Huey Perrin, San Felipe Mexico

Raised in Louisiana, 100% Cajun, my grandfather was a shrimp boat captain in the summer and a trapper in the marsh during winter. At the age of 8 my dad, Huey Perrin, built a mud boat for my grandfather out the back patio of our house. I was the wrench monkey. He took my sister's wrecked VW beetle bug engine and installed a clutch driven straight inboard though a marine grade plywood hull. I helped him glue the stringers together, did some of the painting, and was even in the maiden voyage with him. I'm pretty sure he didn't tell mom I was in the boat the first run. Even though I had 2 major subassembly locations, a lot of my assembly of the Prototypes was right out the back door on the patio, just like when I was 8. As I searched my memories of my childhood I don't remember being forced to always help my dad work on his boats; I'm pretty sure I wanted to watch, and participate. I was there when some fuel caught fire in the garage when of course mom scolded dad about putting me in harm's way.

My father, brother, daughter are all engineers.

My dad once said to me, "Son, all I'd need is a sign that said, If I can't fix it you don't pay."  The things I remember from him are an amazing path to my life, his intellect, his values, his honesty, the feeling I got when he took me hunting or fishing.  My dad was one of those fathers who  chose little words, sometimes only a visual look, would teach me who he thought I should become.  I often wonder if he recognized all of him that he gave me.   I didn't have him next to me on this path of design build, but he was with me; I had plenty conversations with him, the answers soon followed.

In Louisiana, I learned fishing conventional tackle, Bass, Crappie, Brim, Speckled Trout, Sand Trout, Red Fish, Snapper, Grouper, Croker, Drum, and Mahi Mahi.  My dad Huey Perrin and my mom Grace Perrin taught me all I knew about fishing up to the age of 22.  After finishing a degree in Accounting at LSU, I moved to Snowmass Village in 1989. There, I learned to fly fish in Shale Bluff Canyon after working accounting shifts with the Aspen Skiing Company. I, along with two other Louisiana boys became, and still are, fly fishing guides.  ILP Services, LLC, is my other career, offering all aspects of bookkeeping and financial reporting, payroll, budgeting, general business consulting and more.

I started my guide career wade fishing up-valley with Oxbow Outfitting in Snowmass Village, and later gained the contract with the Aspen Ski Company to provide guide services under the name Snowmass Anglers. During that time, I trained a number of guides who are still guiding today.

I began my float career in the late 90’s after fishing down-valley around Glenwood Springs. In 2005 I began my support of the Rocky Mountain Fly Fishing Classic “To Catch the Cure” tournament to raise funds for Cystic Fibrosis.  Kea Hause was a fellow guide with Roaring Fork Anglers, and according to local lore, he was known as “the God of Guides”. Kea agreed to guide the boat that I had booked and I was finally about to spend a day with him. We fished the Colorado in the mud and posted a score that no other team could touch on the first day. Kea taught me things about guiding that were the simplest one could imagine.  After the awards ceremony in 2005, I fully recognized I could be better as a teacher of fly fishing rather than a guide.  In 2006 Kea guided me again and our boat repeated the championship.  I participated in the Rocky Mountain Fly Fishing Classic up until 2017.

2005 Team Grand Champion Angler, 2006 Team Grand Champion Angler, 2008 Runner up Team Grand Champion Angler, 2008 Runner up Grand Champion Angler, 2010 Runner up Grand Champion Angler, 2016 Guide To Largest Brown, 2016 Guide to Largest Rainbow.

I primarily guide the Colorado River area now, going for big fish. “I’m the self-proclaimed Mayor of the ‘Silt to Rifle’ stretch.” I once chased down a boat for killing 4 size large trout in the Horse Crossing because of improper handling of fish.  In total, I have  30 years’ experience teaching people how to catch, and respect, the entire sport of fly fishing.

Current boat Records:

Trout:  Ben Nelson, 26" CutBow estimated 7 pounds on the Colorado River, Silt to Rifle, in the Lake.  25″ taped, male Brown Trout, estimated at 8 pounds (caught across from the Dino put in on the Colorado by Charlie Hill, then-leader of the Orchard Church) .

Redfish:  Ivan, 35", Cocodrie LA

Black Drum:  Ivan, 37" Cocodrie, LA

“My tag line when you fish with me is ‘We only need ONE TEN pounder.’  I feel truly blessed each day I’m on the water, whether personally or professionally.”