Friends moved to Montana?

[lestrout]

Just curious - how many of you have had friends move from PA to MT? Based on how crowded Bozeman, Missoula, etc have gotten, I'm thinking the newcomers can't all have come from just California. Decades back, when Jack Mickievicz had his shop in downtown Phoenixville, long before the place got trendy, there was a regular who was artistic and handy with many things. He moved to MT in the late 70s, even though he was well short of retirement age. A family I knew from the Anglers' Club bought a ranch on the Boulder River - they were old money and this was before parvenu like Ted Turner and the Cox scion nabbed their spreads. Then Tommy Forwood retired from Eyler's and moved to Manhattan MT to join their boys, who had gone to school in MT.

When JayL who used to be a prolific poster here asked me for advice on where to ffish for the first time in MT, I warned him that if he went, he would never come back. And of course, he went for a few days, came back, sold his Jeep and stuff in his apartment and settled happily up the canyon from Bozeman. He was joined by another young fella from Walnutsport.

So as I think about it, the folks I know directly done did their migrations out to MT quite a while ago, as opposed just in the last few years.

 

[D-nymph]

I do, one within the last year & another around 3 years ago.

 

[raftman]

Montana is the new Cali. I know quite a few people who have moved out there. I stayed with a buddy in Missoula for a couple nights when I was out there this summer... great town (way better than Bozeman), but holy moly housing prices are insane. There seems to be a lot of animosity from the locals aimed at the recent move-ins...

But hey, pretty great fishing! Rock Creek is awesome. Ran into a fella there this summer who said to me "the best anglers I know are from PA." That was nice to hear.

 

[wildtrout2]

lestrout, I know Tom Forwood. He and his wife were members of our church. I remember when the original Eylers was in Ardmore, many years ago. Mr. Eyler ran that shop and sold me my very first flies back in the 70's. Great people.

 

[lestrout]

lestrout, I know Tom Forwood. He and his wife were members of our church. I remember when the original Eylers was in Ardmore, many years ago. Mr. Eyler ran that shop and sold me my very first flies back in the 70's. Great people.

Yo wil - the old Eyler's was Cox. Think it was on Lancaster Ave? Got Wheatleys and a couple of CFOs there. That reel design was a sensation at the time, considerably hyped by Ernie Schwiebert.

 

[wildtrout2]

The first Eylers (70's) was on Lancaster Ave. in Ardmore. It was called Eylers. Cox was later in time and it was in Bryn Mawr. Eylers was moved by Tom and Alice to Bryn Mawr, on Penn Street. Then it became a TCO.

Mr. Eyler also sold me one of my first trout fishing books, Squaretail.

 

[Bamboozle]

Yep, Eyler's was in Ardmore right across Lancaster Avenue from the old Ardmore trolley station and Taylor's Restaurant. Cox's was down the hill in Bryn Mawr.

I bought my first fly rod at the Ardmore store, a custom one piece graphite 5' 4wt "Tommy Forward Special" built on a Lamaglass graphite blank and a CFO II reel. I still have the reel but unfortunately, not the rod. In those day Alice's dad, Mr Eyler worked at the store too.

I bough a TON of rods & reels from Eyler's over the years and spend many, many hours hanging in the shop with Tom & Alice even years after I moved away.

They were my go to shop for everything because if they didn't have it, they would order it for me and ship it to my house, something that most shops, even today, won't do.

Here's a picture of Tom & Alice I took just before they sold the Penn Street store and moved to Montana. I was smart enough to take a bunch more and I have a few mementos from the store as well.

I have a ton of memories and miss them and Eyler's a LOT!!

 

[wildtrout2]

Awesome is all I can say. A reflection of simpler times.
I just sent this pic to a very good friend of theirs, and his reply was "God bless Tom and Alice".

 

[Bamboozle]

 

[PennKev]

I have a friend that moved out there in the last 2-3 years. After seeing how it has gone for him, I can't recommend it unless you are either already filthy rich, or already flat broke.

 

[discomidge]

My brother settled in MT maybe 10 years ago. He got 15 acres near Hamilton on the Bitterroot that he farms. He loves it, but recently has been bemoaning the influx of people during COVID and the commensurate surge in housing prices. He said that a trailer that would have been 10-15K a few years ago is now 80-100K. Sounds like a crazy scene. But he's living well. In his area the Bitterroot is all posted, but he has permission to fish miles of it. Says he's the only person who fishes that area. The cutbows he catches are nuts.

 

[tomgamber]

Just curious - how many of you have had friends move from PA to MT? Based on how crowded Bozeman, Missoula, etc have gotten, I'm thinking the newcomers can't all have come from just California. Decades back, when Jack Mickievicz had his shop in downtown Phoenixville, long before the place got trendy, there was a regular who was artistic and handy with many things. He moved to MT in the late 70s, even though he was well short of retirement age. A family I knew from the Anglers' Club bought a ranch on the Boulder River - they were old money and this was before parvenu like Ted Turner and the Cox scion nabbed their spreads. Then Tommy Forwood retired from Eyler's and moved to Manhattan MT to join their boys, who had gone to school in MT.

When JayL who used to be a prolific poster here asked me for advice on where to ffish for the first time in MT, I warned him that if he went, he would never come back. And of course, he went for a few days, came back, sold his Jeep and stuff in his apartment and settled happily up the canyon from Bozeman. He was joined by another young fella from Walnutsport.

So as I think about it, the folks I know directly done did their migrations out to MT quite a while ago, as opposed just in the last few years.

When I moved to Boise in 1989, the first 5 people I met went to Pen State including the bar owner.

 

[SmoothOperator]

Montana is the new Cali. I know quite a few people who have moved out there. I stayed with a buddy in Missoula for a couple nights when I was out there this summer... great town (way better than Bozeman), but holy moly housing prices are insane. There seems to be a lot of animosity from the locals aimed at the recent move-ins...

But hey, pretty great fishing! Rock Creek is awesome. Ran into a fella there this summer who said to me "the best anglers I know are from PA." That was nice to hear.

Yes. The locals are worried that people from the "west/left coast " are going to move into Montana and "ruin" it like they did their home state...ie. Californication, Washington & Oregon .....personally, I'd live there year round but I hate the cold. I go out in mid-late May and stay till the snow comes on strong....

 

[Sylvaneous]

My friend John moved to Bozeman , gosh, maybe 10 years ago?... A while. He got downsized 1 too many times and said "F-this!" He went to work guiding at a place that he worked for when he was in college. He married a woman from back east, Baltimore, where he was from. So he's doing fine. But Bozeman has become Boze-Angeles. It has become a base for outdoor companies now.

 

[mt_flyfisher]

I don’t know if this qualifies as moving to Montana, but beginning in 2001, for 18 years my wife and I split our time between Montana and Pennsylvania, with our summers spent in Montana, and then back to Pennsylvania for the winter. For the past couple years, I’ve just been going there by myself for the month of September.

We‘ve run across a lot of transplanted Pennsylvanians in Montana during our time there, including a number of transplanted Amish/Mennonites that moved there from close by where we live in eastern Lancaster County.

In my experience from being in Montana over the years, as nice and as friendly as the longer term Montana residents are there, they are often not always as prompt in getting things done as I’m accustomed to in Pennsylvania. For example, if you need a repair done, they may get to it today, or tomorrow, or the next day - whenever they get around to doing it. On the other hand, a number of the Pennsylvania Dutch who have moved there seem to have a different work ethic, and as a result some that I’ve met have there built very successful businesses In Montana.

p.s. Do a Google search for “Stoltzfus“ living in Montana and you can be sure that they are all descendants of Nicholas Stoltzfus who once lived along the Tulpehocken Creek in Pennsylvania.

 

[AndyP]

Thanks for sharing the pics of Alice and Tom and the old Eyler's Fly Shop . I bought my first Hardy reel from them when I was just a young brat and then came back on and off for many years to get flies, new rods , and most importantly to just talk fishing while Tom was tying flies. Great memories.

 

[Bamboozle]

Thanks for sharing the pics of Alice and Tom and the old Eyler's Fly Shop . I bought my first Hardy reel from them when I was just a young brat and then came back on and off for many years to get flies, new rods , and most importantly to just talk fishing while Tom was tying flies. Great memories.

The irony of all of this for me is my first foray into Eyler's was at the Ardmore shop for plastic worms BEFORE I ever picked up a fly rod.

I had this bug up my arse after reading an article that I needed 10" plastic worms and I somehow ended up in Ardmore, (probably via the bus) and I stopped in and asked Tom if he had them. In his inimitable style, he smirked, reached behind him and without saying a word handed me a huge plastic box filled with huge plastic worms.

A few years later when I decided to become a fly fisherman, I went to him for advice and he talked me into having him build me a rod. I picked the colors & hardware and I bought a CFO II to go with it. I still have the reel and the receipt showing the down payment I made on it because I was a poor punk kid.

A decade or so later when I wanted a boat rod to fish for bluefish, I called Tom to build it for me. He gave me a list of parts to buy from Dale Clemens in Allentown and I went shopping. I still have that rod.

Here's a picture of Tom by the fly tying station at the Penn Street store. Unfortunately, I didn't get a shot of the usual mess that was on top of his desk.

 

[wildtrout2]

Tom's "smirk" was one of his trademarks. I used to get a kick out of it.

 

[Bamboozle]

I used sit out by the front door with him at Penn Street, shooting the $#!+ for hours, sometimes all day. Whenever someone came in asking stupid questions, I knew I was going to entertained... 😉

 

[jrj]

Like mt_flyfisher above, we bought a place in the Bitterroot last year. Spent about 4 months there getting the house up to speed. For the most part, great people. The long term residents work at their own pace. Being from PA has not been a problem. I bring Tastykakes as an icebreaker.

The fishing doesn't suck either.... from up high on the East Fork.