Some rivers become victims of their own success but not Rock Creek, the subject of our latest podcast. In this podcast, Jamey chats to the Merc’s owner Johnny Staats, who has fished Rock Creek for more than 30 years one of Montana’s true blue-ribbon trout streams. 

Situated south-east of Missoula and averaging around 2,000 fish per mile, it’s one of the west’s great trout streams. It runs through 30 miles of public land and is accompanied throughout by an adjacent road, so it’s easily accessible.

When the season’s best hatches bring anglers out in force, that same accessibility means there’s room for everyone. Rock Creek is relatively narrow and there are restrictions on boat fishing, so it really is a wader’s paradise if it’s brown, cutthroat, or rainbow trout you’re after.

Also serving the river well is the legendary Rock Creek Fisherman’s Mercantile fly shop and motel, or ’the Merc’, as it’s known to its many friends.

Just a short walk from the river, the 30-year-old fly and tackle shop also serves refreshments and a wide selection of local craft beers. The restaurant next door, Ekstrom’s Stage Station, provides take-out breakfasts and lunch bags for fishermen. A neighboring six-room motel, meanwhile, is perfect for those anglers planning stopovers in their Montana vacations. Fish Rock Creek and Earn your Rock Creek Destination Trout Hat!