For the CEO and board chair of $295 million-asset Three Rivers Bank of Montana in Kalispell, Montana, fly fishing is an opportunity for connection and reflection.
A.J. King: Reeling With Joy
For the CEO and board chair of $295 million-asset Three Rivers Bank of Montana in Kalispell, Montana, fly fishing is an opportunity for connection and reflection.
A.J. King, shown here in Montana with his dog, Luna, has been fly fishing for half a century. | Photo: Kelly Fitzgerald
August 01, 2026 / By Amanda Week
For the CEO and board chair of $295 million-asset Three Rivers Bank of Montana in Kalispell, Montana, fly fishing is an opportunity for connection and reflection.
I have been fly fishing for over 50 years. My grandfather was a fly fisherman, and he handed it down to my brother, [who] got me started. Through Boy Scouts and trips into the Bob Marshall Wilderness [Complex], I basically learned a lot of it on my own.
I fish all over Montana and have gotten to go to different states and countries. I’ve gone to Russia, and that was 20 years ago … I did get to fish up Kamchatka Peninsula, an untouched region for fly fishing, and catch great big rainbow trout. I’ve also fished for bonefish in Belize, [and] I’ve fished in Patagonia in Argentina and into Canada.
Living in Montana is a fly fisherman’s dream. There are so many rivers and lakes to fly fish [here], so it’s in my backyard. I also like the campfires the day after fly fishing, where usually we have a good meal and sit by a fire and just have an opportunity to be with friends.
It is also probably when I’m the happiest, because a lot of the time I am with friends—and sometimes we may be in a boat [or] wading—but we can just talk and enjoy the outdoors.
My daughter is a fly fishing guide in the Jackson Hole area, and it’s something that I can really enjoy [with her]. When we talk on the phone, it’s always about fishing: ‘Where were you last? Did you catch any big fish? Did you catch a lot of fish?’ She tells me about her clients, and it’s a joy to have that connection.
In banking and in life, there’s all kinds of things that challenge you, and when I can fly fish, what I come back with is [the feeling that] those challenges aren’t as big as they were initially. … There’s just so many things that you can’t control, and when I’m out fly fishing, I realize ‘Hey, we’ll work through this.’ And then I always do.
Amanda Week
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