North Fork Composites (NFC): Gary Loomis rod building brand

1974: Gary Loomis's first carbon blanks
100% USA: Blanks handmade in Woodland, Washington
Carbon scrim: Developed by Gary Loomis, used on the HM series

The story of the brand

Gary Loomis, half a century of carbon

Gary Loomis has worked with carbon since 1974. That year, he developed his first graphite blanks with a small team of engineers. In 1982, he founded G.Loomis in Woodland, in the state of Washington. That company was sold to Shimano in the 1990s.

Gary Loomis then returned to blank making with North Fork Composites, also based in Woodland. The brand keeps a proven method: cutting the prepreg, rolling it on a mandrel, curing, then sanding. The work remains largely manual, and the shop's machinists design their own tools.

In 2015, North Fork Composites signed a distribution agreement with Batson Enterprises in the United States. Today, the brand designs blanks for bass, saltwater and fly fishing. It has also launched Air Carbon Mesh, a carbon mesh for wrapping rod guides. Its HM and X-Ray series build on the scrims and carbon materials developed by Gary Loomis.

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Key dates

1974 Gary Loomis shapes his first carbon blanks
1982 Gary Loomis founds G.Loomis in Woodland, Washington
2015 Distribution agreement with Batson Enterprises in the United States

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Frequently Asked Questions

Everything about the brand

Who founded North Fork Composites?

North Fork Composites is the brand of Gary Loomis. He has worked with carbon since 1974 and founded G.Loomis in Woodland in 1982. That first company was sold to Shimano in the 1990s.

Gary Loomis then launched North Fork Composites, also based in Woodland, in the state of Washington. The two brands are now independent of each other.

Where are North Fork Composites blanks made?

North Fork Composites blanks are designed and handmade in Woodland, in the state of Washington, USA. The carbon prepreg is cut, then rolled on a mandrel. The blank is then cured and partly sanded by hand.

The brand's machinists build their own tooling. Their machines roll the carbon with more pressure and more accuracy.

What is the carbon scrim in North Fork Composites blanks?

The scrim is a thin web of fibre bonded under the unidirectional carbon. It keeps the blank from turning oval and collapsing as it bends. Most blanks use a fibreglass scrim, as do the brand's IM series.

On its HM series, North Fork Composites replaces it with a thin layer of carbon, lighter and with less resin. Gary Loomis developed this carbon scrim and the scrimless blank.

North Fork Composites, the Gary Loomis brand

North Fork Composites is an American brand of fishing rod blanks. It carries the work of Gary Loomis, who has shaped carbon blanks since 1974. The brand is based in Woodland, in the state of Washington. Its name is often shortened to NFC.

North Fork Composites designs blanks for bass fishing, saltwater fishing and fly fishing. Its range includes spinning, casting and fly rod blanks. The brand also makes grips and Air Carbon Mesh, a carbon mesh used to wrap rod guides. Its know-how serves other sports too. North Fork Composites makes carbon tubes for golf shafts, arrows and oars.

Rod blanks handmade in Woodland

Every NFC blank is designed and built by hand in the Woodland shop. The brand's craftsmen are trained as machinists. They build their own tooling and machines. These machines roll the carbon with more pressure and more accuracy. The blank is then cured in the oven, and sanded.

Gary Loomis developed the carbon scrim and the scrimless blank. The scrim is a thin web of fibre bonded under the carbon. It keeps the blank from turning oval as it bends. Several of the brand's technical choices come from this work:

The IM series use a fibreglass scrim.
The HM series replace this scrim with a thin layer of carbon.
The X-Ray series uses HMx-ray carbon, 20% lighter than the brand's HM material.
Air Carbon Mesh lets epoxy flow through to the guide foot.

Related collections

North Fork Composites NFC - Travel NFC - IM NFC - X-Ray NFC - Delta NFC - HM NFC - SM NFC - Original Glass Grips Winding threads

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North Fork Composites: carbon blanks and rod building equipment

Gary Loomis, half a century of carbon

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