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Posted By: RSY Are any rods USA-Made??? - 03/09/04
From what I've seen, the answer is "NO."

If there's one out there, what is it?

RSY
Posted By: Calvin Re: Are any rods USA-Made??? - 03/09/04
G Loomis rods are completely manufactured in Woodland, Washington. They are the best rods on the market with a good warranty.
Posted By: Big C Re: Are any rods USA-Made??? - 03/21/04
RSY, I don't know where you are located in central Texas, but there are two excellent rod companies in the Houston area. www.allstarrods.com and www.americanrodsmiths.com . Both make high quality fishing rods in a variety of models and at affordable prices. Check them out. C
Posted By: MtnHtr Re: Are any rods USA-Made??? - 03/22/04
Lamiglas rods used to be built in Woodland, WA but their website no longer states this. I sent them an E mail to find out if their labor went south, will post when they reply.

MtnHtr
Posted By: jackfish Re: Are any rods USA-Made??? - 03/22/04
St. Croix Rod, assembled in Park Falls, Wisconsin. However, I'm not really sure if the blanks and other parts are made in the US.

http://www.stcroixrods.com/default.asp
I have been in both stores Lamiglas and G Loomis they are both in Woodland Washington. In fact one is on one side of I-5 and the other is on the other side almost straight across from each other. Next time I�m up that way I will stop in and find out.
Take a look at Falconrods.com - made right here in Broken Arrow Oklahoma.
Posted By: kutenay Re: Are any rods USA-Made??? - 03/24/04
What about Winston?
I fish with All Star rods. They say they are made in the USA. There is also a rod company in San Angelo, Texas but I can not remember their name at the moment. Try an All Star rod, they are hard to beat for the $100.-$150. price range.
Posted By: Oklahoma Re: Are any rods USA-Made??? - 03/27/04
All Star also has great customer service. I had 2 that broke and I was in the Houston area so I just stopped by their shop. they replace 1 with no questions asked, but the other was a discontinued model that cost me $125.00 several years ago, they upgraded me to their Titanium model(list price of $299.00) for $50.00 plus my broken rod.
Posted By: JB in SC Re: Are any rods USA-Made??? - 03/27/04
Sage fly rods (and reels) are made in the USA.
Posted By: 257Bob Re: Are any rods USA-Made??? - 03/29/04
check out star rods also
Posted By: 280ACKIMP Re: Are any rods USA-Made??? - 03/29/04
Scott Fly Rods Telluride, Colorado.
Very good customer service. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />
http://www.scottflyrod.com
Posted By: MtnHtr Re: Are any rods USA-Made??? - 04/17/04
Quote
I sent them an E mail to find out if their labor went south, will post when they reply.

MtnHtr



Lamiglas stated that 90% of their rods are made in the U.S.

MtnHtr
Posted By: VAnimrod Re: Are any rods USA-Made??? - 04/22/04
Orvis - if you can afford them (yeah, they are made in the U.S.A., right in downtown Manchester, VT - you can even go in the shop and watch them do it).

Same goes for a much more affordable brand - DiamondBack.
I have a G. Loomis FR1086 fly rod(9' 6 Weight GLX) that is clearly marked "Made in Canada". Do you think its a phony? <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" />
Posted By: sgt217 Re: Are any rods USA-Made??? - 06/14/06
St Croix...Park Falls...You can watch them make them....
Posted By: Saskabush Re: Are any rods USA-Made??? - 06/14/06
I have 2 G-Loomis spinning rods clearly marked "Made in Canada" and "Fabrique du Canada".

Are these only for the Canadian market?
Posted By: biglmbass Re: Are any rods USA-Made??? - 06/14/06
Falcon rods are 100% USA made and I think Kistler, and Castaway are as well. Of course some of their top end components are made in Japan.
Posted By: Lee24 Re: Are any rods USA-Made??? - 06/16/06
Star Rods are made in NC. Really nice stuff. Not cheap, but like top Loomis at half the price.

I have an All-Star rod that is made in the USA.
It is a graphite-through-handle surf rod, 9 feet, $59.00 and wow!
Posted By: Powerguy Re: Are any rods USA-Made??? - 07/16/06
Quote
Star Rods are made in NC. Really nice stuff. Not cheap, but like top Loomis at half the price.

I have an All-Star rod that is made in the USA.
It is a graphite-through-handle surf rod, 9 feet, $59.00 and wow!



gotta disagree with ya here lee

I run St. Croix, Allstar, and G. Loomis and nuttin handles like the Loomis.

The other 2 brands are very good but they ain't Loomis
Posted By: Lee24 Re: Are any rods USA-Made??? - 07/16/06
Loomis has multiple grades of rods, and makes blanks for other rod makers. Some premium brand rods actually have their rod blanks or the entire rods made on contract by Shakespeare, who invented many of the processes for winding glass and carbon fiber tubes and tapered tubes. Personally, I find most of the Loomis rods too sensitive, fast and stiff for my kind of fishing, where I may hook anything from 2 lbs to 100 lbs. I like them for lures and especially plastics with a lot of line out, but not for live bait, especially free-lining, because the fish can feel me just as well as I can feel him. I fish with St Croix and Loomis for some things, such as a light fly rod and flipping rods.

Just saying that "Loomis is better" is too general to be true.
Posted By: sgt217 Re: Are any rods USA-Made??? - 07/16/06
Powerguy
Don't argue with Lee24, he is always right, just ask him....
"I find Loomis rods too sensitive,fast and stiff..."
Sounds too general to be true....

(I have never had my rod too stiff)
Posted By: Lee24 Re: Are any rods USA-Made??? - 07/17/06
Did you every notice the wide variety of rods in the tackle store?
That's because there is no one rod size, weight, speed, or material that is best for all fishing.

If you like Loomis, great. When I bought my 9 foot surf rod, I tried out Loomis, St Croix, Star, Penn, and I already owned 3 surf rods. For my use, I liked the Penn and All-Star by far, and the most expensive Loomis would not make me any happier than my $59.00 choice. Your mileage may vary.

Another heresy: when fishing for yellowfin or big stripers on a fly, I don't play with my expensive rod. I use a 9-wt Ugly Stik and a 10-wt large arbor reel. When my friend's $380 Loomis blew up on a monster permit two years ago, they did replace it for free.
Posted By: Powerguy Re: Are any rods USA-Made??? - 07/18/06
[quote Personally, I find most of the Loomis rods too sensitive, fast and stiff for my kind of fishing, where I may hook anything from 2 lbs to 100 lbs. I like them for lures and especially plastics with a lot of line out, but not for live bait, especially free-lining, because the fish can feel me just as well as I can feel him. [/quote]



It's terrible to walleye fish with a sensitive rod isn't it. I too want to give the walleye a chance I'll be usin a 2 by 4 next time with 80 dacron to lessen the sensitivity <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/help.gif" alt="" />
Posted By: Lee24 Re: Are any rods USA-Made??? - 07/18/06
Different uses, personal taste, and marketing hype are the main thing behind all those varieties of rods, even 100 from each manufacturer.

Some fish you need to feel for a fast hook set. Some fish you have to set the hook on sight, before even feeling it. Other fish run off with the bait, then stop to swallow it, and you have to lay off until they stop and swallow it. Others are best left to hook themselves on a circle hook on a softer rod.
I have no intentions of making anybody mad by disagreeing, but some of y'alls information is outdated.

First, to answer the question, there are quite a few rods still made here. You have to define "made" though. Some may just be assembled here.

Falcon, St. Croix, and some small makers are located here.

All Star's were formerly made in Houston. I believe they have all transitioned to overseas now. They were in the process when they were an independent manufacturer. Shakespeare bought them and I think, has completed the move.

G. Loomis' were made here. Shimano bought them about ten years ago. I am not sure where they're made, but they no longer state that they are made in the USA on the blank. IMO, if it don't say prominently that it is made here, it ain't. Being made here is still too big a selling point to leave it off.

Quantum surprisingly, used to make a lot of rods here. They are all made elsewhere now.

Green Country is gone.

Fenwick moved their production overseas long ago.

American Rodsmiths aren't made here.

Castaway formerly made their rods here but transitioned most of them a couple of years ago. If they make any here now it has to be just a few.

Kistlers were made here. You can't find any evidence of them being made in the USA anymore. One of the sites I frequent has Kistler for a sponsor. Trey Kistler's father was integral in several other rod companies (All Star, G. Loomis, Castaway) and was a true pioneer in the industry. Unfortunately evidently Trey feels that one has to manufacture overseas in order to make any money. He used to post on the site I mentioned and is very guarded about where componenents and blanks are made. I seriously doubt they are even wrapped here anymore and I think the blanks have come from Korea for awhile now. They are still cutting-edge technologically, but cut corners with components.

Sorry for the bad news.

The good news is that Falcons and Croix are excellent rods.
Posted By: JB in SC Re: Are any rods USA-Made??? - 08/13/06
Thomas and Thomas are still manufactured in the US. All my Loomis rods are US made, but they're over ten years old. Winston still makes some rods here. I'm sure that Orvis still makes some of their rods in Vermont.
Posted By: reelman Re: Are any rods USA-Made??? - 08/13/06
Ethan, What bad news? Rods made over-seas are some of the best values out there. You can get the same quality rod made over-seas for a fraction of the price of one made in the USA.
Posted By: Lee24 Re: Are any rods USA-Made??? - 08/13/06
Anytime we let technology and jobs of ours go overseas, management has failed its workers and stockholders.
Posted By: Big Stick Re: Are any rods USA-Made??? - 08/14/06
Rogue is made here.......................
Posted By: Okanagan Re: Are any rods USA-Made??? - 08/14/06
Rainshadow blanks are made in the US. I've been in the factory.
If I remember right, on the other forum I spoke of, Trey Kistler kept gettin' nailed because his blanks were Rogues, although he liked to imply they made them themselves. I'm pretty sure Kistlers are now made with overseas blanks. A year ago I would've said Kistler made the most cutting-edge and very possibly best rod going, but not today.
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