Our Story 

Get to know our staff

Store locations

Kaufmann’s Streamborn, Inc. had its humble beginnings in 1969.  Two brothers, Lance & Randall Kaufmann, began a mail order fly fishing business in their parent’s garage in Tigard, Oregon. Randall tied flies, and Lance ordered merchandise, dyed feathers, and filled the orders.

After the Kaufmann brothers outgrew the garage, they set up shop in an old house where rock music played upstairs, bird skins dried in the bathroom, feathers were dyed in the kitchen sink, and flies were tied in the dining room. Retail sales were conducted in the living room. The business soon expanded to include stores in Tigard, Oregon, and in Bellevue and Seattle, Washington. In 1979 Kaufmann’s Fly Fishing Expeditions, Inc. was launched to operate fishing schools on Oregon’s Deschutes River and to provide trips to exceptional freshwater and saltwater fly fishing destinations throughout the world. 

Today, Kaufmann’s Streamborn traditions, level of expertise, and service are maintained by Lance Kaufmann. His dedication to customer service and his commitment to have what you want in stock is what sets Kaufmann’s apart from the competition. Our staff includes two of the people that have been with the company from its infancy: Jerry Swanson and Randy Stetzer. Jerry has traveled the world extensively, finding some of the best fishing this planet has to offer our clients. Randy is the author of a national best selling book (Flies; The Best One Thousand).  Over the years Lance, Jerry, and Randy have made Kaufmann’s Streamborn a premier specialty retailer of fly fishing gear and travel.

Our brands are among the best known and most respected in the industry.  We pride ourselves in stocking everything we advertise for immediate shipment around the world.  You can find Lance, Jerry, and Randy daily in our Tigard Store to answer your questions.

Kaufmann’s Streamborn, Inc. is a family owned and operated business.