NEWS FLASH – March 29, 2009

Bruce Holt, all around great guy and Executive Director of G. Loomis, has got his hands full these days. Fishermen all over the world started “discovering” G. Loomis rods many years ago, but up until late 2007 the demand, although constantly increasing, was manageable. Late 2007 the world seemed to suddenly realized just how good G. Loomis rods were, especially when compared to the new, sexy-sexy, feather light, split grip, girlie-colored, high priced and high hyped rods that were the current rage. Those “ultra-premium”, “faddish” rods had been dominating the news and all the fishing magazines but, lo and behold, were just not as good as Loomis rods when fish catching was important! Not sure if fishermen discovered this all at once, but whatever or however it happened sales (and demand) for the world’s best rods (G. Loomis) took off like a rocket.

Now you would think that under these circumstances Bruce would be celebrating, realizing that the world had finally come to it’s senses and recognized Loomis’ technology for just how advanced it is. BUT, it seems that there is a thing called “maximum capacity” and Loomis was pretty much there. Early in 2008 the orders kept rolling in and production was pushed to the edge. And then over that edge. Around September 2008 Bruce and the rest of his management team conceded the inevitable and began installing a new, more efficient production system that would boost output and at the same time improve overall quality to a level never before imagined.

Well, sometime you eat the bear and sometimes the bear eats you. Loomis’ bear was hungry and things started looking pretty bad for Bruce and the whole team. They had voluntarily cut back production in order to install this new system, but the best laid plans of mice and men……..you know the rest. Production didn’t ramp us as expected and no one at Loomis was willing to compromise quality for quantity, so they (Loomis) started getting behind. Way behind. Dealers and their customers couldn’t get product.

Fast forward to today. Production still is not at maximum, but things are indeed getting better. Rods are shipping, albeit still slower than expected. But, there is light at the end of the tunnel and we are happy to report that currently we have about 95% of all Loomis rods, reels, blanks, and accessories IN STOCK. If we don’t have it we’ll do all we can to find it.

Bruce still needs a long vacation, but we commend his leadership and the entire G. Loomis Team for their above-and-beyond efforts through these very tough times. We are excited to be a part of the Loomis Dealer Team and truly excited about the future for G. Loomis as well as all of the wonderful Loomis customers who ultimately will benefit from the innovations that arise from these changes.

Tight Lines,

Tom Ashby

We mentioned in our last newsletter about a fishing trip with some of the key Shimano folks to Dream Lake in Alabama a couple of weeks ago and promised to share some more info this issue. And share we will.

First, there is no doubt that Shimano is the world’s most innovative fishing equipment company. Period. Over the years they have been the undisputed leader in both quality and innovation. This trip only served to confirm that once again.

Although we promised to not “spill the beans” we can tell you that July 2009 will be a month of news from Shimano. Look for enhancements as well as expansions to several of their rod series plus a new series that will compete with some of the more “exotic” rods. There will, as always, be some new and improved reels along with a few other “surprises” that will make fishing that much more fun.

An on-going focus of Shimano has been upgrading their reels with stronger, harder gears and tighter tolerances. Look for this to continue in 2009 with improved internal components that will last longer and be even more reliable. One “heads up” here is that these harder gears may feel less smooth, but the reality is that they are actually better and last longer, so don’t be alarmed if your new reels doesn’t feel as “smooth”. It’s those better, harder, and closer tolerance gears!

The most impressive part of Shimano is their people and their dedication to the task of continuously improving the equipment and the overall fishing experience that we all crave. All you have to do is spend a few days with these guys to realize that this isn’t just a job, but a passion. I probably shouldn’t say this, but I honestly think most of these guys would work for free, they enjoy the job and the challenge that much!

Here’s the point: Never doubt that whatever Shimano product you choose to invest in will always be the very best that can possibly be made. That should be reassuring to us all.