Being avid fishermen, a father-and-son University alumni duo saw a problem with their fishing lines and tried to fix it by creating the Rod-Hugger.
Curtis Colson Jr. is a 1981 architecture graduate, and his son Curtis Colson III is a 2002 microbiology graduate. Growing up in Mississippi, both enjoyed fishing but often encountered tangled fishing lines.
“There’s gotta be a better way,” Colson Jr. said of the tangled lines.
He visited several outdoors stores looking for a product that would stop the entanglement, but nothing worked. Colson Jr. then experimented with different materials to create a product that would hold the line and prevent it from slipping out and wrapping around the other lines.
He decided to use Velcro to wrap around the lines, but by itself, the Velcro would slip off, he said. He then went through different materials looking for a non-slip material to put on the backing of the Velcro, including his son’s scuba-diving suit.
In 1998, once Colson Jr. designed a non-slip material specific to the Rod-Hugger’s purpose and had it patented, he went with it to the International Convention of Allied Sportfishing Trades and entered it in a contest. Colson Jr. said he was surprised when the Rod-Hugger won Best in Show, beating out
better-funded products.
He said the North American Fishing Club contacted him soon after, wanting to run tests on the product. When the club finished testing the product about eight weeks later, Colson Jr. said they told him the Rod-Hugger had received the highest rating they had ever given at the time.
“We got 94 percent approval on the product,” Colson Jr. said. “[The Rod-Hugger] does exactly what it says it will do. It’s simple; it’s smooth.”
Colson Jr. and his son entered the Rod-Hugger in Walmart’s Get on the Shelf contest, which ended Tuesday evening. The contest allowed people to submit products not sold by Walmart, and the public voted on their favorite products through text messaging and Facebook, according to the contest’s frequently asked questions page.
Colson III said they heard about the contest through the local news. To enter the contest, they had to make a YouTube video, submit the video’s link and provide a name and address.
The top 10 products will go to a second round that begins April 11, Colson III said.
“If we get in the [top 10], I’ll be very happy,” Colson Jr. said.
At the end of the contest, the top three contestants will be offered a chance for their products to be sold on Walmart’s website and given marketing support. The grand prize-winning product will have the opportunity to be sold in Walmart’s stores, according to the website.
“What they’re doing is offering their know-how, their tools,” Colson III said.
Colson Jr. likes to call the Rod-Hugger “reusable duct tape” because he said it functions like duct tape, but can be used for years. He joked that the only issue with his product is that it lasts for a long time. He has used his own for five years, he said.
 
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Contact Shannon Roberts at [email protected]