As all seasoned fly-fishermen know, rivers tend to reach a kind of perfection in the waning light of the day. The drift boats have left the water, wind that foils a back cast often subsides, and the mercury-like water of the river reflects the greens, browns, and yellows of the surrounding grass, brush, and poplar leaves.

The magic window starts slowly as trout begin to feed on hatching insects, dimples pockmark the surface as if light rain is falling. Then, the feeding reaches what appears a boiling point that reveals seemingly impossible numbers of fish. Many outdoor pursuits have a golden moment during the course of a day, and for dry fly fishermen—the highest form of the experience—this is it.

Too, as any business consultant will tell you, being ready for opportune moments in life is a key part of success—however you define it. For Vista Outdoor CEO, Chris Metz, a part-time Montana resident and avid fly- fisherman, studying Bozeman, Montana-based Simms Fishing Products was something that began nearly a decade earlier. The iconic company makes a wide variety of clothing and gear designed for discriminating anglers. Simms was the metaphorical 27-inch brown trout that lurked in the shadows and only surfaced occasionally and, cast as they might, no one was able to land.

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