She’s been breaking barriers all of her life. First in fishing, where Jenn Duff was often the only female in a tournament, then as the owner of Jef International, Inc., an import and export trading business specializing in sport fishing tackle, and now, as the Vice Mayor of Mesa, Arizona (when she was elected to the city council, she was also the only woman at the time). All three are male-dominated professions that Duff took on with relish.
A competitive spirit and a love of the outdoors led her to become the top woman pro bass angler in the southwest as well as the only American woman to ever compete professionally in Japan.
What drew Duff to the sport of fishing, in particular, was the use of artificial baits, making it a catch-and-release environment. “I felt like I could enjoy sport fishing safely, since the fish were released back into the water,” she said. Being on the water brought Duff a sense of communion with nature; spending a day on a fishing boat brought her peace and solace.
It was a natural progression to fishing competitively, as she grew up in an outdoorsy family where summers were spent at the lake and going fishing. In her 20s, she discovered fishing on a competitive level. “I’d gone to an outdoor show and a man told me about these derbies they held for people to come out and fish. It wasn’t professional; just a chance for people to fish for a prize. My first time and I won like $600. I thought, wow, this is pretty cool,” Duff said.
In addition to having a natural knack for fishing, Duff said she’s also always been competitive. After her first win at the amateur competition, she began to seek out competitions, first in her hometown of Phoenix, then more regional and national tournaments. In the western United States category, men and women competed together; still, it was rare to run into another woman competing in a tournament back then.
Being the only woman in a tournament full of men didn’t bother Duff, since she grew up with two brothers. Although she felt comfortable, she does admit that she was still aware of being the only woman, but would “just put on a hat when competing in the western tournament—and fit right in.”
Until the 90s when the rules changed, in the eastern United States category, men and women were separated and couldn’t be on the same boat. So while competing in the eastern states, Duff was only in the Women’s League, “which had a different feel and a different level of expertise than fishing with the men.”
Regardless of where she was fishing, Duff started getting attention as a competitive force and was featured on the cover of a Western states fishing magazine. She says this international attention drew the interest of the Japanese. “They were visiting Lake Powell in Page, Arizona at a tournament and asked, ‘Who is this girl? Why is she in the tournament?”
Although she was the only woman in the tournament, the Japanese recruiters told her they had read about her. When she did well in the tournament, they invited her to Japan. “They said there was a showcase championship coming up and would I like to attend? Who doesn’t want to visit Japan? Of course, I said, ‘yes.’”
That first tournament was a learning experience for Duff. She had failed to ask what the weather was like in November, when the championship was to be held, and found herself fishing at the base of Mount Fuji in the snow. Still, it was a thrill for her: “Because it was a championship tournament, they were allowing some celebrity guests they invited to compete in the tournament. I was one of them and it was quite an honor, as no women at all competed in the tournament.”
Since the first tournament went well, Duff was invited to come back for a tournament year (the tournament season runs from April through November) in Japan. She returned and competed in various leagues throughout the country, hosted by local residents. She would stay in their homes and eat meals with the families.
“I only had a few months before I left for Japan so I tried to learn the language, but there was definitely a language barrier. I’m an introvert and am very comfortable being on my own, but it was still somewhat isolating in a way. I was only 29 but had to grow up fast because there was usually a fifty-fifty chance of my host home having someone who spoke English to translate. With the language barrier, sometimes I felt very alone. But in some ways, it was a great time for deep introspection, and I learned inner resilience and strength.”
It’s been a long time since Duff broke into the traditionally male-dominated sport of fishing. Things have improved somewhat for women; according to the latest Special Report on Fishing put out by the Outdoor Foundation and the Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation, in 2020, 36 percent of those who fish were women.
She says of that time and being a pioneer, “I was one of the early birds as far as women competing—especially against men. There were very few out and I was probably the only one seriously doing it in the Western United States. Now it’s very common to see women competing, and there are women’s groups who fish together and learn together, and women overall are very embraced, especially in fly-fishing.”
Duff believes the uptick in women fishing is in part because women and men alike can succeed. “Fishing isn’t a man’s or woman’s sport. It’s about understanding the fish, its behaviors, and making the appropriate selection of lures; understanding the lake, topography, and making those decisions where you think the fish are located. None of that is determined by strength. So, it is more embraced today than ever and I’m so happy that we don’t see gender in regards to fishing, but see that we are all humans, wanting to have a wonderful human experience—wherever our interests lie.”
