Caption and story from Trout Unlimited’s social media post:
Some may remember the video where neither Scot Simmons, nor his son Cooper, could contain their excitement. The outpouring of positivity after the video of Scot Simmons’ son, Cooper, landed his first fish on a dry fly spawned only served to strengthen the elder Simmons’ bond with the greater fly-fishing community while giving his mind an opportunity to heal from years of mental health struggles.
Premiering today on YouTube, a new film from Trout Unlimited highlighting @twincitiestu board member Scot Simmons’ path to creating a better life for himself and others as he strives to be a better role model for his own family. Fly fishing has helped him find his equilibrium.
Scot Simmons has dealt with various forms of anxiety, PTSD,and depression for most of his adult life. He admits he hasn’t always made the best choices in life. More recently, considering the tragic murder of George Floyd in his hometown of Minneapolis, Simmons has wondered if “that could have been me.”
“Being recognized for doing good, not just about angling but also as a black man, father, role model and overall human…that’s what that moment on that creek did,” explained Simmons. “I’m healing mentally and emotionally, and the creek has helped me grow and value things in a way that I had never done before.The more time I spend on the creek, the more I’m able to separate and distance myself further and further from what will always be in my past.”
What actions to take?
We are strongly encouraging donations to Scot’s future youth education program.
Links can be found at:
https://www.twincitiestu.org/homewithstudio.html or https://www.tu.org/scot-simmons-the-studio/
Follow Scot on Instagram – HERE
It was an honor working with Scot Simmons, Josh Duplechian, Trout Unlimited, and Simms Fishing on this project. So happy people get to hear Scot’s story, and to highlight mental health and how fly fishing can truly save lives.