By David Muise | Photography by Lauryn Hottinger | Down By The River
Down-East Sportscraft Ever hear someone say, “They just don’t make things like they used to”? So has Steve Peterson, and he is apt to laugh when he hears it. That’s because he is manufacturing a certain piece of fishing gear- used the world over- that was designed by his grandfather in 1946. His company, Down-East Sportscraft, has been producing the product right here in Lewiston, Maine, ever since.
“We now also sell to Cabela’s and Bass Pro Shops. Through our website, we are able to sell all over the world.” Little has changed since Fritz first introduced the Down-Easter. Short of developing different mounting systems for newer styles of boats, the basic mechanism is still exactly the way Fritz first made it. The faces at Down-East Sportscraft haven’t changed much either. Fritz’s son, Fred, joined the business after serving in the Air Force in the Korean War. Fritz finally retired at the age of 91, when his grandson joined the business in 1993 after completing his studies in Mechanical Engineering at the University of Maine at Orono. Today Fritz’s son Fred and his grandson Steve run the business together. Three generations of the Peterson family have been producing a very successful product right here in our backyard but “no one knows about us,” says Steve. Hopefully, that will change.
“We use the same mold my grandfather made back in ’46,” says Peterson. It is almost unheard of in the 21st century to be continuously using the same steel mold of a design made 71 years ago, but that’s the secret of Down-East Sportscraft’s success.
At the very least, you will have them to thank when you hear someone laments how “they just don’t make things the way the used to” and you get to retort, “Sure they do. Just look at Down-East Sportscraft.” Down-East Sportscraft, 258 Russell Street, Lewiston www.down-east.com • 207-783-0421
In the 1940s, Fritz Peterson of Lewiston, Maine, set out to offer fishermen a “third hand” when he first designed his Down-Easter rod holder. He wanted a fisherman to be able to securely fasten his rod to his boat, while still having both hands free to paddle. Further, he wanted the rod holder to allow a fisherman to simply pick the rod up and out of its holster, without having to undo or unfasten anything. He figured this would make it far easier to snag a fish when it had taken the bait. He succeeded in creating the design and built a mold to begin its manufacture. He built these popular rod holders in a warehouse on Russell Street in Lewiston- the same place where they are still manufactured today. “We’ve been selling to L.L. Bean since they were a shack on the side of the road,” says Steve Peterson.
Three generations of Down-Easter’s: Steve, Fred & George Peterson LA METRO MAGAZINE digital edition @ LAMetroMagazine.com
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