Fishing rods have come a long way since the old days when you’d head out to the water with little more than a bamboo pole and the hopes of catching a trophy fish. New materials and technology have revolutionized rod making, and there are more rods than ever before to choose from.
But, with all these new technologies and new rod brands on the market, choosing a fishing rod may be more challenging than ever before. Today, we’re going to take a closer look at the best fishing rod brands on the market and what the brands are best known for so you can select the perfect fishing rod for your next trip.
Top 12 Fishing Rod Brands Today
From century-old brands like Shakespeare and Penn to Japanese powerhouses like Shimano and Daiwa and everything in between, plenty of excellent rod manufacturers are on the market. Without further adieu, let’s look at 12 of the best brands.
Shakespeare
If you’re a newbie to the world of fishing, the first name you’ll want to familiarize yourself with is Shakespeare. It has been the go-to company for novice anglers for over a century. That’s not surprising since they produce excellent rods and equipment that will make you fall in love with fishing.
The company was founded in 1896 by William Shakespeare Jr. It began producing innovative baitcasting reels and quickly became a full-line tackle retailer with rods, reels, and accessories.
Today, Shakespeare is best known for its UglyStik brand, making incredibly durable rods at affordable prices. Shakespeare primarily has combos that include a rod and reel, but you can also purchase rods separately.
While their gear is primarily marketed toward freshwater anglers, several of the UglyStik rods and combos are ideally suited to saltwater angling. Shakespeare manufactures mostly spinning rods, but they do have a few casting models.
PENN
Penn is a legendary fishing brand that dates back nearly 100 years. Founder Otto Henze started the Penn Reel Company in 1932, and while the focus was on producing reels, Penn began producing a full line of rods and tackle.
While their reels are why anglers know the Penn brand, they also quietly produce an excellent assortment of rods that are affordable and built to stand up to tons of abuse. All Penn’s rods are made overseas. That helps keep costs down without quality being compromised.
Penn’s assortment includes mostly spinning rods, with many longer rods available to meet the needs of surf anglers. There are a few conventional and casting rods in their mix.
If you’re a seasoned angler looking for the best rod you can find, Penn might not be for you.
If you’re a beginner or a more experienced angler searching for a quality rod that will provide many years of reliable use, check out what Penn has.
G. Loomis
Since 1982, G. Loomis has been one of the leading fishing rod manufacturers, and their rods can be found in the hands of serious anglers worldwide. The brand is a constant innovator in the field, and while many of their innovations first appeared silly, they’ve become commonplace among all the top rod manufacturers now.
G. Loomis has a complete line of casting, spinning, and fly rods, and each rod is exceptionally advanced. All these innovations come at a cost, and G. Loomis rods are all fairly pricey, so they aren’t very popular with beginner and novice anglers.
Most of their line is tailored toward freshwater anglers, and there are many techniques and species-specific rods for things like steelhead, trout, and walleye. The brand also offers a few rods for saltwater anglers and many fly options for salt and freshwater fishing.
Daiwa
Since 1958, Daiwa’s reputation for excellence and pushing the envelope has been well-established. While the brand started producing reels, it quickly became a full-line tackle retailer, manufacturing rods, reels, lures, and accessories across virtually every price point.
While some brands target beginners and others market their products to competitive anglers who spare no expense for their gear, Daiwa manages to have something for everyone. The brand provides rods and combos among the most affordable in the industry, alongside rods that cost upwards of $500.
Whether you’re a salt or freshwater angler, a beginner, or a seasoned vet, you’ll find an excellent rod well suited to how you fish from Daiwa.
St. Croix
One of the most prolific names in the fishing rod industry, St. Croix has been producing some of the best rods since 1948, when brothers Bob and Bill Johnson developed the first-ever 2-section bamboo fishing rod. Always remaining on the cutting edge, St. Croix produces some of the most innovative and advanced rods on the market.
St. Croix offers spinning and casting rods for saltwater and freshwater anglers and rods for fly and ice fishing. Their rods are perennial award winners at iCast, and they’re among the most intelligent manufacturers in the industry.
St. Croix rods are mostly for seasoned anglers searching for a rod that will reliably catch trophy fish. The brand has several more inexpensive rods, which they manufacture in their Fresnillo, Mexico facility. Still, they’re best known for their American-made custom rods, which serious anglers flock towards each year.
Shimano
Arguably the most important name in fishing, Shimano is still best known for its innovative work as a bicycle gear manufacturer. Shimano spun off its tackle division in 1970 and quickly went to work manufacturing spinning, conventional, and baitcasting reels.
With the success of their reel division, Shimano began producing rods, tackle, and accessories for freshwater and saltwater anglers. Today, they manufacture a full line of spinning, casting, and trolling rods.
While Shimano is one of the higher-end equipment manufacturers in the fishing world, their rods run the gamut from reasonably inexpensive to top-of-the-line. Shimano’s less expensive rods are manufactured in China or Malaysia, while Shimano’s flagship facility in Japan manufactures their high-end models.
Orvis
The Orvis Company has been a powerhouse in the fly fishing world since 1856, when founder Charles Orvis began his outfitting business, producing flies and fly fishing rods and reels. Today, Orvis remains one of the country’s largest and most popular fly fishing retailers.
Orvis keeps the tradition of fly rod manufacturing alive, and holding an Orvis rod feels like holding hundreds of years of fishing history in your hands. As you’d imagine, this level of craftsmanship comes at a high cost. While Orvis manufactures a few rods that are relatively inexpensive, most of their outfits cost upwards of $500.
Dobyns
When professional angler Gary Dobyns was fishing in tournaments, he was unsatisfied with most of the equipment available at the time. So Gary did what any enterprising angler would do, and he began producing custom rods for himself.
Today, Dobyns manufactures six different rod lines ranging from the affordable Colt line to their exclusive XTASY range. Freshwater anglers searching for the best rods on the market will appreciate what Dobyn’s has. The brand also features several rods that are excellent choices for novice anglers ready to drop some money on quality equipment.
Lamiglas
As fiberglass replaced bamboo as the most popular material for rod building, Lamiglas was at the forefront of this new technology. Their work in fiberglass rod manufacturing set the groundwork for many of the brands that followed. Today, Lamiglas continues to innovate with spinning and casting rods for freshwater, saltwater, and surf anglers.
Lamiglas maintains a comprehensive product line that spans from inexpensive to top-of-the-line. The brand offers rod blanks if you’re interested in building yourself a custom rod.
Okuma
Since 1986, Okuma has made top-quality equipment for discerning anglers who need high quality at a modest price. They’re well-known for their reels, but they also produce an excellent selection of rods.
Okuma offers spinning and casting rods for freshwater and saltwater anglers and fly rods. Okuma is one of the few manufacturers that has a full line of telescoping rods, which are an excellent choice for anglers on the go.
Fenwick
Fenwick derives its name from a famous northern Washington lake known for fantastic fishing, and that’s precisely where Fenwick first honed their craft in the rod building business. The brand was instrumental in developing stronger fiberglass rods, and when graphite took fishing by storm in the late 1970s, Fenwick continued to innovate.
Today, the brand makes various spinning and casting rods, ice fishing rods, and fly rods. Their rods are available across several price points, and novice and veteran anglers alike will find several rods that meet their needs from Fenwick.
Lew’s
Founder Lew Childre spent his life working on the water, starting a tackle shop before moving into the manufacturing business. Lew began making poles when bamboo was still the material of choice before moving towards fiberglass and graphite.
The Speed Stick telescoping rod helped put Lew’s Fishing on the map, and today, the Speed Stick rod line has grown to include dozens of excellent technique-specific models for all freshwater fish.
Lew’s offers a varied line of spinning and casting rods, and they have several affordable rods that will catch the eyes of beginners. The brand also has several high-end rods that more competitive anglers will want to check out.
Happy Fishing & Tight Lines