WE HAVE A 2022 WINNER!
The 2022 International Rod Building Challenge by American Tackle has crowned
a winner - after careful and thoughtful deliberation from our panel of judges, the
1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners have been chosen, in a tight race with only 7 points separating 1st and 3rd.
The International Rod Building Challenge is a truly international competition with builders from all over the world taking part.
This year’s competition was the largest on record with over 80 mystery blanks being sent out all over the world from Europe, South America, and Asia. All the competitors sent their completed rods to be initially judged at International Custom Rod Building Expo by a panel of 30 to choose the top 10. The top 10 were then taken back to American Tackle HQ where an elite panel of judges from custom rod builders, media, trade, and anglers graded each rod. With such a high caliber of builders it was amazing to see all the different styles and builds all based on the same blank. “It was incredible to see so many different interpretations on what the American Tackle Co mystery blank could be used for”, said Don Morse of American Tackle Co.
This year’s winner is Danny Thomson of North Carolina. His amazing custom rod build incorporated is love for duck hunting as well as fishing. Second place went to Hoove Brieuc of Belgium with is diode and cooper build. Third place was awarded to Gary Allner of the United Kingdom with his ultra-shift chameleon painted rod.
The winner, Danny Thomson, said this about his build. “You may have heard of an Eastern North Carolina tragedy that recently occurred, where 4 youth duck hunters and 4 adults went down in a plane crash. All eight lives were lost. Even though this rod was inspired and built before this tragedy, it is my intent to dedicate this rod to the #DownEastStrong community and raise awareness to help fund this unfortunate event.”
Thank You To All
Of Our Top 10
Finalists!
Danny Thomson - USA
Hoove Brieuc - Belgium
Gary Allner - UK
Wade Christensen - USA
Dai Llewellyn - UK
Gary Pugh - USA
Don Livingston - USA
Doug Roberts - USA
Mark Crouse - USA
Tiffany Vague - USA
Intl Rod Building Challenge 2022 - Top 10 Finalist Rods
Intl Rod Building Challenge 2022 - Top 10 Finalist Rods
Make sure to visit the official group on Facebook, join the group and prepare
for next year's 2023 Challenge, brought to you by American Tackle!