The American Museum of Fly Fishing and its “Exhibition Profiles” are the profiles of important women fly anglers, fly tyers, conservationists and guides of yesterday, today and tomorrow
All “Exhibition Profiles” are from the book “A Graceful Rise” written by Catherine Comar, executive director of the museum. Promotional narrative for The American Museum of Fly Fishing is provided by Fly Life Magazine.com. Copyright the American Museum of Fly Fishing (AMFF) – 2014. NOTE: Several of the photos in this original text profile of Ballantyne are not found in “A Graceful Rise.” However, the book profile of Ballantyne has several other unique images.
Meet Dotty Ballantyne:
[dropcap]D[/dropcap]otty Ballantyne was born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland, and attended Garrison Forest School. Ballantyne received her bachelor of arts from Sarah Lawrence College, then earned her master of business administration from the University of Wisconsin. Deciding to settle in Madison, Wisconsin, Ballantyne pursued her career in the financial services industry.
Ballantyne with her record crevalle, jack (3-pounds, 1-ounce) caught on 2-pound test line in January of 2010, with legendary Key West guide Capt. Robert Trosset (Minnow Fly). Photo courtesy of Fitz Coker.
After moving to Montana in 1995, Ballantyne’s life was forever changed by fly fishing. She began to fly fish in Wyoming and Montana, and purchased land along the Yellowstone River. It was again in 1995 when, in an effort to contribute to the conservation of the river, Ballantyne donated a conservation easement on the Yellowstone property to the Gallatin Valley Land Trust. She also became an active board member with several conservation organizations, including the Greater Yellowstone Coalition, the Park County Environmental Coalition, the Gallatin Valley Land Trust, and American Rivers. Ballantyne added saltwater fly fishing to her resumé in 2000 when she met her husband, Fitz Coker. Coker, an expert saltwater angler, taught Ballantyne how to work with the larger saltwater equipment and how to cast to the larger fish. Her saltwater career started in the Florida Keys with tarpon, but by 2003, during a fishing trip to Australia, Ballantyne was catching saltwater world records on a fly. She specializes in catching records on light-test tippets, including 2-pound, 4-pound, and 6-pound. To date, Ballantyne has landed 110 world records, including: 75-pound lemon shark on 4-pound-test line 9-pound mutton snapper on 8-pound-test line 5-pound horse-eye jack on 2-pound-test line Dotty Ballantyne continues to travel the world in the hope of reaching 100 saltwater records and spends her time between Key West and Montana.
Author Catherine E Comar’s book received great reviews. The women profiled are amazing, and that alone makes for an interesting read. The next printing is due out shortly. See contact info at end of this post. Read review.
About AMFF: In 2011 the American Museum of Fly Fishing (Manchester, VT) opened its groundbreaking exhibition, A Graceful Rise: Women in Fly Fishing Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow. This exhibition outlined the lives and angling contributions of fifty women from the fifteenth century to the twenty-first century. A companion book, by the same title, was published in 2012, and a second printing of A Graceful Rise will soon be available for purchase. During the summer of 2014 the Museum will also launch its first ever online exhibition; this digital format will feature all of The Graceful Rise profiles, images, artifacts, and film clips that were on display in the Museum’s Leigh H. Perkins Gallery. Learn more about the Museum by visiting our website . . . [information]
American Museum of Fly Fishing 4104 Main Street Manchester, VT 05254 802-362-3300 Open Tuesday-Sunday, 10am to 4pm – See more at . . .
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Dotty Ballantyne has held 110 world records, some have been bested (Retired) leaving her with 62 current (Approved) world records. Her goal is to have 100 Approved International Game Fish Association (IGFA) world records. Below are some of her amazing catches.
Key West (May 30, 2012) king mackerel caught on 16-pound test using a bait-fish fly. Guide was Capt. Robert Trossset. Photo provided by the IGFA.
In Key West on April 11, 2011 fishing with famed inshore guide Doug Kilpatrick. Ballantyne successfully landed and released a 17-pound tarpon (Megalops atlanticus) on a 6-pound test tippet. The fish was landed after a 25 minute fight. It ate a Dark Rabbit strip fly. A record at the time, but has since been bested. However, Ballantyne currently holds five (Approved) IGFA world records for tarpon on a fly. Photo provided by the IGFA.
Key West (June 10, 2009) Ballantyne catches a 55-pound blacktip shark on 12-pound test using an orange bait-fish fly (orange is the only color you’ll need for any shark). The guide was Chris McCreedy. Photo provided by the IGFA.
