I'm a beginner ..... a real newbie ........ I purchased a bunch of blanks from Merrick and now I'm just about been convinced to send them bach and buy some 1st quality blanks from other suppliers.

However, I think I need some help. I just called Mudhole but could not find anyone knowledgeable enough on the Shikari blanks to advise me on which ones to get. The person I spoke with checked around and said that no one there was familiar with them. THat was not a line that they usually carried and that they just bought up the stock when they went out of business.

I'm fishing the Chesapeake Bay and close shore ocean. Mostly Stripers, bluefish, flounder and sometimes cobia and mack's ........... I like light spinning tackle but the rods have to have enough backbone and tip to handle the up to 2 0z (occasionally) jigs, up to 6" plugs and bottom livelining 4-6" spot.

I realize that this may require several different rod blanks but I'm not exactly sure which ones will be the best. Can someone help me in the selection? I was thinking about buying up to 4 blanks.

Thanks

Rick

Rick, read this and then decide. [www.rodbuilding.org]

They're sending me a UPS pick-up tag to take the 20 back that I bit on.

I did read and posted to that ........ when I called Merrick they said I could return them but I had to pay the postage. How did you get them to pay the postage. I have 19 at home right now.

I called and asked to speak to someone with authority. Then I asked for a UPS pick-up tag. He told me he would refund my postage so I had better get a full refund. If I don't I know who to call.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/24/2007 05:14PM by Chuck Mills.

Any help with blank selection?

Richard,
While your waiting for someone out east to pop up, try the search function with the species of each fish for prior post information on blanks, etc.
There is a bunch of info there.

Spencer,

Thanks ............ I tried that and I can't seem to find much pertinent information. The info that I could find listed a brand name of a blank but not specs. They did not list the length or the action or the but or tip dimensions or the line weight ratings or what characteristics the chosen blank possessed that they liked ........

Can you suggest a search or some specs ?

Thanks

Rick

All the specs are in each company's catalog. Mudhole has a huge data base on their site. Angler's Workshop's and Mudhole's catalogs are invaluable to me for looking up stuff. Sites like stripesonline.com and others like the one's on saltwater fishing magazine sites can really be a help also, lots of people willing to share any info about specific rods or characteristics for different fish or presentations. Just have to search for them.
The very best info over the years has been from other anglers I fished with or were fishing in the area I was at. Have swapped rods, tips, flies, lures and tales with hundreds of angler's over the years.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/25/2007 05:57PM by Spencer Phipps.

Richard - we have purchased Shikari blanks from Merrick and been totally satisfied. On the other hand, we knew exactly what we needed and asked them to pick some out along the lines of what we wanted, rather than just sending us a random selection. They still honored their sale price - these are, like virtually all of the sponsors on the BBS, some of the greatest folks to deal with you could ask for. BTW, we also purchased a number of Shikari blanks from the "trashcans" at the last two Shows and have been quite well satisfied with them, too.

I grew up on Chesapeake chasing stripers in the days when there were more in one season than you'll see in ten seasons now. We currently fish stripers offshore and in the rivers here in Eastern North Carolina. I have a number of blanks especially for the purpose, some with grips and realseats already installed. Some of them are Shikari's. Our customers seem to like them pretty well.

If you want to discuss striper rods in your waters please don't hesitate to email me.

Uncle Russ
Calico Creek Rods

I talked to Scott at Merrick just a little bit ago. He assured me that neither he nor anyone at his company has ever represented these as first quality Shikari blanks. He referred to them as "close outs." (They were actually culled and sold to a junk dealer by Shikari, who then turned around and sold them to Merrick.)

On the other hand, I've got a half dozen builders who are telling me that someone at Merrick had informed them that these were 1st quality Shikari blanks being sold as close outs. Not at all the same thing.

I am getting two entirely different stories here.

.........

I recently purchased 30 blanks with two other people, and the option that we got was either 6', 6'6", and 7 ft. No choices or special picks. They also had some short versions, if you wanted. There is no guarantee, and the ones we got were sanded but not sealed or painted. They have some blemishes, but not so severe that a person can't use them for making working blanks. I was totally satisfied.

At least they were not egg shaped at the butt end and for the most part, I am going to build a few for casting and have fun. I am going to use rod varnish to give them a better finish look. The 4 that I took are reasonably decent. But by no means are they like the first line blanks I purchased years ago. But they also did not cost 100-150.00 dollars a blank. If nothing else, a person can make some reamers, gaffs, and maybe use parts for repairing blanks. Mine are buildable.

To answer the question, they were never represented as first line blanks. They have no tags, no plastic bags, or any identification. I just took my old catalogs and measured and got a idea of what I have and that is how I am going to proceed.

The flyer does not say they are closeouts. It says...

The Best Price on the World Wide Web!!!
Now in Stock!
Shikari Graphite Blanks
$10.00 Each! (net)
Regular $80-115
Available in
6'
6'-1/2"
7'
Call Merrick Tackle Today!
800-628-8904
Get 'em while they last!

Thank you. The "Regular $80-$115" tells me what I need to know. The implication is that these are blanks that would normally sell for that amount, which is completely false. It is misleading at best and dishonest at worst.

They were not closeouts. They were rejects that did not pass any Shikari quality control standard, not even for 2nds or blems. They would never have been sold under the Shikari name or for anything other than "junk." This is according to Shikari.

It is not a matter of whether someone was satisfied, or what the blanks might be good for, it is a matter of representation with the knowledge of what these actually were and how they were sold. Had they been advertised as "Shikari rejects" or "Shikari culls" and a case made for why they were still a good bargain, there would be no problem. But they were advertised as being close outs of regular 1st quality Shikari blanks, which they were not. This is the not the type of thing you like to see in what we all consider to be a close knit and well intentioned industry.



.............



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 09/27/2007 09:16AM by Tom Kirkman.

Thanks guys for this post! I have been on the fence with these blanks and actually called Merrick to confirm the "condition" of these blanks when they were first advertised. I don't remember what was actually said in that conversation but I do remember that to me at least, it seemed like a bum deal. I have been watching this and other posts with great interest and when I checked my email today I have another advertisement from Merrick for these Skikari blanks. The email contained this info:

Closeout—Untrimmed
Shikäri Graphite Blanks
Spinning— All Purpose 5’ to 7’ Blanks
$10.00 / 50 or more $7.00!
Best Price on the World Wide Web!!

This clearly is different than what they were being advertised as. I also received the email that Mr. Mills posted earlier and this whole situation has done nothing but to question Merricks' integrity.

I think I'm going to be settling up with Merrick and closing my account with them!

As I said before, I'm a real newbie at this. I ordered 19 . Some for practice in making rods and some to sell to others at my cost who might want to try their hand at rod building at a reasonable cost. I don't know what I'm looking at so I took them to a friend that has a real good reputation for rod building and usually used Batson Blanks.

We went over all 19 rods with a fine tooth comb and compared them to the Batson Blanks ....... Out of the 19 we found 7 that were great. In fact he fell in love with one of them (so I gave it to him) The main concerns were that the tips and bases had some splits and a couple had blemishes which I understand is normal because they are not cutoff. Some had 2 spines and some it was hard to determine the exact spine. The rest were just the wrong action.

I called Scott at Merricks and he was very plesant and offered to take them back or work out some other arrangement to make me happy. He'd even pick up the shipping. THat to me is good customer service ...... usually I have to fight to get that.

Bottom line for me is that the advertising has been changed to something better and the rods at $10 sound like a great deal to cheaply learn on and Merrick is willing to make me happy ........... so I will still buy stuff from them ..........

but that's me ........ a newbie

Tom,
I am having a hard time understanding your pompous attitude.
Have you yourself either purchased or handled any of these blanks?
I do not believe in fighting other people’s battles. If you bought some
of these blanks and have those in your possession and you have actual flyers or e-mails sent to you
you from these people and were making your judgment based on what
you were physically looking at, and how you were treated and then
were unhappy I could understand your bulldog attitude. But quite
frankly, as I see it, you are listening to everyone but deciding
to “hear” only what you want to hear. If you have never actually laid
an eye or hand on a single one, it is not really fair to be so critical. I think
you need to back off a little and chill man.
These people couldn’t have stayed afloat for almost a half a century if they cheated people. We are talking about $10.00 blanks not kidneys for someone’s next transplant. Sometimes you take a chance on buying something cheap and it turns out
really well and other times not so great, it is up to the buyer to decide and the
seller to fix. Oh, and then there are the times you spend a fortune and get junk!
Sounds to me like not everyone is unhappy. The biggest grumblers are
the ones who never even bought one yet.

I agree with Galen, build a few and have fun!

Dorothy,

You are way, way off base here. I do not get involved in people's business practices, but when I sell a business advertising via this site (sponsorship) magazine advertising or a rod expo booth, I expect them to be upfront and honest in their dealings with customers. If they are not, I catch the heat as has been proven time and time again with a few companies that did some things I won't go into here. I give everyone the benefit of the doubt but over time if enough information comes in and shows a pattern that is not entirely on the up and up, I will act in the best interest of my customers.

I could easily overlook such things and just keep the money in my pocket, but I won't do that. I won't abide anything even remotely dishonest. I would close up and go home before I'll prostitute myself and my ventures just to make a quick buck. It hurts to lose a sponsor, advertiser or a booth sale, but I'd rather do that than have anyone mislead the rod builders via the resources I work so hard to provide.

The fact is that these were being advertised as close outs of first quality Shikari blanks ("Regular price $85 to $100"), which they are not. The company in question was informed of that fact rather bluntly some time ago but chose to continue marketing them as something that they were not. And this is not the only transgression. I do not care if you like the blanks or not, or whether they're a good bargain in your opinion. My concern is whether or not a sponsor used false advertising to promote a product that was not as represented. And again, this is not the only transgression involved.

If you wish to be indignant because I look out for you and others who utilize my website, magazine and event, that's fine. But you need to careful with your statements when you don't have even a tiny slice of the entire scenario in view. I have a responsibility here that you don't and the buck stops with me. I owe the users of this site, the readers of my magazine and those who attend my events to do my level best to ensure that the companies I accept advertising from operate on the very highest standards of integrity. If I have to lose sponsorship or advertising revenue because I require my sponsors and advertisers to show only the highest level of integrity, so be it. I can't be bought for any amount of money.

..............



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 09/27/2007 11:20PM by Tom Kirkman.

OH my! A search under Dorothys name turns up seven posts in the past ninety days and six of those were to promote Merrick or Amity Tackle. One of them to demote Mud Hole. Tom,,,, is this more deception from Merrick?? Hmmmmm!

I'm very much aware of who "Dorothy" is.

...........

I don't have a dog in this fight but I did a quick search as suggested by John and find that Dorothy is obviously an employee of Merrick or someone in their organization. So my thoughts toward that company and its policies now swings in a decided direction.

For one, I appreciate and thank Tom for the stand he takes for those of us who use this website. I know that part of my ease in using the sponsors here comes from a feeling that they are honest people running honest businesses and if that weren't the case, then Tom wouldn't allow them to be sponsors here. I know he can't weed out everyone that might not be totally on an even keel, but I sense that if someone proves over time to be doing something dishonest that he'll dump them in the best interests of all of us who depend on the integrity of the sponsors here.

The sad part is that there are plenty of other rod building websites where a dishonest company can move to. Most of them are happy to sell advertising to anyone who is willing to part with the money no matter what their business practices might be. How many actually care how their sponsors treat their users the way Tom does?