Stryker Rods have been manufacturing fishing rods and blanks in Eugene since 2019. Their American-made products serve fishing fanatics across the country.
Stryker’s location capitalizes on the area’s diverse and proximate fishing opportunities. In Eugene, valley rivers host salmon, steelhead and trout. An hour drive to the coastal rivers and ocean supplies fishers with pacific halibut, ocean salmon and surfperch.
“Oregon is a great state — we have everything here. Pretty much every species,” Matt Zlatek, production manager at Stryker, said.
Stryker CEO and owner Duane Leavitt saw an opportunity to begin local production after Rogue Rods, a manufacturer based out of White City, Oregon, shut down. Stryker purchased the former company’s equipment and established their own factory in West Eugene’s industrial district.
In 2024 Stryker joined the Composite Ventures family, a leader in fishing gear manufacturing. Today, Stryker’s team of 11 provides customizable equipment to every niche of the sport.
“Being a rod company in the Northwest that makes their own blanks is pretty rare nowadays,” Nate Langlo, Stryker sales manager, said. “There’s not many people who are making the blanks and the rods in the same facility anymore. That’s a pretty rare thing to see. So keeping it here in the states is always a great thing.”
Stryker makes rods and blanks for everything from the heaviest saltwater setups to tiny ice rods. Their in-house design and manufacturing process encourages constant innovation to keep up with an industry in motion.
“Every day they’re coming out with something new which requires a new rod, a new blank, designed specifically to handle that lure or that setup. And so that’s the fun part for me — designing that,” Zlatek said. “I go home and I think about it. I literally have a gaff and a harpoon in my kitchen.”
Langlo said that when it comes to fishing, “there’s no off switch.”.
“You start out when you’re young, fishing a bobber or nightcrawler for a bluegill. And then you get to these crazy salmon steelhead saltwater fish, where you’ve got 15-20 rods for a species. It turns into a whole addiction,” Max Wagner, a Stryker rod salesman, said.
“Fishing really becomes a science at that point. It’s not just throwing a worm out there and sitting,” Zlatek said.
Oregon’s rich fishing culture and diverse waterways are supported by homegrown manufacturing. For community members, a local angling resource offers increased accessibility and confidence — regardless of the severity of one’s fishing affliction.
