Cathy and Barry Beck are very well known for their guiding, fishing and specially for their photography. They travel to destinations such as New Zealand, Africa, Argentina, Alaska, Bahamas, Mexico, Belize, Venezuela, Mongolia, Russia and the American West, which gives them the opportunity to take photographs in a wide range of countries and environments. As photographers, their work appears regularly in sporting calendars and magazines, including Fly Fisherman, Fly Fishing in Salt Waters, Field and Stream, Outdoor Life, Gray's Sporting Journal, Big Sky Journal, Montana Outdoors and others. Their commercial clients include Patagonia, L.L. Bean, Sage Rod Co., and 3M/Scientific Anglers. They have provided photographs for books published by numerous authors and have written and photographed for their own books, which includes “Fly Waters Near and Far”, “Cathy Beck's Fly Fishing Handbook”, “Seasons of the Bighorn”, “Outdoor Photographer's Handbook” and “Fly-Fishing the Flats”. The Beck's spend their lives in pursuit of fish and photographic opportunities. Cathy Beck has a fly fishing school in Benton, Pennsylvania and has been teaching fly fishing for 25 years. Barry has spent his life in the fly fishing business and photographing. They regularly appear at sports shows and sporting events around the country, giving casting demonstrations and presentations on fly fishing and photography.
FD: When did you start fishing?
Barry: My family had a tackle shop so I grew up fishing, I don't remember not fishing.
Cathy: I had a family of three brothers and a dad that fished so we where a fishing family. We didn't fly fish, but I grew up around fishing.
FD: Of all the places that you fished ,wich is the one you liked the best?
Barry: In Argentina? ... The Malleo...... I love the Malleo.
FD: In the world?
Barry: If I had to fish one last place, it would be the Hope river in the south island of New Zeland. Looking for a big brown trout.
Cathy: I think it would have to be somewhere trout fishing, we grew up trout fishing . Even if we spend a lot of time in salt water, I like the fact that I can use dry flies, nymphs and streamers. With so many salt water species you really fish one way. So there is more variety with trout.It would have to be a cold water freestone stream like the one we have at home, or a small creek, even a spring creek like the Malleo, maybe something even smaller and more intimate.
FD: Considering all species, which would be your favorite fish?Barry: Brown trout!
Cathy: Brown trout!
FD: Both salt and freshwater?
Barry: It would still be the brown trout. If it had to be a salt water fish it would have to be a permit.
Cathy: In the salt?.....I don't know......... I love snook fishing, ya’, I like the snook. I like them all!
FD: What is the best fishing experience you had together?
Barry: We had lots of happy memories before we started hosting trips, and helping other people fish (hahaha). Looking back on our early years together..... It goes a long way back, about 30 years ago, we used to live out of a van, drive all around the American west and fish until we ran out of money, and came back home. Those where wonderful days.
Cathy: I don't know......I agree with Berry those where great days! But I was thinking about a fishing experience, I can remember being in Argentina and I am not going to tell you where or what stream (hahaha). We where on this tiny spring creek you could jump across. We where with a couple of guides, and we where having this contest to see who's fly could lay on the water the longest without catching a fish. I will never forget that day because the water was deep and dark. And these fish would come out of nowhere and attack the fly....... I will never forget that day. Trying to get your fly sit there for 5 to 10 seconds without a fish garbing it. It was remarkable!
FD: You don't have to tell me now, but you can tell me later!
Cathy: Hahaha.... maybe!
FD : How did you meet?
Barry: I saw Cathy in a restaurant, and I wanted to get an introduction. The owner new Cathy so I went in the back and asked her if she could introduce me to her. The owner said it would cost you!........ I used to tie custom salmon flies, so I had to take a frame of fully dressed flies for the restaurant. But when I finally went to take the flies, so I could be introduced to Cathy.... The owner was not there. So the only way was to introduce myself. And I went home with the frame of flies..... and my girl (hahaha). The rest is history.
FD: Which one came first, guiding or photography?
Barry: Photography came out as a necessity to do catalogs for us and rod companies in the 70's. I have a very good friend that was the art director of "Trout Magazine" at the time. I took a picture of him, and he bought it for a cover. I was 16 years old at the time and I thought it was a great way to add to my income. But I did not sell another picture for the next 5 years (hahaha).
FD: That was still pretty good, you where 21!
FD: How about you Cathy? I have seen more than one picture where you where the model.
Cathy: Well...... Somebody has to hold the fish!
FD: How did fly fishing pictures change during your carrier?
Barry: Well we all know that digital changed everything! But I think photography and fly fishing go hand in hand, because we always say that fly fishing takes you to beautiful places and you want to record those memories, what better way than a picture! And digital has made photography so much easier today, even the small point-shoot cameras have a very good resolution and ar very easy to use. The Nikon AW100 you can use on top as well as under the water, you can shot HD videos and it fits in you pocket! Its wonderful, you can beat the thing around..... Years ago we never had things like that! That was a hole different world for us. Digital brought everybody in the world of photography. It is as easy to take pictures as it is to share them.
FD: We all know you are a symbol in fly fishing photography. Your style is unmistakable. And you have helped amateur photographers to become something more.....
Barry: ....Ooo , I was criticized for that by other photographers because it creates competition..... But in the end the best picture wins. It does not matter who takes it. I think that in the world of photography today there are so many ways of creating your picture, thanks to new software programs. In fly fishing and photography sharing your ideas are helping other people........ We all work together, and in the end we all work better, we all have more fun, and hopefully we all make a little money! But I always warn people that are just getting into photography. Cathy and myself have said this many times: "If rejection bothers you. Don't do it!" We all get rejected, we might take a picture we think its the best picture we have taken, and if an art director cannot use it, it can get a little frustrating. But if you really want to pursue it, you need to stay in there and be persistent. If you are, you eventually will sell a picture.
FD: Understanding that that you are asked most of the times to take a certain picture. What is you favorite picture to take?
Barry: Photographing my grandchildren! (hahaha) they are 3 and 4 and love to fish. They now touch the fish, hold the fish and catch the fish. It's a breath of fresh air for us!
Cathy: Yes.... With adults, I think you can anticipate what is the next reaction is, but with kids, you never know what's coming. It’s more of a surprise, refreshing and unexpected.
FD: Talking about your grandchildren and their fly fishing future. Can photography help the environment?
Barry: Absolutely! You can show people how valuable our resources are. Photography always played a major role on environmental regulations. People looking at pictures and saying "..Wow, we need to save this,.... We need to keep this,...this is how valuable this is" If we did not have pictures just think where we would be today, our world evolves around photography not just in fly fishing, its an important part of our lives.
FD: Considering your experiences in photography and fishing, what would be your message to the Fly dreamers community and the rest of the fly fishing world?
Barry: I think what I worry about the most is that we cannot loose what we have. This is our heritage, we need to take care of it. It goes back to that old saying: "You never miss a good thing until its gone". Even this morning as we where walking across a parking lot, we noticed they where cutting a tree that provided a little shade. It goes back to that Joey Mitchell song "...they cut all the trees to make a parking lot..." Just like that parking lot my experience on the rivers has been devastating over the years, we look at the Pebble mine...... It could be a disaster in Alaska for all of us! It won't just affect the fisherman, it would affect the people and their life. Sometimes we put money in front of common sense. We need to take care of these resources. I think, when people become involved with fly fishing they become more engaged with the environment, they learn more about it, and they get greater appreciation for it. If we can take better care of our streams, hopefully there will be something there for our grandchildren.
FD: So true, thanks Cathy and thanks Barry.
Barry: Thanks for having us!
