Google Maps had led me astray. I had typed in “flyshop” but found myself in a strip mall parking lot. Before I could reroute myself I caught a glimpse of a 1976 Ford Custom Ranger truck covered in trouty spots. Maybe I was in the right place. Sure enough, a hand-painted sign informed me that I had made it to Bozeman’s Montana Troutfitters.
Though Bozeman is now commonly seen as the center of the flyfishing world, in 1978, that wasn’t the case. “There were sporting goods stores in town that sold flyfishing gear, but no specialty flyshops,” recalls Dave Kumlien. Kumlien and his wife, Karen decided to fill this void. In November of 1978, they opened Bozeman’s first flyshop.
“Bozeman was ready. We didn’t blow the doors off the place but we opened up with customers ready for us,” Kumlien told me over the phone. He spoke fondly of those first few years, back when the shop was known as “Wild Wings Gallery.” Within a few years, another shop opened in town. Initially, this caused a dip in growth (and morale), but in hindsight, Kumlien now sees this as a positive development. “Having two really good, full-service flyshops in town gave Bozeman some credibility as a flyfishing destination. Frankly, people began realizing the Bozeman shops could take them to fish any of the waters around.”
Bozeman, the flyfishing industry, and Montana Troutfitters grew in unison until all three exploded with the release of A River Runs Through It in 1992. “People started coming from all across the country to try to capture what they saw in the movie.” Kumlien recalls outfitting the camera crew with waders and rain gear. “We definitely benefited from that movie.”
In 1998, after 20 years of operation, The Kumliens sold Montana Troutfitters. The shop changed hands a few times over the next decade. In 2010, during the height of the Great Recession, Justin and Lisa King left their careers in…
