Ennis, Montana has 800 resident humans and several million trout. You get a feel for the size of the town walking around with Joe Dilschneider, owner of Trout Stalkers, America’s finest little outfitter and fly shop. Joe says hello to one person after another as he makes his pass by the gas station over to the shop. “It’s hard not to know everybody in town,” Joe explains as he apologizes for another quick “hello” followed by “you betcha”, little-unintended interruptions that punctuate our conversation walking through Ennis. A River Runs Through It meets Cheers. Located south of Three Forks, Montana, Ennis is perfectly perched on the western side of the Madison River, just below Ennis Lake and about an hour drive from Bozeman. In the summer months, you will most likely see more trucks trailering fishing boats – drift boats – than not. People come from around the world to fish for the famous Brown Trout, and Joe along with his wife and crew of guides bring peoples dreams to real life. Google “Trout Stalkers,” and you’ll find a veritable angler’s Hall of Fame. In internet terms, the name itself is synonymous with 20+ inch Brown Trout.
Joe found himself in the West for the first time in college when he left his hometown, St. Louis, to study at the University of Colorado – in Boulder. “I didn’t fish or hunt much growing up but fell in love with the outdoors in college. I love being outside, and I love being around others who enjoy the experience as well. There isn’t anything better." Pulling into the parking lot of Trout Stalkers is an authentic Montana experience, as dirt covered Toyota Tundra’s, Chevy 2500s, Dodge Rams and Ford pickup trucks line the gravel lot, the collection of vehicles is a testament to the lifestyle found in Ennis, known as Big Sky Country. “We cover a lot of country looking for fish, and are not afraid to take the bumpy road to make our clients have the best day.” It takes a fishermen’s eye, but after experiencing a day of fishing with Trout-Stalkers one might be tended to look at the different tires on the trucks. You might be surprised to see TreadWright written on the sidewalls, rather than Goodyear, BF Goodrich, or Toyo. “We found TreadWright a couple of years ago through Facebook.”
Joe says that he ordered a pair for his truck to test them out, and was impressed by the toughness. “At first I thought about just using them during the winter, because our drive over the pass to Big Sky Ski Resort is no joke, but was blown away by the wear on the tread, and kept them on through the summer month’s right into Elk season. Next thing you know, it was snowing again, and I had yet to take them off.” It was not long before the rest of guides at Trout Stalkers were rolling on TreadWright tires. “Our trucks are our lives. Clients are in them, our families are in them, and nowhere we go is a short drive. A re-manufactured tire makes a lot of sense, and TreadWright has designed a product which allows us to get a longer life out of our tire for a price which helps each one of us.” Joe continues to explain the value of a re-manufactured tire beyond the performance, and how important it is ethically to his business. “Tires are one of the most abundant pollutants to our water system. As someone who makes his living off of the quality of waterways, it is vital to do everything possible to reduce the human footprint. It is not often you find a product which supports your goals concerning carbon footprint, which is also cheaper and performs better than the competition. It is funny to say, but TreadWright is a badass tire which is also green, not a lot of companies can claim that."
Read How the Second Biggest Ski Resort in the US is Saving on their Fleet Vehicles
