This series of posts is meant to introduce all of you terrific tiers and cool customers to our small, but fantastic team of anglers here at The Caddis Fly Angling Shop. Each employee answered a number of questions about their fishing expertise, their favorite style of fishing and fishing products. Each week we will publish another employee’s answers to these questions to let you know Who We Are. This series will hopefully give you a peak into who we are, how we fish, and who you are chatting with when you next call or email Caddis.
And finally, though you will find them here only half of the year, busy at Cedar Lodge November through April, we have to introduce Caddis Fly’s oldest employee and now owner, Chris (and family)!
Who: Chris Daughters. Caddis Fly Shop Owner.
*Chris and his wife Shauna have two kids, Patsy and Cash, and they make up a fanatical fly fishing family.
Time at Caddis: Owner for 21 years, but with the shop since I was a kid.
Are you a Eugene local, or are you a transplant?
I was born and bred Eugenian; I grew up fishing on the Mckenzie.
How many years have you been fly fishing?
35
What is your favorite rod and reel combo?
There is so much great tackle out there that is a really tough question. The season at Cedar Lodge I have really enjoyed casting the new SAGE X with the new Scientific Anglers MPX Amplitude fly line. Bauer RX reels are phenomenal trout to saltwater.
Wet wade or float, and why?
During the season at Cedar Lodge (Nov-April) it’s all wet wading. Generally we have better success when you can approach the fish from shore. We cross river but don’t wade deep when casting. Locally fishing out of my McKenzie boat will always be special to me as guiding made me realize you could get paid for doing something you love.
Where do you fish? I love to travel to fish. Current favorites are the Bahamas, Cuba and New Zealand. Sight fishing is what it’s all about for me.
Dry fly, streamer or nymph–and do you tie them? Upstream I dry fly fish, preferably. My son and I tie flies for trip prep, latest creations are nymphs for New Zealand.
Spey or single hand cast? Both
Salt or Freshwater? Both. I love the salt when it’s cold in the northwest. 
Where do you fish?
(The real question is where Chris hasn’t.)
What is your favorite part about working at Caddis?
Interesting folks come through the door everyday, and its a fun environment. You work with like minded individuals working at something they enjoy.
When a fellow angler asks, “What is the biggest fish you have ever caught?” what is your answer?
Not important to me. It’s about the places fishing takes me, not the size of the fish.
Christopher Daughters is one of the most experienced and practiced anglers around.
Not only is he the owner of Caddis, but having grown up in Eugene and in the fly fishing industry, he knows the McKenzie and the Willamette like the back of his paddle, and the products he uses are ones he has watched go from innovative newcomers to the angling arsenal to household names and go-tos. If you need to know the difference between an older rod and its successor, ask Chris. If you want to know where to go on the McKenzie in October when the water is blown out from rains, ask Chris.
He’s a busy man, but Chris tries to get into the shop as much as he can. When he is in the states (May to October), he is either in shop or out on the water, guiding on the McKenzie or Willamette. If you plan far enough ahead (Chris is normally booked out for the season by mid-April) you can even get out on the water for a personal tour with Chris as your guide. Chris is a wonderful fly fishing mentor and he is always ready and willing to answer any question about fishing here or around the world.
And with that, you have met all of the Caddis Fly Crew members!
We thank you for reading oregonflyfishingblog.com and for your continued business and support at The Caddis Fly. You, our customers, are all as big a part of our little Caddis Fly Family as we are, and you are the biggest part of why Caddis is the resource that it is for tiers around the world. We look forward to the opportunity to serve you in the future!
Want to know more about the Caddis Fly? Visit our website’s About page at this link and feel free to call or email us any time at our contacts below:
(541)505-8061
caddiseug@yahoo.com
Tight lines until next time!
The Caddis Fly Crew
This was a great series. Each of the profiles was interesting.
Chris, catching you sounds difficult, excuse pun, I’ve been learning spey fly tying and have spoke to your staff with crazy questions they have vent over backwards to help me Jason I can’t seem to drive him crazy, their all great thanks for great customer service