Mary Ann Dozer

Mary Ann fell in love with fish, not while casting from a riverbank, but while scuba diving in the Caribbean and South Pacific with her husband, Dave. Her first fly fishing experience was in 1995 in Yellowstone Park and her passion for the sport took hold. Since then, she said she has spent “pretty much every vacation and long weekend with a rod in my hand.” When her high tech career wound down after 20 years, Mary Ann wanted to do something different with her life. The answer was easy: pursue her passion for fly fishing and share it with others.

Mary Ann has fished extensively across the west but spends most of her time in Oregon and Idaho. For the past 15 years, she has instructed men and women in fly fishing techniques. In addition, she has volunteered with Casting for Recovery for 10 years, participating in fly fishing retreats for women with breast cancer. She has also co-chaired Education and Publicity for the Northwest Fly Fishing Expo for the last eight years. Her greatest love is guiding other fly fishers. She is one of only 150 individuals in the U.S. with her Master Casting Instructor certification from the Federation of Fly Fishers and is building a series of educational videos for fly casting and fishing. Check out her website at www.flyfishingpursuits.org.

Guiding Style: Teacher. “I am a teacher who makes learning to fly fish fun, knowing that our purpose on the water is to catch fish! I think it is a guide’s responsibility to take their guests’ skills and knowledge to the next level so that the next time they fish, something they learned from me will result in a great cast, and a great fish.” Accolades from Mary Ann’s guests and students include: “positive,” “outgoing,” “fun,” “patient,” “builds confidence,” and “a natural teacher.”

Fun facts about Mary Ann:

• She hails from Atwood, Indiana, a town with no stoplights.
• Her parents are Dutch immigrants and three out of her five siblings were born in Holland.
• During her childhood, her parents owned a chicken farm and then a grocery store.
• She holds an engineering degree from Purdue University and a Masters degree from Pepperdine University.
• She also volunteers at Boys and Girls Clubs, teaching fly fishing and tying.
• Mary Ann considers casting an art form.
• Her favorite rod is one of the bamboo sticks her husband crafts. “There is nothing like the sensitivity and responsiveness when casting bamboo and landing a fish!”
• She is a Hoosier fanatic and is normally not reachable during the NCAA Basketball Tournament season.