I was surfing the net this morning and looking at all of the custom rod websites, doing research so that my impending website is perfect. I came across a guy that has on his website that he is the "two time National Rod Building Champion".......... Can someone fill me in on this national competition?

Well, It says right there on his website that he is THE CHAMPEEN. And he will even put YOUR NAME on it, FREE OF CHARGE!!!! OK, I believe he created the championship, entered his 6 year old grandson to compete against him and came out with a tie, so rightfully, he CAN call himself the champion. So can the 6 year old. The grandson lives in another non neighboring state so it can be called "national". For the record this is all speculation. Looking at what I can tell from his poor photography, I am really not all theat impressed with his work. I would refer to it as adequate. I am not very good, and I have not yet tried to inlay a feather but most of what I saw on that site was very little that I could not do. I see work from some of the members on this site and am amazed by it. Dude is full of it.

Below is a link to the REAL information regarding Jim Grandt.

Cody, he DID actually win the title AND it was a full blown competition. As to how much credence anyone gives the title, how much value anyone give the builds or any other issue involved - that is a person matter.

Don't be so quick to judge, he is a good marketer AND still building rods after 30+ years.

[www.rodbuilding.org]

Not sure you can call it a full blown competition - Gudebrod staged it and I don't think they are universally recognized as any sort of governing body in the custom rod building craft.

However, Jim did win the Gudebrod event and Gudebrod did bestow the title on him. It's a good marketing move on his part. He's not being dishonest in any way by using it, although most who see that statement about him being a 2-time rod building champion won't likely understand the limited nature of the competition nor who or what was involved.

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If it is making him money -- god bless him

In the early days of my rodbuilding I read quite a few things about Jim Grandt and back then in my eyes Jim was a dang fine builder, today I have no idea if he still is or not as I have not seen any of his work....Jim had taken the ball and ran with it and he did well, he marketed his product and seems to have done quite well. Jim was smart enough not to mention any dates that I know of when he became "Champion Rodbuilder".
Back in those days Gudebrod was the leader in threads and every one of us rodbuilders used their product and were the only mfg's. who thought of putting on a contest, GOOD marketing in my eyes.

This site has quite a few "chest thumpers" which have bad knocked Jim Grandt when they are just as into marketing themselves as Jim was in his day. These "chest thumpers" seem to forget that others came before them, that in their time were just as accomplished at rodbuilding and as today pass on their expertise in rodbuilding to those who want to be like them. There are many talented roduilders who use this site to ,in so many words tell the up and comers how great they are. To me this is good marketing and it is free ....Give the oldtimers a bit of slack and look in the mirror and ask yourself "where would I be if not for the Gene Bullards, Dale Clemens,and yes Jim Grandts along with many more who marketed rodbuilding"?

I only wish that I had the talent of the Jim Grandts of yesteryear or the Tom Kirkmans of today so that I could be a "chest thumper" too.

One of these days after your time has run out you may be the Jim Grandt of your time and newbies will be saying "who in the @&%X was that clown trying to pass off his junk as rodbuilding?

Tight Lines
Tight Wraps
Fishin'Stix by Fred

Jim won the competition and that is that. Back in the Day he was a recognized builder of note. Fortunately for everyone here the era of non sharing is over and we now can benefit from the work that has gone before us. Fred your last line speaks volumes. Knowing what my work looked like in the beginning I sure cant be critical of Jims work. Ditto Bill

I think the point that some try to make whenever this topic comes up is that it was not a worldwide competition or even something that most builders knew about. How many builders submitted their work in order to become the "champion rod builder." Five, Ten, Two, Twelve?

If I sanctioned a contest through my contracting business and had a few rod builders enter and I then crowned one of them the "world champion rod builder" would that be accurate? Would this supplant Jim Grandt as the World Champion? If I started a little rod building club and did the same thing or named certain builders I knew as "legends" would that hold water? Would these titles really mean anything?

You do not have to be dishonest in order to mislead anyone. All you have to do is leave out certain information. IMO Jim Grandt should have listed himself as the "Gudebrod World Champion Rod Builder." Not just the World Champion. One is accurate while the other is misleading.

Facts are facts and marketing is marketing. Sort of like political campaigns, I guess.

This is like arguing over any World Series or penant races won before or after the league expansion. I guess sokme would prefer asterisks after everythin=g. How about just respecting the guy for the rods he built and the talent he has - as any of us could only hope someone would do for us?

Uncle Russ
Calico Creek Rods

Thanks for the info. I wasnt meaning to start a firefight here. I just thought I might have missed something out there.

That might be something to bring back at the EXPO. It would be a great additional draw to the show to see some of the finest work on display with judging.

Don't cuss me, Tom. I know that you have a lot on your plate at this time. Just thinking with my fingers again!!!

Kevin

I'd rather not get into rod building competitions of any sort.

It does bring up an issue that I had been meaning to mention. Last year I used a large, lighted glass display case to display a small collection of antique tackle. I have access to several more of those large, tall cases and plan to utilize them this year for displaying custom rods.

These secure cases will provide builders with a place to display their rods, knowing that they will be safe and secure and also well lit and properly presented to the viewing public. More details later.

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[www.rodbuilding.org] response to similar prior comments here

I kind of agree with Tom about competition. I was jokingly saying that because I did a google search for rod building championships under the title he put on his site and got nothing. I really did not believe he was lying. But exactly what were the competitions rules and criteria? Was it that he could build one very quickly without major flaws, was it the level of detail? There are so many types of rods and ways to build them that it would be hard to say that someone is a champion, it is just something that doesn't make sense to me. Also every persons opinion of what is the best rod is for the most part different. Point is, I wasn't calling the guy a lier, I was pointing out something that I feel is a ridiculous notion. I did notice that his pricing seems pretty reasonable for custom rods, although every picture he had was of about a hundred "cookie Cutter" rods. And saying you will put a guys name on the rod for free is ridiculous as well, these are adv ertised as custom rods, most of the custom rods I have seen had the angler's name on them, unless they specifically stated they did not want it. It isn't anything special by any means.

Reading his response (yes it was only after typing my other response) in a way reiterates what I was saying in his first couple sentences. Criteria, Bamboo rods, and the such. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, I prefer low flash, light weight and fast to moderate fast actions depending on the type of fishing. Maybe some of his work is gorgeous, I looked at only 4 pictures and the ones I saw were not really impressive.

I see something like a competition at a state fair passing out ribbins, juch as bext of show, best technical design, gest use of colors, etc. that sort of thing. use two newbies and to oldies but goodies as the judjes.
Just a thought