I ordered a Loomis Pro Blue rod a little over two weeks ago and when I called today to find out status of my order I found out that Loomis has not made a run of them yet. Apparently there is a shortage of high grade cork that handles are made from. The good thing is I was told that I get the second one made when they start production. Cool! 8-)

It's the wine industry that is causing it.  I, for one, wish to preserve cork for more useful purposes.  So I drink beer - or wine with screw off caps  

I for one would be over-joyed if they ran out of cork. Then maybe they'd revert back to "Black EVA Foam".

Hypalon wears like iron, doesn't soil like cork and never gets slippery. We've fought bluefish in saltwater

while our hands were drenched in fish-slime and blood, and never had a problem with slippery or soiled rod grips.

Roger

It's the wine industry that is causing it. I, for one, wish to preserve cork for more useful purposes. So I drink beer - or wine with screw off caps

Most wineries in the US rarely use cork these days.  Advances in screw-top bottles have made cork almost obsolete.  Those who do cork usually use a plastic cork.

As for cork and rods, I'm quite fond of the stuff and won't buy a rod unless it sports cork handles.

Most wineries in the US rarely use cork these days. Advances in screw-top bottles have made cork almost obsolete. Those who do cork usually use a plastic cork.

A quick perusal of the internet shows that 60% of worldwide cork production goes to wine stoppers.  So whether or not wine makers use cork or plastic, the principal portion of cork production is still used to make wine stoppers.  The other major use is the aerospace industry.

What I didn't know is that cork can only be stripped from a tree about once every 20-25 years.  Cork supply does, indeed, flucuate.