About Us
Phil and Joan Camera
Although a native of Connecticut, Phil journeyed West after experiencing his first fishing trip to the Madison River. Feeling like he was in a different world, his love for angling and the outdoors lead to the direction of his next 40 years. Leaving his employment as a Ballistic Technician at Winchester Western’s research laboratory in New Haven, Connecticut, he settled near the South Platte River in the Colorado Mountains. His mechanical and laboratory background directed him toward the science and artistry of fly tying. 
Phil seemed to never be satisfied with the term, “This is the only way to do it” He would constantly challenge the performance of existing tying materials in search for what he felt was the ideal product to accomplish what he wanted from a particular fly. His interest put him on the path to creating new tying materials and a manufacturing and distributing company, as well as a distribution center for synthetic tying products.
Thus his innovation of Larva Lace body materials were born! His development of this material raised the eyebrows of many of the old school tiers, which put him on the next path to educating his customers.
After authoring the book “Fly Tying With Synthetics”, he was asked by many to come and show and tell how these products were actually used for today’s fly patterns.
For the next 20 years, Phil traveled the world as an invited guest tier to places like Holland Fly Tying Fair, Sweden, Norway, the South Pacific, and the North and South America fisheries explaining and demonstrating his patterns and techniques.
Phil still welcomes the opportunity to teach and show clubs of interest all his secrets of tying with alternative materials. In 2003 Phil’s Montana memories lead him back to the great Missouri River in north central Montana. With his desire to fish the tail water fisheries and large trout he felt this was a great place to settle down to a small lodge and fly shop.
Most any day you can walk into the Prewett Creek Fly shop and find Phil and Joan, his wife, in the fly shop helping and servicing the many anglers that seek the experience of the Upper Missouri River. Phil will be either sitting in the corner tying flies or on the river rowing his drift boat and testing his latest fly creation.
Phil & Joan Camera’s Missouri River motel and full-service Fly Shop is much more than a great place to stay when you’re fishing and floating the scenic Missouri River and the amazingly productive trout fishery below Holter Dam!
Our clean, spacious motel rooms, on-site fly shop, the Prewett Creek Inn — on the Missouri River — are all centrally located in Hardy Canyon! We offer drift boat rentals, fishing kayak rentals, and shuttle service.
We are located nine miles south of Cascade on the Recreation Road.
For reservations, complete our reservation form. Click here!
