A short chat with Brian O’Keefe:
Brian in the workshop with nice steelie.
FLM: When did you become interested in fly fishing and then, photography?
BOK: Since I was 16 years old, I have combined fly fishing photography, fly casting and a lot of serious fly fishing into a job and lifestyle that I call a ‘hobby out of control’. I sold my first fly fishing photo in 1970. Since then, I was been very busy trying to fish and photo as many interesting places as possible.
FLM: Where have your photo and fly fishing travels taken you?
BOK: My angling travels have taken me to distant destinations like Tonga, Bikini Atoll, New Zealand (first trip in 1973), Chile, Argentina, Kenya, Sierra Leone, Kashmir, England, Brazil, Nicaragua and many more. As much as I like trips to the Bahamas, Belize, the Yucatan, etc.
FLM: What are your favorite home waters?
BOK: I am just as much a home water fisherman as a traveling one. Near my home in Bend, Oregon I enjoy the Deschutes River, the Crooked River, the Metolius River, the John Day River and many lakes in Central Oregon.
FLM: We’ve seen your images in just about every outdoor magazine there is. How have those relationships lasted so long?
BOK: I have enjoyed a nice working relationship with many fly fishing magazines, plus Outdoor Life, Field & Stream, Outside Magazine and many tackle catalogs, books and websites.
FLM: Speaking of websites. How is the new regime of pay for view working out with CATCH MAGAZINE?
BOK: My current project is Catch Magazine, a photo and video driven on-line fly fishing magazine. At CATCH I work with Todd Moen, and we produce a fly fishing visual experience I know you will enjoy. Some people call it their ‘virtual vacation’. It’s been very successful. To dial into Catch Magazine click here […]
