At the age of ten, she was fishing with her father off piers along the northern California coast. But it wasn't until 1993 when she met her husband, Brian O'Keefe, that her interest in the sport was fully realized. Brian and Judith have spent countless hours driving the back roads looking for the next interesting spot to fish. Whether floating the Deschutes River, wading spring-creeks, or kicking
along in a float tube, fishing is a major focus. Even though one of her favorite places to fish is right in her own backyard - the small desert creeks of eastern Oregon - Judith enjoys fishing the beautiful chalk streams of England, hunting for brown trout in Chile, exploring Florida, the Bahamas, Nicaragua and the Yucatan while stalking bonefish, permit and tarpon. She has logged serious time on Baja's Pacific and eastern coasts and has also spent time in the backcountry of Alaska fishing for giant trout and salmon. Judith has recently added upland bird and waterfowl hunting to her list of must do’s. Even as a novice bird hunter, Judith and dog, Cooper, have spent countless hours in the pursuit of pheasant, quail, and the tasty mallard. While photography has been a focus throughout her life, in 1998 Judith started to work professionally as a back up photographer to her husband Brian, a well known, international fly fishing photographer. Since then she has had a number of her photographs published in magazines and on covers. She’s spent many years traveling to various locales around the world, happily photographing fish and anglers, the local culture and scenery. Judith and Brian also collaborated with Scientific Anglers on two instructional DVDs, FLY FISHING MADE EASY and INTRODUCTION TO FLY CASTING WITH BRIAN & JUDITH O’KEEFE. Her latest venture is an angling destination and experiential travel company, Stream to Sea, with a focus on couples and women’s groups. From personal experience, Judith knows that fish live in beautiful places. And while fly fishing is the focus, every destination offers a world of opportunities, from the culture and cuisine of Chile, to the biological diversity of Costa Rica. Judith is a current member of the Board of Directors for International Women Fly Fishers organization, and supports Casting for Recovering with her volunteer efforts.
