American made

[Barry Watson]

I have been having a discussion with my pard about what rods and reels are 100 % parts and labor MADE In AMERICA.

He claims Loomis, but I had heard they were going overseas as well. So now my curiosity is aroused. Gosh, I can't think of any reels. Any facts, anyone?

[Blue_R70]

Loomis is owned by the Japanese (the Shimano Corp.) and they've also been using Fuji components such as reel seats and guides for a quite a while now. Most rods, even the ones made here will have Fuji components and Portuguese cork in them.

As for American made reels, I think Accurate, Newell, Pro Gear, Tiburon and Avet are still made in the USA with mostly American parts + materials. Penn's higher end reels are still made here but their lower tier stuff is all overseas manufactured.

[drew]

I believe Ardent reels are made in the USA.

http://www.ardentoutdoors.com/

[mvanguilder]

St. Croix rods are made here in the USA. They also have reels now. They are based in Park Falls, Wisconsin. www.stcroixrods.com
Check them out, lifetime warranty, $30 to replace a broken rod - no questions asked. Anymore questions let me know. St. Croix pro staff Mike Van Guilder Jr. or email me at mike@fishwrangler.net, www.fishwrangler.net

[Smile_n_Jax]

Nowadays it's hard to find any products made entirely in the USA. Manufacturer's are taking advantage of cheap labor in foreign countries to stay competitive. I'm not really crazy about it, but it's a fact of economics. Without outsourcing goods in this country would be more expensive. And, unfortunately, wages in this country are not keeping up with inflation. Even the Japanese are forced to outsource because labor in their country has gotten too high. It's very rare to find a product that is actually made in Japan.

I admire companies like St. Croix who can keep their products home made and still be competitive. It's too bad others can't do the same. But, then again, there's the factor of the almighty dollar, which I'm sure motivates many companies.

In the meantime I'll keep buying products labeled "made in China" or elsewhere and just hope the parent company keeps a close watch on quality control.

[eagle123777]

didnt know that bout st.croix...but now that i know will have to get more then 14 i have now....way to go...st.croix....jack

[Blue_R70]

St. Croix' lower end rod line is actually made overseas...

[eagle123777]

well thats fine...but dont know many anglers here on this site..buyin lower end of any brand...almost like lookin at the south side of north bound mule....jack

[Barry Watson]

thanks for the info. guys. I now recall fishing the first Huddleston Trout some years ago on a St.Croix swim bait rod. I think thats what it was anyway. Think my pard got it at Walton's.

[Norv]

ESOX Rods are built in Richmond, Indiana using components purchased from American companies. Each rod is inspected by a member of the corporate team to ensure the highest quality prior to being offered for sale. Their blanks are manufactured to their specifications by companies in Indiana and California. They have just introduced a carbon fiber series of rods that are ultra sensitive.

The company offers a pro staff program that provides rods and reels at a discount as well as monetary incentives.

Please check out their rods and pro staff program at https://www.esoxfishingrods.com.

[mark poulson]

I think Falcon Rods are made in the U.S.A. They're out of Broken Bow, Oklahoma.
Their Low Rider series is a great line, and all of their rods are a great bargain.

[mark poulson]

Or maybe it's Broken Arrow.

[Phil]

NORVAL,
WHERE DO YOUR GUIDES COME FROM ???
WHERE DOES YOUR CORK COME FROM ??
WHERE DO YOUR REEL SEATS COME FROM ?

I THINK AMERICAN RODS ARE MADE IN AMERICA ???

JIGS

[Smile_n_Jax]

Oh, give it a break, Jigs. I can't recall ever hearing of cork trees growing in the US.

On the other hand, in another thread, you were touting Dobyn's Rods, which last I heard, are made in China.

[mac (Doyle McEwen)]

Jax, believe it or not there are several cork oaks growning on Moffett Field near the old base headquarters..I don't believe they were ever used for getting cork though..

mac

[BassManDan]

Setyr Rods, they're an Oregon based company that started off with fly/salmon and steelhead rods, but they have a line of bass rods which are supposedly halfway decent, but thats just hearsay.

Quarrow rods I think, are also american made, (Midwest?)

America is dandy and all, but so are Daiwa Rods and Shimano Reels!

[Phil]

YOU GUYS DON'T REALIZE, NORVAL IS A PERSONAL FRIEND OF MIMNE, NORVAL, I WAS JUST FUNNIN WITH YA.....YOU HAVE A GREAT ROD .. THE HONEST FACT HERE IS.........WE PROMOTE DOBYNS RODS, BECAUSE !
1..BECAUSE THEY ARE A GOOD ROD
2. BECAUSE WE ARE ON THE PROSTAFF FOR MOTHERLODE
3. WE GOT A DEAL ON THE 3 RODS THAT WE HAVE
4. I HAVE BUILT RODS FOR YEARS BACK IN THE 70'S THRU UNTIL 1992 AND USED ALL LAMIGLASS (I LIKE THE BLANK) !

WHAT DO WE SELL IN OUR STORE ?
BASS PRO EXTREME & CRANKIN STICKS
OKUMA SWIM BAIT RODS

THATS ALL FOLKS
JIGS

[drew]

What benefits are you looking for in equipment made in the US other then trying to be patriotic? Engineered or designed in the US and manufactured in Asia might be a good compromise. Also when we say made in America it could mean Canada or Mexico they're just as American as us who live in the states. BTW Nike makes a pretty good shoe and their made in Korea.

The quality of products made in Asian countries is not necessarily inferior to products made in the US. We currently have incredible technology here in the states, but we don't have the manual labor work force. There are not enough skilled craftsmen in this country to meet the demands for products that require manual assembling. The only other solution would be machine assembled equipment which in some cases might not be as good.

I guess it’s obvious that we are importing far too much and not exporting enough. We are becoming very reliant on foreign goods. Sooner or later we will have to become self reliant again.

[Smile_n_Jax]

Sorry Jigs, but I thought you were being serious which sounded hypocritical to me.

I also know Norval. In fact, I'm joining River City Bassmasters, the club he founded.

Hey, maybe next time a couple smilies would help.

[Phil]

FISHING THE TRITON BOAT OWNERS TOURNAMENT OCT WITH NORVAL, I'LL TELL HIM YOU SAID HAY..

THANKS

JIGS