California is more than just a state—it’s a state of mind. It’s also the birthplace of the Grateful Dead, that most Californian of bands, whose roots in San Francisco’s Haight-Ashbury became the foundation for a musical movement that is still moving outward like a ripple in stillwater. Just earlier this month, Dead & Company filled Golden Gate Park with three sold-out shows, proof that the music still flows strong through California’s veins. So it feels fitting that Simms has unveiled its new Grateful Dead collection. Featuring limited-edition GD Guide Waders and apparel, the line carries the unmistakable iconography, from the dancing bear to the lightning bolt, of the band that taught a generation to find rhythm, surrender to flow, and embrace the wild unknown.
For anglers, that notion of “flow” needs no explanation. Whether you’re standing knee-deep in the McCloud, swinging flies across the Klamath, or searching for trout in a high Sierra stream, there’s a moment when the distractions fall away and the line drifts effortlessly with the current. It’s the same current that sweeps through a Dead jam: improvisational, unpredictable, and entirely immersive.
There has been plenty of coverage of the collection, but here at California Fly Fisher we see the pairing through a different lens. Fly fishing and the Grateful Dead both belong to California’s cultural DNA. Both celebrate exploration—on the water, on the stage, or in the long roads that connect one river (or show) to the next. Simms’ new line, featuring classic Dead imagery, is more than killer waders and apparel; it’s a reminder that the pursuit of fish and the pursuit of music share a spirit of freedom, curiosity, and connection.
So if you find yourself chasing trout this season, maybe bring along a piece from the new collection. With a little luck, a steady rhythm, and a river in front of you, you just might find yourself dancing in the current.
