Brian O’Keefe
A lifetime on the water, seen through a photographer’s eye.
Brian brings together fly fishing, photography, and a lifetime of travel—from the rivers of the Pacific Northwest and Alaska to remote tropical waters, New Zealand, and South America. An instructor, presenter, and former co-owner of Catch Magazine, he shares a wealth of experience and a deep connection to the sport.
Read Brian’s full biography +
Brian O’Keefe has combined a life of fly fishing and photography and created a lifestyle that has opened doors to some of the most remote fishing waters in the world, and some very civilized destinations that combine great fishing with rich and colorful culture. Brian did not specialize in one aspect of the sport, but instead pursued a wide variety of fish, locations, and techniques.
As a guide in his younger days, Brian did river trips in the Pacific Northwest and Alaska. Trout, salmon, and steelhead were the main focus. But in the winter, his sights were set on the tropics, plus trout in New Zealand and South America. Brian published his first fly fishing photo at age 16, so it was only natural to document his future fishing adventures with a camera.
In the 1970s, ’80s, and ’90s, Brian had early photos of fly fishing in places like Venezuela, Belize, Cuba, Christmas Island, Tonga, Sierra Leone, New Zealand (first trip in 1973 for eleven months), and many more off-the-beaten-path destinations.
While the travel is fun and exciting, Brian cherished his home waters. A dry fly purist grandfather laid the groundwork for Brian’s fly fishing career, so consequently, Brian lived in places with very close proximity to waters such as the North Umpqua River and Deschutes River in Oregon, and currently the Henry’s Fork River, Yellowstone River, Madison River, and the South Fork of the Snake River in Idaho and Montana.
Along the way, Brian worked as a sales rep for Patagonia, Orvis, Simms, Scott Fly Rods, Umpqua, Scientific Angler, and other brands, plus as a contributor to every fly fishing magazine in the US and internationally, as well. It’s quite common to see Brian doing a presentation to fly clubs and fly fishing expos in Boston, New York, Atlanta, Denver, Salt Lake City, San Francisco, LA, Dallas, or Seattle.
Brian also is an instructor with the Angler’s Academy, a fly fishing school in Idaho and Montana. For seven years, in the early 2000s, Brian was co-owner of Catch Magazine, a popular online magazine that was dedicated to fly fishing photography and film.
All these experiences have created a wealth of knowledge on all aspects of fly fishing, and amazing stories with the people he fished with or guided, like Bob Hope, Ted Williams the baseball player, Mickey Mantle, professional golfers, football players, and movie stars. Never a dull moment!