Looks like theres been a falling out at Winston over who will succeed Glenn Brackett. Glenn and the entire bamboo crew have left the Winston company…
[url=http://bassbug.blogspot.com/:1499e]http://bassbug.blogspot.com/[/url:1499e]
I found this interesting…Those Winston Glenn B. rods just went up in value.
Have a nice day,
John G.
Does that mean the Winston bamboo shop is now hiring?
>>Those Winston Glenn B. rods just went up in value.<<
as the stature of RLW further eroded.
let’s see …
Current bamboo production:
100 rods per year - $3000.00 X 100 = $300,000.00
Planned production:
2500 rods per year - $3000.00 X 2500 = $7,500,000.00
I get it!
Just wonder how that goes with this quote from Winston:
“Two Years in the Making.
There are no shortcuts in making a bamboo fly rod. The process can take up to two years, a fair amount of time in this age of “now.” But that’s what is required, for there are hundreds of steps involved. Bamboo culms are selected for straightness, diameter, fiber density and node matches. The culms are hand split so that the strips follow the natural grain of the bamboo. Next is node sanding, then strip grading, then heat tempering and taper cutting to 1/1000 of an inch, followed by fluted hollowing, gluing, and varnishing. Only now is it ready to fish.”
Joe
Winston introduced 2 more graphite rods at the Denver show. I did not cast them, but a well-known designed from another company told me not to bother, they were junk, and then said, “What were they thinking?”
Looks like we are finding out.
LadyFisher, Publisher of
FAOL
I stand by Glenn’s decission. I believe in loyalty, integrity, and tradition. All qualities he stood for. It is a sad day That Winston sold all of that out. I began to question when they shipped some production over seas. I wrote it off as a business decission, but from what I have read on other boards this was just flat out bad leadership from Winston management. This will not only kill their bamboo business but it will have an effect in the graphite as well. I hope they back up and reconsider the effects this have on the pride and tradition of the Winston name. Bamboo in particular. As the onwer of two Winston rods I’m disgusted by this.
John G.
Albuquerque, NM
I’m not so sure taking the word of another manufacturer is the fairest way to evaluate a rod but hey, people like or dislike rods for many reasons.
The major problem I have with Winston is that I love the action, looks and weight of their rods, especially the BIIx series!
Unless they pull their heads out into the sunshine again, Winston has lost a good customer and proponent in me, that’s for sure. Despite the fact some of their rods just seem to match my needs exactly in some ways, I will not abide with poor quality and shabby workmanship nor will I be taken for a ride out of my loyalty and settle for compromise from them.
Thank goodness the folks at Scott Rods still have their heads on rather straight!.
I just hope that what happened to Powell Rods does not happen to Winston. It would be a shame for sure. But some people can’t leave well enough alone. Ron
I work for a company who?s initials are K-C and was told that we will be out of work next year because they want to send 450 of our jobs to Mexico. I guarantee quality of the the products we make now will suffer after the move but I guess they don?t care. Money talks.
I won’t rant here, but I will not buy from companies that produce out of the US. I haven’t seen anything that moved from the U.S. maintain it’s quality. Even my Levi’s are low quality at the same old price. I say death to NAFTA and CAFTA.
If we’re not careful the U.S. will only be a consumer superpower. I say quadruple tax companies that move out of America looking to make a few bucks more.
Where’s my G-Loomis made anyway?
Notmo,
You work for Kentucky Fried Chicken?
Allan
"I won’t rant here, but I will not buy from companies that produce out of the US. I haven’t seen anything that moved from the U.S. maintain it’s quality. Even my Levi’s are low quality at the same old price. I say death to NAFTA and CAFTA. "
To the above statement lets be clear it is not a company’s management that forces jobs overseas, it is the customer. Every time someone buys a Japanese car they are telling US car makers that ASIA builds cars better and cheaper. Look around at any major mall parking lot and you will see a lot of votes for overseas production. As far as building rods overseas, there has been a post here, I believe, about “Do you care where your equipment is made” and most people what the best quality available at the lowest cost regardless of where it is made. And what is wrong with that?
RoyC
Quote from another website from Glenn Bracketts wife…A little more insight as to the events unfolding at Winston.
"First, I want to thank all of you for your support of my husband Glenn Brackett and the boo boys. When he returns tomorrow from the shop I will show him all the wonderful and kind notices you posted. It will fill his heart. Glenn is suffering over this, and all of you seemed to know he would. Winston was his life blood and he will miss it dearly. My heart breaks for him because he is the kindest man I have ever known…a wonderful husband and better father. Glenn’s foremost character trait and the one he places the most importance is TRUST. He has never hurt anyone, but this latest incident with Winston put him in a position to hurt someone. He just could not live with the company’s decision to go back on its word and …continue to work in an enviorment that was not trustworthy. Let it be known here and now, Glenn did not retire, but was pushed out of the company lanned and executed by woody and approved by David. The whole thing was planned in advance. They wanted him out but did not have the cojones to be honest. Now David wants to have a tribute to Glenn’s “contribution to Winston and the fly fishing community”. But we would never attend such an event… to put it delicately. There indeed should be a tribute to the “boo boys” for their “contibution to Winston…”, but it won’t be coming from Winston…it is coming from all of you. That is enough for these great men and I am forever grateful.
Thank you everyone,
christine"
If you wish to contact glenn he can be reached at glencris@bresnan.net
I’m relieved that the last Winston’s I purchased, (Glass and Graphite both) were before Odantje (sp?) took over the company. Shortly thereafter, I got a letter from the company offering to insure my Graphite Rod for life: For an additional fee of $50.00! I thought this a bit strange and ignored it, and except for purchasing one of their “Perfect” reels, I never did business with them again. Until they again sent me a letter offering to sell me spare spools for the reel. I bought 2. It’s all beginning to make sense now. They’ve been in trouble for a while.
Nearly every rod I own is obsolete (I don’t put bamboo in that catagory), either by “upgrade”, discontinued, company out of business or whatever. My Winston dates to before the company made their own blanks (Loomis did it).
Sence most companies change models like we change underware, outsourcing to the third world and mostly not improving their product. I find myself at the end of my tackle purchasing carrier.
Every time someone buys a Japanese car they are telling US car makers that ASIA builds cars better and cheaper. Look around at any major mall parking lot and you will see a lot of votes for overseas production.
Actually, my Nissan was designed, engineered, and built in Mississippi. And my Chevy was built in Canada.
That being said, I think Winston may have a bit of a PR problem on their hands. The gentlemen in their bamboo shop are very well respected. Whether or not this spills over into sales of their plastic stuff remains to be seen. Stay tuned, this promises to be interesting.
Jeff
I work only so that I can afford to fish
With numbers like that (2500 cane rods per year), does that mean they will be getting their cane rods made in China? Maybe they just plan on employing every cane rod maker in the U.S.? It’s a black day for Winston in my book.
Bill O.
[url=http://www.oysterbamboo.com:7c2c8]www.oysterbamboo.com[/url:7c2c8]
[This message has been edited by oyster (edited 01 November 2005).]
I wouldn’t be surprised seeing the Winston Boo Crew starting a new rod company of their own and continuing to produce the same or similar rod in the quantities that they want as a custom rod company.
Well, here is what I have to say. I have looked at Winston rods in the past, but based on what I have hear, not only from this site but others. I will not cross that bridge. I have Sage, St Croix, and Scott rods. I look forward to future purchases from all three companies. They have been very honest on every dealing that I have had with there service department, and they simply build good rods.
I really dont have a dog in the hunt so to speak on the outsourcing thing. I believe in american made products, and thus I bye american made rods. Comparing fly rods and cars is not a fair comparison. I know alot of people who have temple fork rods, redington rods, etc. They seem like fine casting and fishing rods.
Here is my beef with the way this situation is handled by Winston. They come out and use words on ther literature that state they are Uncompromising, Traditional, straight from Montana kind of stuff. Dont feed me that line of bull, and then outsource several rod lines to the orient. That is faulty advertising and misleading. Of course the rods from china where " engineered" in the states. What ever!!!
At least Temple Fork, redington, etc are honest about there claims.
The dishonesty bothers me as well. We lived in Montana for 17 years. Winston ‘claimed’ they were outsourcing the Ibis rod because they could not find employees. Montana has had a 9% unemployment rate for many years.
In near by Bozeman there are college graduates working in convience stores and other minimum wage jobs. Winston couldn’t find employees?
Ya right.
LadyFisher, Publisher of
FAOL