Gary Loomis founded G. Loomis in Woodland, Southwest Washington State, in 1982. Loomis was a machinist who had a passion for fishing. Dissatisfied with the rods available then, he customized his fly fishing rod to work with a conventional casting reel. Loomis realized his true calling when another angler offered him $200 for his $35 innovation.
The G. Loomis company originally manufactured rod blanks to resell to both custom rod builders and private-label rod banks that wanted to sell the rods under their own brand name. In 1997, G. Loomis became a subsidiary of the Shimano American Corporation, which began to create brands for fishing lines, reels, rods, and apparel.
The G. Loomis company has become well known for manufacturing a variety of fishing rods that could provide anglers from all over the world with the best fishing tools on the market. But are they still made in the USA? We did the research to find out. Our verdict is below.
Verdict: Are G. Loomis Fishing Rods Made in the USA?
Yes, but only some G. Loomis fishing rods are still made in the USA. The company sources some parts for select rods from overseas and does some production in Shimano factories around the world.
It is encouraging to hear that G. Loomis still maintains their factory in Woodland, Washington, and is committed to making high-quality fishing rods there. However, you certainly can’t overlook that they source some parts from component manufacturers in other countries. For example, G. Loomis uses guides from FUJI Fishing Rod Components, a company based in the United Kingdom.
We also can’t overlook the fact that G. Loomis is owned by Shimano, a Japanese company. However, they are supporting American workers in their Woodland factory, which we appreciate.
G. Loomis is also pretty transparent on its website about which rods are made in the USA. If you look at any of its product pages, you’ll see “Handcrafted in Woodland, Washington” under the “Key Features” area. Note that, as I mentioned before, they cannot say “made in the USA” since they source some components from overseas.
Here are some of the most popular G. Loomis rods and where they are made.
Popular American Made G. Loomis Rods
- E6X Jig & Worm Casting and Spinning Rods series*
- GLX Mag Bass and Spin Jig rods*
- NRX+ series rods*
- IMX-Pro series rods*
- Classic rods like the CrossCurrent PRO-1*
*Some materials sourced internationally
Popular G. Loomis Rods Not Made in the USA
- Conquest rods – these are rolled in Kumamoto, Japan
- Asquith series rods – these are rolled in Kumamoto, Japan
