, I usually tie variations of Hoh Bo Speys. For a bright fly, I tie what I call a “Tangerine Dream.” it really lights up the water on a winter‘s day and for a dark fly, I have one called “Blue Bruiser.” 

Does the fly matter?

Not necessarily. However,  I do believe silhouette and various colors work more effectively for certain conditions than others. What matters most, to me, is the correct line/tip, presentation, reading water/structure, and learning to fish your fly effectively. I believe sometimes we get so enamored with the cast that we sometimes lose sight of what follows to the end of the swing. That said, I believe it  is important to have faith in the fly you are fishing. I typically like sparsely tied flies and shy away from anything really big and bulky.   

Which river that you have never fished before would you most like to try?

I believe a better question would be which river I would like to fish, which is now closed. I regret I never fished the Thompson River in BC. On all my trips up to Northern BC, I always drove by the Thompson thinking of fishing it and observing it, but I seemed to get occupied going elsewhere in the fall. But as the Thompson runs started dwindling, I couldn’t bring myself to fish it. I believe it was a crime to keep it open as long as it was. It didn’t have enough advocates and protectors in my opinion. Now, unfortunately, it’s a river I will never be able to fish for its magnificent steelhead in my lifetime. A good number of the rivers I would like to fish or have fished are now closed due to dwindled runs, and that is what really hurts to me.

You’re pretty entrenched in swinging flies with single-hand rods, so much you’ve been affectionately referred to as the “Militant Single Hander.” Why not double down? 

Ha! A cult of personality or a rebel without a cause? I still crack up at the image Brian Bennett pulled together. Most of what I have pursued in my life is something that I had to own for myself. Many folks I have encountered often ask or are mystified why I still fish a single handed fly rod. I have never really thought too much about it, but it has forced me into some introspection. I got to fly fish with some great steelhead anglers early on such as Frank Moore, who only fished a single handed rod for steelhead.  Witnessing them do it and what they could do with a single handed fly rod was inspiring and aspirational. No doubt it would probably be easier with a Spey rod, but when I catch one on my single handed rod it makes me feel like I am catching my first steelhead all over again. I also want to do it the most challenging way I know how, I guess it has a relationship with the environment associated with winter steelhead. I think it also pushes me to work harder as an angler, not necessarily from a casting stand point, but in different ways that continues to hone my skills. Perhaps in the end I am just concerned with opening Pandora’s box and spending all my money on Spey Gear?   

What is your favorite fly rod with which to swing flies, and what line do you most like to use with it?

I still use my old Sage RPL 8 WT. 9 ½’  during winter and periodically use a Sage X 8 weight. I like using my old RPL because it has so much soul and now has various usage definitions that are personal to me, like the thumb depression that has formed on the cork over time. I also use click and pawl reels such as a Sage 509,  Hardy Bougle and an old Perfect. I like to use my fingers for drag, which makes me feel more personally connected to the fish. My Summer Run setup is a Sage RPL 7 WT 10’ and Thomas & Thomas 7 WT.  For using sink tips I used to splice my own lines with an 8 Wt. straight running line spliced to a 30-foot 10 wt. head. Now I just line up utilizing a Rio Versa Tip line. For a floating line, I just line up with a weight forward line. I just picked up a new Rio Single Hand Spey line to try out, especially in roll casting situations. 

How did you personally become involved in the Wild Steelhead Coalition?

Back in 2000, we were all fat, dumb, and happy fishing the fabled C&R seasons on the North Puget Sound Rivers, such as the Skagit/Sauk, Skykomish, etc. After that season, they closed the rivers down, and many of us had our hands in the air regarding what had happened. We failed to look at the trends and fell victim to the Shifting Baseline Syndrome. A number of us met up at Ted’s Sporting Goods in Lynnwood, WA.  A number of folks just moved on, but a few of us decided to try and make a difference and formed the Wild Steelhead Coalition and dedicated a piece of our time to conservation. I am one of the original Founding Board Members and have stuck with it since its inception to this day. 

What is it going to take to conserve wild fish?

Someone is not going to conserve wild fish for you. If you fish for wild steelhead, I believe you have a responsibility to be part of the solution, take the time to be engaged, and use your voice. Also, recognizing that there is not one silver bullet solution, that the problem is multifaceted, and all the puzzle pieces need to be addressed. My perspective is balanced as I got to live at pivotal time and witness both the growth and decline of steelhead and steelhead angling so I am well aware of the shifting baseline of our thought processes. I got to experience fishing at a relatively high point where I could pretty much fish for steelhead year around with a lot of options. Today we are limited to where and when we can go and when there are a few good years anglers generally become complacent disregarding the bigger picture. The good news is I believe most folks today are generally more conservation minded and seem to be more concerned, but don’t seem to have the vivid  sense of what’s been lost or realize how important their voice is. We can have fisheries in the future, but I think they will take the shape of various changes to mirror the realities of the resource and manage effort placed upon the fisheries. Many of our fisheries now are being managed by interactions. Unfortunately mandatory catch and release does not limit effort and interactions. Steelhead Anglers and the Tribes are basically the only ones who care about these fish, so like it or not, we are burdened with the conservation responsibility. We must be willing to engage and accept new ideas regarding our fisheries. We should all come together and consider the “Captains for Clean Water” playbook. Scientifically, come to learn the quarry you are fishing for and what their needs are, not just how to catch them. Make your comments heard and engage with your commissions and representatives. For example, right now, there are opportunities to support Washington’s development of a state “Wild Trout Policy” to gain further protections for Resident Rainbow Trout, a life form of Wild Steelhead. Also, there is an opportunity to stand up for getting rid of the deadbeat Winchester Dam on the North Fork Umpqua.