About Rock Creek Fisherman's Mercantile
Rock Creek Fisherman’s Mercantile is a fly fishing shop, country store, and motel serving the diverse needs of outdoor enthusiasts venturing up the creek for a day trip or an extended adventure. With over 30 years of experience, the Merc stands as the central hub for everything essential to an unforgettable Rock Creek experience.
Discover a comprehensive selection of fly fishing gear, including waders, rods, flies, fly-tying materials, and Rock Creek-themed apparel. Additionally, the Merc stocks last-minute supplies for anglers, campers, and hikers, ensuring you have everything you need for your excursion. If you forgot camping essentials or need some on-the-go food, just swing by on your journey up the creek!
For those planning an overnight stay, the Merc offers six comfortable motel rooms, providing a clean and bright retreat at an affordable price. Whether you’re chasing trout, hitting the trails, or seeking a peaceful riverside getaway, Rock Creek Fisherman’s Mercantile is your ultimate resource.
About Rock Creek
Rock Creek is one of Montana’s most precious gems: a natural, freestone river teaming with insect life. It’s a Blue Ribbon Trout Stream offering 3,000 fish per river mile. Lying in a narrow valley in most spots, its north-south alignment enclosed by Lolo National Forest gives it less exposure during the hot summer days; it has never hit Hoot Owl restrictions. The mountains closely surrounding the river provide intimate encounters with nature and wildlife.
With its easy access to I-90 and proximity to Missoula and other surrounding towns, Rock Creek is a chance to go from civilization and the demands of modernity to a personal experience with the wild and an opportunity to foster a meaningful relationship with nature in less than 30 minutes. Beyond being a renowned river, Rock Creek, simply put, is magical.
The Merc's Mission
Stepping into Rock Creek Fisherman’s Mercantile often feels like stepping back to a simpler time. It resides in a quirky old building that used to be a bar, and it serves as the heart of the Rock Creek community. An hour can effortlessly slip away in conversation, making you feel like old friends with people you’ve just met.
You’ll often pull up to the Merc’s parking lot to see John, who runs the store, and some buddies on the porch discussing what bug is about to hatch and which flies are working right now. Duke, Sissy or one of the other shop dogs will greet you. In the winter, everyone will be around the large wooden fly-tying table in the back. In addition to the men you’d expect to see at a fly shop, Christine, Lisa, and other women from the community will likely be there too. John’s young daughter might be running around charming the shop’s visitors.
If you’re lucky enough to come on a winter weekend, Aubrey may be on the porch crafting a gourmet breakfast on the grill; he’ll ask if you’re hungry and then bring you a full plate. John or Matt will offer to help with what you need, and you’ll either observe a lively conversation among friends or seamlessly become a part of the conversation yourself.
Even if you have no clue what you are looking for or where you should go fishing, or hiking, or camping, you will leave with all the items you need along with advice to set you on your way. You might even find yourself in an impromptu fly-casting lesson or setting plans to fish with a new friend later in the week.
These experiences epitomize the mission of the Merc—to be an inclusive resource for all things Rock Creek in a consistently welcoming, low-pressure environment. And for those who indulge, this mission is achieved over a refreshing beer on tap!
History of the Merc
It all started back in the ‘60s at the Golden Gate Casting Club–a small fly fishing community in the San Fransisco Bay Area where Doug and Carolyn Persico befriended Jack Horner. Jack was an avid fly fisherman known for the creation of the “Humpy” fly. Jack told the Persicos about this place in Montana he loved to go called Rock Creek. Doug and Carolyn began visiting regularly to fly fish, always staying at the Bitterroot Flat campground. Doug caught the most fish, but Carolyn always caught the biggest. As Doug would say, he “drank the water” and never wanted to leave.
The Persicos became friends with the Esktrom family through their frequent visits to Rock Creek. If you’re familiar with Rock Creek, you may have visited Eskstrom’s Stage Station next door to the Merc. The Ekstroms then owned a saloon in the same building where the Merc lives today. Over a handshake, Jim Ekstrom agreed to sell Doug and Carolyn the building in 1989. The Persicos, along with their grandson John who operates the store today, left their lives and corporate jobs in California to follow their dreams of opening a fly shop and living in the place they most loved to be.
They transformed from an old bar into a fly shop. The Merc was up and running by 1990. Later, they added the six-unit motel out back and sold camping and hiking essentials. It became the business it is today, offering anything someone adventuring up the creek might need in their journey. And, importantly, it has always maintained its goal of being a friendly hub for the Rock Creek community and its recreators.
John and Doug
Doug’s passing in 2010 left a hole in the Rock Creek community. Whether you were a local or an occasional visitor to the creek, he would remember your name and treat you like a friend rather than a customer. It was his goal to get people fishing without it feeling too daunting. Doug had a gruff exterior, yet a soft center. Anyone was welcome and made to feel at home at the Merc, as long as they came in with a good attitude. As John puts it, his grandpa always “talked to people, not at them.”
John aims to deliver the same experience to those who come into the shop. He is often described as being just like his grandpa but less grumpy–a compliment achieved through working in the shop nearly his whole life. For John, the Merc is more than his place of business. It is home.