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5 RIVERS LODGE OVERVIEW 4

INTRODUCTION

Lodge History & Successes

LODGE HISTORY

Five Rivers Lodge has been around since the mid 1980’s, well before the boom of fly fishing occurred.

In fact, Five Rivers Lodge was the first lodge In the Beaverhead Valley and remained the only lodge for a number of
years. The opening of Five Rivers Lodge In the Beaverhead Valley actually changed the valley from an add-on for
fishing an extra day or so when fishing other areas In Montana, to one of a destination trip. Five Rivers Lodge, was In
operation long before the movie “A River Runs Through it” and was one of the very first “upscale” fly fishing lodges In
the lower United States.

The movie “A River Runs Through It” helped influence the growth of the fly fishing business. Lodges began to pop up
all over the west. Five Rivers Lodge was one of the iconoclastic lodges uniquely positioned to capture a significant
amount of the business the movie “A River Runs Through It” helped influence. This was a terrific time of growth for
the industry and Five Rivers Lodge became well known to the American fishing public. Five Rivers Lodge attracts
guests ranging from actors, to athletes, to fly fishing personalities and guests from all over the world.

Co-founders and co-owners are a married couple, Jay Burgin and Mary Jacques. Jay and Mary are still the owners
and operators. After 30 years, they have decided to move in a different direction. The next person who owns Five
Rivers Lodge will be uniquely positioned in the future to carry on the tradition of Five Rivers Lodge.

SUCCESSES OF FIVE RIVERS LODGE
In deciding to open a lodge, Jay and Mary had a criteria they believed would make a lodge successful.

The following is an explanation of this criteria and why it is so crucial today In continuing to make the lodge successful.

1. Location:
This was the number one thing Jay and Mary decided on in the beginning which would set them up for success.
Jay and Mary decided being on the water didn’t make a lot of sense for the following reasons:
» With five blue ribbon rivers within an hour of the lodge, being on one of the rivers might brand the lodge as
mainly only fishing one river. Also, people may think the guide staff will not have experience on the other four
rivers and/or the other rivers are too far from the lodge. With the Big Hole, Beaverhead, Ruby, Jefferson,
and Madison rivers in the area, It made more sense to have a location which gives the guides access to all
of these watersheds and tributaries. Placing Five Rivers Lodge in the middle of all these fabled waters made
sense. Jay and Mary found a small, unfinished log home and 22 acres off of Hwy 41 outside of Dillon. Their
choice has worked wonderfully and has given the guides easy access to all the rivers.

» The location of Five Rivers Lodge off of Hwy 41 road frontage means almost anyone driving from other
lodges in the area to fish the rivers our area offers, will have to pass by and see. Five Rivers Lodge. This also
applies to people driving to or from Bozeman, Ennis, West Yellowstone, and Dillon.