Ian Davis '92 is the epitome of success as a liberal arts major. Studying art and education during his four years at W&J, Davis took the skills learned and applied them to a successful career as a business owner and fly fisherman in the beautiful state of Montana.

First, can you tell us a little bit about your company, Yellow Dog Fly Fishing Adventures? 

Yellow Dog Flyfishing Adventures is a full-service fishing travel company that represents individuals and groups by matching them with the ideal angling destination. We offer 215 different destinations throughout the world. In addition to specializing in fishing-focused destinations, we also specialize in couples and family destinations that cater to anglers and non-anglers alike. Our services include detailed pre-trip travel and fishing information, detailed itineraries, and personal attention from one of our knowledgeable team members. 

As co-owner and saltwater program director, what are your day to day responsibilities at Yellow Dog?

My day-to-day responsibilities vary from handling sales for repeat clients, hosting group trips for VIP anglers throughout the world, shooting photos and creating original artworks for a variety of our marketing materials, organizing charity fishing tournaments, researching and traveling to new angling destinations, and working consumer fishing and outdoor shows and expos.

I also am proud to serve on the board for the Yellow Dog Community and Conservation Foundation (www.ydccf.org). YDCCF gives back to the same fishing destinations where we send our clients. We have assisted with the funding of 26 community and conservation-based projects throughout the world. We have improved schools in the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico, restored lagoons in the Bahamas, educated Cuban fishing guides, and raised money to fight cystic fibrosis and breast cancer through group fishing events. We are currently building a running track on Andros Island in the Bahamas, working to ban indiscriminate gill nets throughout Belize, and rebuilding teacher accommodations in Mexico.  

Bottom of the Ninth, Oil on canvas

I was an art major and art education minor (graduated with a teaching certificate). I’m still creating art with a wide variety of mediums, ranging from Sharpie markers to linoleum block prints, but I mainly focus on watercolors and oils. While I do sell some of my pieces, the majority of my art is used for Yellow Dog marketing materials, client gifts, and fishing tournament logos.

The education I received at W&J allowed me to be a truly professional fishing guide in Colorado in 1994. Anyone can learn to fish, but it takes a high level of education to understand how to teach and communicate the finer aspects of fly-fishing. W&J provided me with the tools to be successful early in my career and still continues to support me today as a business owner, artist, and philanthropist.  

What jobs and experiences have led you to your current position and in what way did this type of work interest you?

When I graduated from W&J in 1991, I packed my car and drove around the Western United States. I loved the esthetics of the landscapes in the west, and the grand scale of the raw topography gripped me.

Being an avid skier and angler also drew me out west. I had a Phi Delta Theta fraternity friend from W&J, Ed Trofino ’90, that lived in Breckenridge, Colorado, so I stopped by to say hello as I worked my way across the country. Ed seemed very happy, and Breckenridge was a nice, small town. I decided to relocate there. I started painting and selling a few pieces, and then got a big break to create a few large-scale murals for a local restaurant. While creating the pieces was time consuming, it was rewarding and cemented a place for me within the Breckenridge community.

I have also always loved cooking, so I had a few wonderful experiences as a chef in a number of restaurants. This left my days open to ski and fish (around 300 days a year). I became enamored with fly-fishing and took a job as a fly-fishing guide and worked in the retail fly shop. During my after-college journey, I stopped in dozens of fly-fishing specialty shops. It was during those visits that I learned a lot about “what not to do” in terms of providing quality customer service. It always seemed like the sales staff could not be bothered with some scruffy kid that was sleeping in his truck and asking about “where to fish.” I was not their target shopper who was going to drop a few grand on a new outfit and gear or book five days of guided fishing.

I would later find that my angling guests appreciated my novel approach, having experienced similar negative encounters within the fly-fishing business as I had. I made it a point when working in the fly shop and as a guide to be educationally focused. Being an education graduate from W&J made this self-induced challenge actually quite simple to accomplish.

This may be a silly question, but did the popular book and movie “A River Runs Through It” affect the fly-fishing business?

Yes! For many years, fly-fishing received a bad rap for being an elitist activity for the wealthy, so this also trickled down to the shops and outfitters. Thanks to “A River Runs Through It,” fly-fishing became very popular in 1992. This was a game changer, because everyone wanted to fly-fish. This was right around the time I started guiding, and in 1996 I decided to open my own fly shop called Breckenridge Outfitters. We grew the business over ten years and were awarded “Orvis Endorsed Outfitter of the Year” on three separate occasions. During that time, I would host trips to the Bahamas to boost sales in the cold, winter months in the Colorado high country. Saltwater fly-fishing for bonefish, permit, and tarpon became my new passion.

I traveled with a core group of fly-fishing industry buddies and clients a few times a year, which ended up being the catalyst to Yellow Dog Flyfishing Adventures. My wife and I looked to make a fresh start as we started a family, and we had always loved Montana. I traveled and fished in Montana many times and always loved Bozeman. A good buddy of mine had just started a company called Yellow Dog Flyfishing Adventures and asked me to partner with him. We began the business with just eight destinations 20 years ago. The rest is history.  

Since launching the company, what has been the biggest struggle to overcome as well as your biggest accomplishment?

Our biggest struggle was transferring our trip files from hard copy (paper) to electronic files. We wasted time and money with inferior sales programs, but we had to make the switch. (What if the office burned down, right?) We had thousands of our anglers fishing vacations organized in traditional paper files in our Bozeman, Montana, headquarters, which would have been a disaster if we lost those files. We decided to "go big or go home", and had an expensive custom sales and data program created specifically for Yellow Dog. The younger Yellow Dog team members easily made the transition to the electronic format, but the older folks (like myself) were challenged by these advanced tools. I’m pleased to say that I now value our incredible Salesforce program and all the benefits and tools it provides to our team.

Our largest accomplishment: we are one of the biggest fishing travel companies in the world! As I already mentioned, this has allowed us to create the YDCCF so that we can give back to the communities where we send our guests. It is so fulfilling to see the changes we create in these remote, and oftentimes, needy communities. I’m also proud of the Yellow Dog team we have assembled. Our staff consists of true professionals within the fly-fishing community. Our business is all about attention to detail and they fully understand this when taking care of valued clientele. I love reading our post-trip critiques from our guests. The positive feedback we get about our team and partner destinations drives me to constantly improve our services.  

What do you like to do in your spare time?

My spare time is spent with my wonderful family. My job has me traveling the world numerous times a year. This can be mentally and physically taxing, so when I come home, I relax and hang with my family in Montana. My three girls are on the Big Sky Ski Team, so I spend lots of time in the winter watching them race, tuning skis, and supporting them. We also fish, golf, play tennis, and hike as a family. I also find myself in my painting studio more these days.  

Why did you choose to attend W&J?

I was “recruited" to play football and baseball. (However football did not work out after my freshman year.) W&J also was the highest-rated school to which I was accepted. Being challenged with dyslexia, I did not score high on the SAT test nor did I have the best grades in high school. W&J took a chance on me, and I truly appreciate it.  

I also really liked the campus, and it was not too far from home (New Jersey) but just far enough that my parents could not “drop in.” 

What is one of your favorite W&J memories? 

I have many favorite memories, but a few of the highlights include my senior art
show; all the friendships I made; winning the Presidents Athletic Conference in baseball, student teaching; building our themed fraternity structures for Greek Week; and, the rolling hills of Western Pennsylvania.

What advice would you give to students who have dreams of opening their own company?

Try to create something you are passionate about. This converts to success. Put your head down, don’t worry about what others are doing (to start), and focus on being as efficient as you can be with your time. 

Is there anything else you’d like fellow alumni and students to know?

I would love to see some of my fellow alumni come through Yellow Dog Flyfishing Adventures! If you’re looking for the perfect fly-fishing destination, please feel free to reach out to me. You can learn more the services we provide by visiting yellowdogflyfishing.com.  

We love honoring our alumni and keeping up with their successes! ​​​Please contact the Office of Alumni Relations at alumni@washjeff.edu if you or someone you know is interested in being highlighted as a featured alumnus/a.