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While it is great to have so much interest in my rods, I have decided to shut things down for a while. This is a tough decision as I really enjoy talking with new and old customers and building them the "perfect" rod. However, the flood of orders from late last year and this spring has caused some delays, canceled orders, and unfortunately hard feelings with several customers. This is the worst part for me as I really value the interaction with the customer before, during, and after the build. I have a lot of customers that I have gotten to know well and consider friends. It certainly has never been my intention to have people wait 6 months plus for a rod. Although someone posted here a while back that they don't see why it is so hard to set up a delivery schedule and stick to it, it actually is difficult at times. I guess I am at fault for being too optimistic about delivery dates, but there a certain things that are out of my control. I have about 6 different suppliers that I rely on for things like cork, glass, and guides. A delay in the supply of any of these causes delays in rods and this just snowballs down the line. That said, I don't want to come across as being upset. I don't blame anyone who has cancelled their rod orders.

I have a significant amount of orders now that I will continue working hard to fill as quickly as possible. After that I'm done, at least for a while. I have several design projects that have been on hold that I want to finish up (namely the glass Spey rod and some new Para models) and I am also trying to get my bamboo rods off the ground. I hope to be back before too long. Until then look forward to some sweet tapers to come.

Mike McFarland