Ever wonder how fishing rods are made? Tim Romano and I recently got a VIP tour of the G.Loomis factory in Woodland, Washington, where we were shown the A-to-Z of how some of the best rods in the world get made. Some processes are amazingly high-tech, while others still very much old school. --Kirk Deeter The G.Loomis plant is one of only a handful of large-scale fishing rod manufacturing facilities still operating in the United States. Every one of the thousands of rods (in over 500 different casting, spinning, and fly fishing models) cranked out by G.Loomis every year is still built by hand. There's a tangible family atmosphere within the plant; there around 100 people are on the G.Loomis staff now, and they each average more than 12 years of experience with the company. G.Loomis has built its reputation on leading edge rod design, and (like Sage, and a few others) is located within the state of Washington, in close proximity to Boeing and other aerospace companies. The graphite and resins used to build space-age aircraft (literally) are also perfectly suited for producing fishing rods. As in aerospace, the goal is to find optimum strength and tolerances to withstand pressures, while at the same time, producing products that are as light as possible. In a plane, that translates to efficiency. For the angler, that translates to casting power, as well as increased feel and sensitivity.

Tim Romano & Kirk Deeter