Thirty seasons on Rock Creek

Deb and Joe Peltier, who have run Trout Bums on Rock Creek since 1997.

This business was never mine. I always considered myself a steward, not the owner.

A brief history of Rock Creek Trout Bums

In the late winter of 1996, I quit my job in Missoula and put my trust in God to provide work for me on Rock Creek that wouldn’t require me driving in all kinds of weather conditions and being away from home for 10 hours every day.

Over the next several months, I did various jobs, some I liked (some I didn’t), but then in the spring of 1997 I was asked if I would be interested in listening to messages, returning calls, cleaning and mowing lawns at 4 vacation cabins that were owned by one local resident, and all up for sale. I agreed, and by the end of the summer, all of the cabins had sold, and I was asked to continue looking after the cabins as well as continuing to rent them out. I had absolutely no idea how to market, but I could see the owner I worked with had a good idea, just not a good marketing plan, so I knew I had to learn.

I was cleaning a cabin one day that fall, and I realized that all of a sudden, I had a business, and I should probably come up with a name. I was dusting a bookcase and came across the John Gierach book Trout Bum, and after reading what the book was about, I knew I had the perfect name for my new business.

I hired someone to build me a website, and I bought my first computer (another thing I didn’t know how to do). I graduated from high school in 1975, and there was no such thing as a computer in my office practice class! But I was determined to learn.

After a couple of years, my little business grew and I was no longer able to keep up with my responsibilities at home, as well as taking care of all the tasks for the business, so I asked the LORD to either grow it more or cause it to slow down. I asked that He would bless me in such a way that others could also be blessed through employment, and that the owners would be blessed by more reservations.

And God answered my prayer.

By 2000 we had 2 housekeepers, and someone to take care of the yards. I was able to concentrate on the business management end of things. And we continued to grow.

In 2005 we were asked to also manage the Elkhorn Ranch, with its 7 cabins in addition to the 8 we already looked after. It was also 2005 that Karla joined our team as a housekeeper, along with a few others, and eventually Kendra was old enough to start working with us as well. While there, we opened up our Trout Bums fly shop and coffee bar. Joe upgraded the Elkhorn cabins, and turned the barn into an events facility, where we hosted weddings and in 2007, a fire camp.

During that summer, we experienced a forest fire that kept Rock Creek closed for 6+ weeks. It was during that time that I understood that we were called to the Elkhorn for the fire camp, and the people that would come through the door of my little shop for coffee each morning. I heard many troubled stories and was able to pray with so many firefighters.

At the end of the 2007 rental season, the LORD told me it was time to move our operation home, and to give up the Elkhorn. The owners were sad, and Joe was confused. We had done so much work there; it didn’t make sense. All I knew was that God was instructing us to do what didn’t make sense. So we moved everything home and turned our little rental (next door to our house) into the fly and coffee shop and Trout Bums office. From 2008 to the end of 2018 we operated our little shop 20 steps from the door of our house to the door of the shop, selling flies, coffee, baked goods and my homemade jams. But in the winter of 2017/2018 the LORD said it was time to close the store after the 2018 season.

Once again, it didn’t make sense… but then, why would it? God doesn’t say His instructions will make sense; He only tells us to listen for His voice and obey.

So, I made the announcement in the spring of 2018, and we closed the shop at the end of that season. The 2019 season was spent focusing on cabin rentals and completely liquidating all of the fly shop inventory. We also broke ground on our 2 Bighorn cabins.

And in 2020, COVID happened.

In 2023 the LORD started stirring my heart again… He said retirement was on the horizon, and I needed to start planning for it. I had no idea how to plan to quit working. I’ve been working since I was 14, so once again, I had to figure out how to do what I had no experience in. God had built a real business, teaching me things I didn’t know how to do before, and blessing the work of my hands. Now it was time to figure out the next step.

I considered selling, but I didn’t have peace. This business was never mine. I always considered myself a steward, not the owner. God provided from the very beginning. If this business was to continue, it would mean I would simply pass the baton.

In the meantime, though, I had to figure out how to describe exactly what I do. Since 1997, I’ve just done what needed to be done without thinking about it. How do you make a job description that is only one word (EVERYTHING)? So over the past few years, I learned to pay attention to what I was doing, so I could communicate it and train someone to step in.

In 2023 I had a conversation with a young man that I’d known since he was a boy. His mom and I have been good friends for over 30 years. He was now a married man, in his early 30s, with a 3rd child on the way (they have since welcomed #4). He was looking to take on the management of additional vacation rentals (he and his wife had been renting out their home for a few years on Airbnb) to supplement his income as a worship pastor.

I felt our conversation was God ordained, and we began working together that fall on another project. In January of 2025, Spencer started working with me on the Trout Bums business, using his knowledge to increase the bookings on the Airbnb and VRBO platforms, and I taught him the hands-on aspect of managing multiple properties. He implemented automatic messaging that included regular communication with the guests, as well as follow-up correspondence after the guests departed.

In December of 2025, I had a health scare, and I knew God was telling me that it was time to transition. 2026 has been spent preparing for me to hand the baton to Spencer and Linnea Powell at the end of this season. I have complete confidence that they will take the baton and run Trout Bums with the love and attention to detail that we have taken pride in over these past 30 seasons.

Thanks so much to each guest who has visited Rock Creek and stayed in one of the many vacation cabins we’ve offered over the years. Many of you have become friends over the years, and we value those friendships. It has been a great honor to meet people from around the country and the world. It’s been an amazing adventure.

Blessings to you all,

Deb and Joe