In 2005 the much loved Browning Fishing Brand was bought out by Bass Pro Shops.
The big fish eats the little fish.
It’s the circle of life!
These days, the factory who makes Browning Fishing Rods is the same as the one that makes BPS Rods.
There is no “Browning” branded factory making Browning Fishing Rods anymore. Those days are gone.
What you will find is that Browning (read: Bass Pro Shops) outsources much of their manufacturing to white label producers in Asia. China, Taiwan, Japan and Korea have all been used over the years.
So who makes Browning Fishing Rods today?
Pflueger is the manufacturer of Browning rods these days.
Where are Browning Fishing Rods Made?
Since Pflueger fishing rods are made in China it makes sense that Browning Fishing Rods are made in China too.
Sorry for those of you who were hoping to here that Browning is made in the USA. But it just isn’t the case.
As with most manufacturers these days, Browning have outsourced their Fishing Rod production to China.
How do we know who makes Browning Fishing Rods?
There is no definitive statement on the Browning website as to who makes their fishing rods. There isn’t even a statement on their website saying anything about their tie-up with Bass Pro Shops (but just walk into a BPS shop and you’ll see what I mean!)
It would be nice to have some transparency in fishing brand ownership wouldn’t it?
With the rise of conglomerates like Pure Fishing who own brands such as Pflueger, Shakespeare, Berkley and Abu Garcia, it is getting harder and harder to identify who actual makes what products.
One way you can tell that Browning and Bass Pro Shop gear is made in the same place is by analyzing Browning baitcaster reels. Have a try of this:
- Go into a Bass Pro Shop and get your hands on some baitcaster reels from Browning and Bass Pro Shops
- Then go and pickup some casting reels from Daiwa, Abu Garcia and Shimano
- Now have a close read of the descriptions on the packaging
What you will find is that the Browning and Bass Pro Shops reel descriptions are exactly the same! But the Daiwa, Abu Garcia and Shimano read completely different.
This gives you the first clue that they are from the same manufacturer.
And if you take a look at the reels themselves you will find that the backlash controls are the same on the Browning and Bass Pro Shops reels.
This is how you can tell that Browning gear is made at the same place as Bass Pro Shops gear.
The Last Cast
In reality, you shouldn’t worry too much about who makes Browning fishing rods these days. Browning make a decent rod at a very good price point.
If you find a Browning rod in your price range then go ahead pull the trigger. Remember, most of the Bass Pro Shop branded gear is made in the same factory so you aren’t getting something that is an unknown quantity.
One positive about the rise of fishing brand conglomerates is that there are minimum standards in place for manufacturing quality on most of the well known brands these days. If anything goes wrong the big brands have decent warranty periods that you can use to get a replacement.
It can be a bit of a hassle, but it’s not the end of the world.
Have you got some insider knowledge on where Browning rods are made today?
I want to know about it!
Shoot me a message in the comments below and I’ll update the article.
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