I would put my 8'6" Steffen right up there for its smoothness. I just wish Mark's cosmetics were nicer, and that goofy writing ...

I'm not sure what your expectations are on a delivery time on a McFarland rod, but Mike posted this on this forum when he started taking orders again last winter: "As you are all aware I have been extremely behind on rod deliveries. This being the situation, the estimated delivery time for a rod will now be about a year"

So if you haven't been waiting for over a year yet then your rod is still on schedule. That schedule is good if everything is perfect and he doesn't have any problems getting his blanks and the components he doesn't make. If he has delivery problems from his suppliers it could take longer than a year.

The worst thing you can do when you have a rod on order from a builder is to make plans to use it on fishing trip that can not be rescheduled. When you do that you are just setting yourself up for disappointment. I think it is pretty common for the scheduled delivery time for a rod to come and the builder has not finished the rod yet, and probably even common that the rod has not even been started.

I also think it is common that you don't hear from the builder after the initial order is made until he is ready to start working on your rod. Think about it, if the builder has a year's worth of orders outstanding would you rather have him building rods, or spending time contacting all those on his order list every month? That would just increase the waiting time. When the time comes to start work on your rod I think you will be very happy with your communication with Mike McFarland. Please remember that Mike is running a small shop and he has to do everything.

As far as the deposit goes, this is what Mike said last winter (11-24-2008) about deposits: "For the future I will take a $100 deposit with the order. The deposit is totally refundable if you get tired of waiting, find another rod, your financial situation changes, etc." Did you voluntarily pay a deposit in excess of $100? If you did you really shouldn't be making a post on a public forum that implies that is a problem and you shouldn't expect special treatment because you did pay more than the required deposit. I too paid more than the required deposit up front. Mike asked me several times if I really wanted to pay more than the required $100 at the time I ordered my rod. I don't expect any special treatment for my large deposit. I know that Mike runs a small business and has a family. If I pay more upfront for one of his rods and it helps his cash flow, then that is a good thing. If I have the cash, I don't mind doing that for people I trust running small businesses like a local fly shop when I order a reel or a local rod builder if I order a rod.

If you have ordered a McFarland Rod you have probably searched the forum and read about them. If you missed his post last November on his new rod policies, here is the link: https://fiberglassflyrodders.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=7183

There have been many pictures of McFarland rods posted on this forum that you can find by doing a search. Mike's website also has some good pictures of his reels seats and inserts. http://www.mcfarlandrods.com/mcfarland_new/dsp_seats_wood.asp But if you ordered a rod I'm sure that you have already checked out his website.

I hope that you ordered your rod a year ago so that there is a chance that you will have it in time for your December trip. I'm sure that would make your trip fantastic!

I've inked my own inscriptions on the last 2 Riffle blanks I've built,
and all I can say is: it's not easy.

Obsessing over getting it "right": something stylish proportional and slick-looking,
meant many failed attempts for me. And cleaning off the india ink with acetone, even if immediately after writing,
doesn't get it all off, leaving a darkened smear on the blank. The only way to get that off is a little sanding, I've found.
Wasn't too much of an issue on the first "brown paper bag" colored blank I did,
but really became a problem on the "gloss bamboo tan" that I'm finishing up now.

So, for the cleanest, and most spontaneous look,
I think that Steffen is of the right mind-set: just do it.
(or use a decal! )

hiflyer ... mine is amboyna as well and just a wonderful match with the blank color and the red wraps that I have on my eight foot five weight.

First of all, thanks for the info and pics of the reel seats guys.

Arctic Grayling, how much do you actually know about business?
My trip was planned for October and I was told in my initial communications that having it ready by then would be no problem. I thought, lucky me when it was delayed to November - not that it made any difference.

Once you pay a deposit of any amount, if a blank is not available as a customer you have the right to know. The amount of money I paid is irrelevant, and I don't expect special treatment. If there is a supply problem then customers should be informed.

Unless it has been updated in the last couple of weeks, Mikes website has about 3 or 4 examples of seats/spacers, but he gave me the impression that there are lots that he can get his hands on.

Just a few thoughts, and I still really want the rod.

coincidentally,
there's a sudden shortage of Lamiglas blanks available in the supply houses at the moment, I've heard.

Hmmmm ...

No debtor's prison anymore Duff, just a blanket under the overpass. But maybe you can latch on to someone else's wifi, and if there's a stream nearby, it might all be worth it.

Apologies for the hijacking - it was never meant that way. I actually was just saying that I hoped when I finally got my McFarland rod it would be as smooth as I had hoped!

Sorry too Arctic Grayling, as my last post after re-reading may have been a bit poorly worded. Seriously though as someone running a business, Mike could improve his communication a little. I am currently in need of money for some photographic equipment (I am a photographer, and the equipment is for an upcoming job). The money I paid for the deposit would cover what I need with a few dollars left over. Problem is I don't want to cancel my order with Mike, as I realy want the rod. My point being if I had been informed that say, the blank won't be ready for a few months I may have been able to get most of the deposit back, pay for what I need now and worry about paying the rest later. Also, it is disappointing that I am going to have to borrow a cheap 8'6" 4/5wt graphite rod from a friend while on my trip (better than not fishing at all). It is the kind of water that even a 6' 1-2wt would work on, and with the odd bigger pool here and there, the glass 7 '3wt would have been perfect.

Also, if communication was poor from the start I would not have been surprised by this, however up until I paid the deposit Mike answered all my emails within a few days. Mike, I hope you are reading this, just in case you haven't received the last couple of emails, or the private message I sent through this board. I am disappointed that I won't have the rod for my trip, but am still excited about choosing components and eventually fishing what promises to be a beautiful rod. I just want to know what is happening.

Just to make things 100% clear I am not trying to put anyone off of buying from Mike, just venting my frustrations (which it seems may be shared with a few others). As I mentioned in the earlier post, if communication is improved and the rod is as nice as I expect I will be buying a second McFarland rod.

And the hijacking continues ... sorry.

Adam

That quote makes it look like that was my comment, Mike did tell me that there have been supply issues.

Lamiglas has been out of their "honey" fiberglass pre-preg since at least last summer. And won't be getting any in-stock for awhile. I had a heck of a time finding Lami blanks for 2 custom rods due next week. I got lucky when a supplier called me out of the blue to say they had found a couple of blanks for me. Made my day.

Hard to say which rod I've cast was the smoothest. Certainly Mark Steffen's 8'6" 5/6 wt would be in the running as would the Lami 2 piece 7' 3wt. (call me crazy but I'm a sucker for slow fly rods). A board member was kind enough to loan me their 8' 5wt McFarland and after fishing with it a couple of times I'd say Mike's blank is the very definition of a smooth casting fly rod. Smooth is subjective I guess. i have a St croix graphite rod that dazzles me with it's casting ability. Not so smooth in close but with 30 ft of line in the air it's as good as it gets. For me.

CCR, If one is offering services or products for profit, one shouldn't have poor communication habits regardless of being a one man operation or a multinational corporation. Anyone producing, or planning to produce fiberglass fly rods ought to be very appreciative of this forum and cognizant of what is posted here, because it is this forum that has driven the resurgence of interest in fiberglass, thus the demand, thus the approaching exorbitant prices for what used to be "poor mans cane". Waiting for a year for any materialistic product is ridiculous IMHO, there is no fly rod on the planet, cane, glass or graphite that is really that special. None of these objects are all that important in the grand scheme of things. It's time on the water in peaceful solitude or with good friends that counts. Sincerely, rich

Communication is the biggest problem I have with mike. Being an international customer buying on reputation of quality, reviews, and pictures of beautifully finished rods - I cannot jump in the car and drive to Mikes workshop to see what is going on. I am relying on communication via the internet, despite all it's downfalls. Overseas phone calls are just too expensive, and the internet is (or should be) so easy.

Yes, waiting a year is ridiculous - but in my communication prior to placing an order I was told it should be no problem to have it done by late October. I sturuggled to pay a bigger deposit that necessary just so I would have less to pay later. If Mike had said it would be a year I would have simply placed the minimum deposit and been much more patient. Anyway, my trip back to my home waters is in 2 weeks and despite the fact it will be nice to be back, casting someone elses old, nasty, and too long and heavy for the stream graphite rod just won't be the same.

Also, considering I told Mike I was planning to write a review of the rod for Australias best fly fishing magazine, you would think perhaps that someone in business would see there is an opportunity to make a good impression. I know a few local light line flyfishers who are looking forwaard to what I have to say - some who have thought about ordering a McFarland but were unsure about doing so without having seen one "in the flesh" so to speak.

Come on Mike, with your reputation as a great builder, just improve your communication and your reputation will only get better - and besides, I want that 5wt eventually too!