Lifelong fishing enthusiast Gary Anderson has combined his love of the sport with his machining skills to create Southpaw Systems, a line of fishing rod holders named for his father, who earned the moniker decades ago as a Lake Michigan fisherman.
“Before marine bands, they used CB radios in boats. My dad Ron’s handle was ‘Southpaw’ because he was left handed,” Anderson explains. “When I bought my charter boat, which I run on Lake Michigan, I kept the name.”
As an experienced angler, Anderson knows the value of rod holders to keep multiple lines organized and increase the odds of catching that prize fish. But the Denmark native wasn’t finding the adjustability and ease of use he was looking for in the holders that existed on the market.
At the top of Anderson’s mind when developing the holders was strength, maneuverability and aesthetics. The holders are built out of stainless steel and aluminum, and can be color matched to coordinate with a variety of boat colors. “Even fishermen care about looks, believe it or not,” Anderson says with a laugh.
“Being a one-handed operation and rock solid is what I was after this whole time with this product,” Anderson says. “We finally got there about a year and a half ago.”
After six years of research and development, Southpaw rod holders received an official patent in April.
Anderson graduated from NWTC in CNC machining and in 1999 started his own shop, Classic Gears, which today employs 35 people. Classic Gears has facilities in Kaukauna and Denmark, where Southpaw fishing rod holders are built in-house. Assembly and direct sales are done at the Denmark facility.
Anderson is currently working on additional products, like cup holders, to add to the Southpaw line, which consists of 10 fishing rod holders and attachments.
“The holders pivot 360 degrees in one direction and 200 degrees in the other so there’s really not any angle or height that you can’t achieve with them,” Anderson says.
