Fishing line made in USA

FishinBuck07 · April 17, 2020, 08:16:03 AM

I am not trying to stir anything up at all, just been thinking lately after all that has been going on that I would like to try to stick with American made products as much as possible from here on out. Each night I have been sitting down looking on the web to see what companies I can find that are manufacturing their products here in our great country. The only thing I am seeming to have problems with are reels and line. I highly doubt there are reels made here for the most part, but there has got to be other companies other then Stren that make their line here. I guess what I am asking is do any of you have companies you know and trust for line that is made in our great country? Thanks in advance!!

Pferox · April 17, 2020, 09:56:16 AM

Many higher end Penn Reels used to be American Made, but I'm not sure anymore.

As to line, I haven't a clue to an American made line company. Most of the better lines come from Japanese mills.

fishballer06 · April 17, 2020, 10:14:30 AM

I believe Stren is still made in the USA, however, they're probably one of the biggest line companies that I do not trust at all. Line is something that I have to have full confidence in how its going to perform, so where its made is the last thing I'd ever care about.

Smallie_Stalker · April 17, 2020, 10:35:29 AM

While I like to try and buy "made in America " as much as possible I have to agree with Fishballer about Stren lime.

I have tried just about every one of their lines over a lot of years and they have given me nothing but problems. I have zero confidence in them.

Another thing to take into account is "made in America" doesn't necessarily guarantee you are getting an "all" American product.

Some American companies buy their parts or materials from other countries and assemble here. Others use Americam made base materials then send them to other countries for assembly.

This came up about Lew's when they first came back big. They touted the made in America theme then it was revealed their rods were being assembled overseas.

These days it's pretty tough to get a product of most any kind that is 100% American.

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TNDiver · April 17, 2020, 10:43:48 AM

Smallie brings up a good point. I have noticed this same thing with dog food/treat products. You really have to do your homework. It is the same with the "Made with Real Wood" and Organic labels.

Lipripper · April 17, 2020, 10:47:20 AM

Like Smallie said a lot of companies get the parts for somewhere else and say made in America because they put the parts together here. Like has been said it might be hard to find a good line or reel that is made in America. I too try to buy American made things but sometime we don't have a choice.

FishinBuck07 · April 17, 2020, 11:04:26 AM

Yes I am figuring this out now that I have really looked at things here lately, I guess maybe I will just focus on baits made in the USA and rods made here the next time I need one, which is awhile I hope. Was just wondering if any of you guys knew of some company that I did not. Thanks for the responses!!! It is sad that there is so little made in this country for the fishing market. I can use Cortland line out of NY for braid, but wasn't seeing much in the way of mono or flouro made here, worth a shot to ask others. There are plenty of baits made in the USA though so i guess that is where the majority of my money is spent in a given year, so I will focus on those companies when buying baits.

loomisguy · April 17, 2020, 11:23:49 AM

I'm waiting to try a new rod that will be made and distributed here in the Ozarks.
I'm not sure of the guides and reel seat until get more info but they will be rolled and assembled here .
I hope to have one to try in a couple weeks.

topdsm0138 · April 17, 2020, 07:43:52 PM

Anyone else remember when Zebco/Quantum was made here in USA (OK) by Brunswick before they sold out to WC Bradley in 2001? I think a majority of us here learned on a Zebco brand at one point in our lives. I remeber my grandfather telling me what ZEBCO stood for, Zero hour Bomb CO, as they used to make mining charges/bombs before reels.

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FlatsNBay · April 25, 2020, 06:51:54 PM

TufLine braid is still made in the US. It's what I use and really like it. My only complaint is that I wish the green was darker in color.

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OkobojiEagle · April 26, 2020, 09:32:40 AM

Berkley Trilene & Fireline; SpiderWire; Stren... lots of choices in those brands made in a little town in NW Iowa

Smallie_Stalker · April 26, 2020, 12:38:45 PM

Quote from: OkobojiEagle on April 26, 2020, 09:32:40 AM
Berkley Trilene & Fireline; SpiderWire; Stren... lots of choices in those brands made in a little town in NW Iowa

Unfortunately this is no longer 100% true. Some of the components of these lines are sourced from other countries including China.

All of these brands fall under the parent company of Pure Fishing and I am part of the Pure Fishing Select Angler Program. As a result I am in semi-regular contact with Pure Fishing and I receive all company emails related to sales, product changes etc.

In a move of retaliation to the tariffs imposed on them China raised the cost of these source materials by 5 % and we were advised to make customers aware that ALL products would show a 5% price increase shortly.

In the case of the various lines all of the Dyneema used to make the braids and the fused Fireline all come from China. Some of the nylon and related materials for making mono also come from China.

I have included 2 pics from some Trilene Sensation line I recently got directly from Berkley. On the package you can see it says it is made from a combination of domestic and imported components. Those imported components come from China.

The problem with the term made in America these days is the word "made" that is the source of confusion. It is being used to substitute for assembled in some cases, and in other cases it is being assembled in other countries from materials that are American made. And the worse situation of all is an American company that has their products assembled in a foreign country from components made from foreign countries and then shipped back here. Because the company is based in America they will toat their products as American products.

The sad fact is that almost nothing is truly 100% American made anymore.

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nats · April 26, 2020, 03:30:08 PM

Bud, what is the practical difference between the fused 4 carrier and the newer 8 carrier?

Smallie_Stalker · April 26, 2020, 03:38:19 PM

Quote from: nats on April 26, 2020, 03:30:08 PM
Bud, what is the practical difference between the fused 4 carrier and the newer 8 carrier?

I honestly have no idea since I haven't got my hands on any of the new 8 carrier stuff yet.

I'll shoot off an email and see what I can find out. Not everyone at Berkley is available due to this dang virus and general inquiries like this are getting pushed to the back of the line.

When I hear something back I'll let you know.

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FishinBuck07 · April 26, 2020, 04:23:43 PM

Thanks for taking the time to give me the explanation on the Berkley line. Sad that we can't make something fully in the USA! Sorry just with all this virus, it has opened my eyes a little with supporting companies in this great country with my money now! So am trying to figure out where I can buy tackle and baits that are made here!

Smallie_Stalker · April 26, 2020, 04:30:55 PM

Quote from: FishinBuck07 on April 26, 2020, 04:23:43 PM
Thanks for taking the time to give me the explanation on the Berkley line. Sad that we can't make something fully in the USA! Sorry just with all this virus, it has opened my eyes a little with supporting companies in this great country with my money now! So am trying to figure out where I can buy tackle and baits that are made here!

I hear ya brother. I'd like to keep as much of my money in America as possible.

apenland01 · April 26, 2020, 10:46:19 PM

The trade off here is whether the stuff made in America has quality that is as good or better than what is being made in other countries. I'm all about supporting American manufacturing, but only if the product is good. I'm willing to pay more for American made, but not if the quality isn't on par with what I can get elsewhere. I'm not buying garbage just because it's made in America....

hubcap91 · April 27, 2020, 10:00:45 AM

I have had no problems at all with Stren Mono. I have no experience with their braid or fluoro though. I use mostly PowerPro and P-Line fluoro. I picked up some of Stren's Crappie Mono and let me tell you that stuff is fantastic. I've had such good luck with it crappie fishing that I'm considering getting some of the 10# and trying it out on some of my lighter bass rigs.

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nats · April 27, 2020, 12:25:40 PM

I'm not suprised on the stren mono, over 25 years ago I caught a 40 pound striper from the plum island surf with 12 lbs. stren mono. Obviously the penn 750 ss drag had a lot to do with it but the line held up.

nats · April 27, 2020, 02:50:13 PM

Quote from: nats on April 27, 2020, 12:25:40 PM
I'm not suprised on the stren mono, over 25 years ago I caught a 40 pound striper from the plum island surf with 12 lbs. stren mono. Obviously the penn 750 ss drag had a lot to do with it but the line held up.

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Smallie_Stalker · April 27, 2020, 02:59:14 PM

Well no wonder you caught that huge striper. Look at the size of that hook you were using!

merc1997 · April 27, 2020, 03:12:54 PM

kinda off topic, but not too, but there is not one piece of silicone skirt material made here in the U.S.A.. sad, but true. if it is not an eagle claw hook, then it came from offshore also.

so, with that said, NuTech Elite Series of course have an eagle claw hook, and our other models have either an owner or mustad hook. our casting and painting, packing materials, and packaging are all done here.

if it were possible to buy silicone that is actually made here, i would. there are three main skirt companies here, but all their manufacturing facilities are off shore. so, when we did buy from one of these companies, we were just basically going through a middle man. now, we buy direct from a manufacture. just one of those things that i might not like, but when it is all made off shore, one has to buy there.

bo

Jared LeBlue · April 27, 2020, 03:29:53 PM

Unfortunately there are no ( fresh water )reel manufactures in the US. Penn may still be here in the US but they only make a couple of saltwater reels here and the rest of their stuff is made over seas. There are a few other companies in the US but they are limited to fly reels and saltwater reels. Most of the fishing reel manufactures are in China, Malaysia, Japan, Korea, and some in the Uk. KastKing, Stren, and Vicious fishing lines are made in the USA.

nats · April 27, 2020, 04:09:51 PM

Quote from: Smallie_Stalker on April 27, 2020, 02:59:14 PM
Well no wonder you caught that huge striper. Look at the size of that hook you were using!

. Jim, have you been to plum island? That pic is from surf land

Smallie_Stalker · April 27, 2020, 04:51:55 PM

Quote from: nats on April 27, 2020, 04:09:51 PM
. Jim, have you been to plum island? That pic is from surf land

I have only been there one time when I was a kid. I don't remember much about it other than my father and uncle went there for a fishing trip and took me along. I don't even remember if anyone caught anything. Since I don't remember ever have a bad time fishing with my dad I'm sure it was a lot of fun though.