Madison River Fishing Companies

“I don’t really want to talk you into coming here,” said Capt. Joe Dilschnieder, owner of the Madison River Fishing Company in Ennis, Montana, while chatting a few weeks ago. I’m personally not a huge fan of the Madison River, well, mostly the crowds that come to fish this iconic Montana stream. In fact, when I was an outfitter in Livingston, I judged our fishing by how rarely I was forced to make the drive to the Madison. But even back then, I always enjoyed running into Joe. He makes everyone feel welcome, whether on the river or in his shop. I also found Joe’s path to being a fly shop owner and renowned guide on the Madison to be a compelling tale…trout bum makes good.

Joe really has two companies, Madison River Fishing Company, or MRFC for short, which Joe purchased in 2016, and his outfitting company: Trout Stalker, founded in the late 90’s. 

MRFC under construction in the early 1980s

“The name Trout Stalkers has kind of a funny story behind it,” Joe explains. Having taken numerous trips to Montana from Missouri when he was a kid, Joe was always drawn to the West— it’s big fish and big bugs. He went on to study environmental science at UC Boulder. One summer between classes, he and his college buddy, Fred, decided to spend the summer camping outside of Sun Valley, Idaho and fishing every day. 

“We stayed at Forest Service campgrounds but had to move camp every two weeks as is the regulations,” Joe said. “We had this old fly fishing book by a stuffy English guy and there was a chapter, ‘Stalking the Trout.’ It was the only book in camp and both of us read it several times.”

Joe and Fred both had guitars on the trip and would make up songs every evening. Silly tunes with long jams about fishing, beer, log jams and stalking trout. When they decided to make their group band official, only one name fit: Stalking Trout. The band had one public appearance in 1991. The venue? Breckenridge, Colorado’s Gold Pan Inn, right up the street from where Joe was guiding at the time. After a few songs, a guy from the crowd asked if they minded if he played harmonica with them. This mouth organ master turned out to be none other than Ian Davis, co-founder of Yellow Dog Fly Fishing…small effing world. The three had a blast at their one and only gig. 

Shop owner Capt. Joe Dilschnieder way back when

I’m sure you are wondering about the captain moniker. While attending a wedding in 1992 in Boca Grande, Joe scraped together enough cash to hire a tarpon guide for a day. On his first shot at his first tarpon he hooked up and landed a monster 140-pound silver giant. So that was that. He moved to the Keys, bought a used flats skiff, spent years learning the ropes, and guided ten seasons.  

He moved to Ennis in 1995, living in a travel trailer behind the Dairy Queen and guiding most days, fishing the others. “I soon figured out that I didn’t want to work for anyone else. I have an independent streak and an entrepreneurial nature,” he said.

Trout Stalkers became Joe’s outfitting business and later his first fly shop. It was really more of a guide shack. When he bought MRFC in 2016, it had a great reputation, but he wanted to establish a new shop culture with a friendlier vibe. 

MRFC staff announcing their plan to pledge Kappa Kappa Gamma

“Our motto is: Get shit done, don’t fuck up, and don’t be a dick,” he explains. Not exactly the slogan you put above the doorway, but it has worked. The shop and outfitting has grown alongside the Madison’s fame. MRFC is a gear hub for any type of fishing and has a robust stockpile that can outfit anyone from a backyard fisherman to an international angler. The original Trout Stalkers guide shack still exists and serves as a meeting spot for guides and their clients with a meager selection of essential gear. .

The Madison River boasts some of the healthiest fish numbers in Montana. This year the upper river has between 5000 and 6000 fish per mile which is well above the 10 year average. Joe points out that it’s kind of interesting that the fish counts are so healthy with the amount of pressure that is on the river. So more people are fishing, but the population of fish is on the rise. This speaks to the health of the water and the food supply. That being said, it is harder to catch those big rainbows and browns. 

”One of the reasons I opened a fly shop is that I realized 25 years ago that the pressure was only going to increase. I could either become a crabby, disgruntled guide or get in front of it and have a role in training the onslaught of fisherman.”

The MRFC has done just that. They make it a point to train the new residents of Ennis, one of the country’s great trout towns, as well as the anglers making the trek from nearby Bozeman and Big Sky. Both communities are bursting at the seams with growth driven by remote work and the Covid outdoor sports boom. The staff treats the shop as a gathering place and embraces Herbert Hoover’s famous saying: “All are equal before fish.”  

The old Trout Stalkers shack still in operation

Pressure is just another variable on the Madison, like weather, flow, and skill. It’s part of the puzzle. Joe says he often uses, what he calls, contrarian logic, when he guides. Find the spots that no one tends to fish. The overlooked and passed-over areas. He is also known to outwork and outthink the other boats. 

There have been a number of efforts by Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks to try to limit pressure, but the debate is contentious, and the attempts have been abandoned. 

“I’m willing to take a haircut for the good of the river,” Joe explains, but adds that he is continually blown away by the resiliency of the fishery in the face of the pressure. All this has me intrigued. Perhaps I will have to revisit the Madison next spring. “Don’t bother,” jokes Joe.

You can visit Joe in Ennis, Montana at either Madison River Fishing Company or Trout Stalkers, or online at mrfc.com