Brian Chan: Daiichi Pro Staff
Brian Chan
It’s safe to say I was hooked on fishing at a very young age. Regular weekend and holiday fishing trips with my dad are still very fond memories. My passion for fishing led to an educational path that would allow me to work with fish. A Fish, Wildlife & Recreation technical diploma and a BSc in freshwater ecology set me up for a 30 year career in managing recreational fisheries for the province of BC. It truly was the best job in the world!
My growing interest in fly fishing lakes led to a secondary career that started with writing magazine articles and making presentations to fly fishing clubs to teaching weekend seminars. I have written for such magazines as Fly Fisherman, Fly Rod & Reel, Fly Fusion and Fly Fishing & Tying Journal. I have also authored or co-authored several books on fly fishing and fly tying and produced several instructional videos. For the past 25 years I have made many appearances on TV fishing shows including BC Outdoors Sportfishing, Sport Fishing on the Fly, West Coast Sporting Journal and The New Fly Fisher. During the past 7 years I have built up a stillwater guiding business which has been well received by both new and long time fly fishers who want to learn how to fish stillwaters.
I have been tying flies since 11 years of age. My fascination with aquatic entomology has certainly played a role in the flies that I have developed for fishing stillwaters. In 2014 I was award a lifetime achievement award by Fly Tyer Magazine. More recently, I have partnered with long time fishing friend Phil Rowley in developing a line of stillwater fly patterns that we sell on our E store www.stillwaterflyfishingstore.com. Phil and I recently completed the first of a two set instructional DVD series titled Conquering Chironomids And yes, my favourite way to fly fish lakes is with strike indicators. There is just something about watching that indicator go down regardless of the size of the fish.
My favourite fishing haunts are the many trout lakes surrounding my home city of Kamloops but I also make regular forays to lakes in other regions of the province. I also enjoy wading rivers for trout and steelhead and have recently been learning and enjoying double hand rods. Through my angling career I have had the opportunity to visit some great tropical saltwater fly fishing destinations as well as some incredible fisheries in Canada’s northern territories. These are always special trips that offer lasting memories. I have been fortunate in developing professional affiliations within the fly fishing and boating industries. These including Sage, RIO, Islander Reels, Montana Fly Company, Outcast Sporting Gear and Yamaha and Daiichi hooks. After 40 years of fly fishing I still enjoy each and every day on the water. There is not a day when I do not learn something and that is what keeps me coming back for more.
Why Daiichi? What impressed me the most about Daiichi is the diversity of hook designs and the quality of the manufacturing process. These hooks will allow me to create more innovative lake patterns to help satisfy my passion and that of fellow anglers.
