We published this last week and it mysteriously disappeared from our blog so we apologize if you’ve already read it.

We recently lost a long-time customer and friend of the Missouri, Perry Herst, who passed away last month. The following is a tribute to Perry written by his and our dear friend David Cooper. Rest in Peace Perry.

A good friend who was also a Missouri River fishing pal of ours, Perry Herst, died recently at the age of 88. Perry first joined us in Wolf Creek about a decade ago, bringing along his friends, Jim and Jean Crabtree.

Perry and the Crabtrees had fished and shot birds together in many parts of the world, including Africa, Alaska, Texas, Montana, and South America. Their tales of adventure, sometimes hilarious, could be spell-binding.

The Crabtrees usually joined us in Wolf Creek from their summer home in Idaho. Their winter residence was in the Los Angeles area. Sadly, Jim, a prominent physician, died several years ago. Jean continued to fish with us for several years and we had many happy times together.

Perry was a fine sportsman, either on the water with a flyrod, or in the field with a shotgun and one of his beloved birddogs. He delighted us always with tales of his exotic hunting and fishing adventures, most often with the Crabtrees. There were many happy dinners together at the Frenchman, Izaak’s or the 7R Ranch.

A native of Chicago, Perry had a keen mind and a successful career as a builder and developer of commercial office buildings, associated with the Tishman Realty and Construction Co. He guided the Los Angeles-based firm as it became one of the nation’s largest privately-held portfolios, with more than 40 million square feet of office space in the U.S. and Europe. Perry and his wife, Angela, had a home in Southern California.

Perry was a wonderful companion on our annual trips. At first blush, some might take him for a curmudgeon, but beneath his sometimes gruff exterior, there was a warm heart and kindness as big as the Ritz. He also was a quiet but significant philanthropist.

With Jerrell Beougher as his guide, Perry was also competitive on the river. “Well, my trout was 23 inches, how big was yours?” or, when nymphing, which he most often did, “How can you land those big trout with those tiny, little flies?”

He was fond of history and loved to talk about politics. He had a sense of humor and a great loyalty to friends and family. Our time together in June, 2017, with Wolf Creek Angler was to be his last trip to the Missouri and it was a bit of a struggle for him.

However, with Jerrell’s constant presence and watchful help, he was on the river everyday, thrilled by each trout he landed and released. Thanks, in part, to Jerrell’s skills, Perry always had a great fish story to tell at dinner. Funeral services were held March 2 in the Los Angeles area. We miss our pal.

By David Cooper, who has been fishing the Missouri from Wolf Creek almost every year since 1984

For your St Patrick’s Day Listening Pleasure….

We took advantage of the spring-like weather yesterday and got out for one final January float.

I’ve been doing most of my fishing below Craig this winter so thought it would be a good idea to get back on the upper section and see what was going on.

Pretty much the same story in the Wolf Creek to Craig stretch with fish holding steady in the slow winter water. We found them where expected though came up empty handed in a few of the winter go-to spots.

Traffic is still very light though with four boats launching within minutes of one another  the ramp and the river almost seem crowded after having been alone out there more often than not for most of the winter.

Flows remain in the 4500 cfs range and water temps have begun to creep up ever so slightly into the 35 degree range. Expect status quo conditions throughout the week with colder temps and possibly some snow arriving this weekend.

Noon to 3 pm still seems to be the best time of the day. We got off to a slow start, putting in just before 11 am. We touched a couple right off the bat but then settled into a bit of a slump until just after lunch time. I changed bugs more often than I generally do in the winter looking for something to get things going and eventually found the black zebra to be the bug of the day. We also had moderate success with the pink Amex, the pill popper and the firebead pink sow but if I were fishing today I’d be starting out with a black zebra and a pink Amex.

The anticipated slow streamer day came to pass yesterday after a month of really good streamer fishing. We did manage to move a couple fish on white but overall I would rate the streamer bite poor. Had we started earlier in the day it probably would have been better but as it was the post 3:30 slot was not anything to get excited about.

Midges present in limited numbers and a few rises observed though we were not rigged for dry fly fishing. I’d say it’s probably time to start having the dry fly rig at the ready.

Expect river traffic to increase as we enter February and move ever-closer to spring.

We opened more lodging this week in an effort to accommodate those fishing the river as well as those fishing the ice. Weekends remain busy but mid-week lodging is rarely full.  The shop remains closed on Mondays and Tuesdays but if you’re interested in lodging and/or guide trips on those days we’ll make it happen.

Merry Christmas from all of us at Wolf Creek Angler! We wish you peace and prosperity for the coming year and thank you for making us your Missouri River fly fishing destination.