My name is Mike Haverland, (Eskimo), and I have been a fishing guide on the White River in Arkansas for over 30 years. Having guided bait fishermen on the White River since 1992, I decided to return to fly fishing and guiding exclusively since 2005. I began building fishing rods in the late 1970s. Over the years, I have crafted spinning rods for salmon, steelhead, and pan fishing, as well as rods for dam fishing in Arkansas and Oklahoma. My journey started with spinning and fly rods designed for fishing on the White River in Arkansas, using both fiberglass and graphite blanks. For the past five years, I have exclusively worked with Ron Weiss at Hook & Hackle..

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I have used several custom rod builder blanks, also known as OEM’s Series Blanks, to build custom fly rods for clients who fish with me on the White River in Arkansas.

I started building fishing rods back in the late 1970s, I have built spinning rods for salmon, steelhead, and pan fishing I have built rods for Dam fishing in Arkansas and Oklahoma. I started to build spinning rods and fly rods for fishing on the White River in Arkansas, using fiberglass blanks and graphite blanks, I have done business with Ron Weiss at Hook and Hackle for about the last five years exclusively.
I have used several of the custom rod builder blanks (aka OEM’s Series Blanks) for building custom fly rods for clients who fish with me on the White River in Arkansas.

Also, I have built several rods using the Xi blank, the clients that I have built fly fishing rods for like myself have been extremely pleased with the way that the rods cast, I tend to craft these using two oversized stripping guides, and the running guides are all single-footed guides with inserts. These rods cast extremely well and are a dream to fish.

Tried & true: Our Xi’s are our best-selling blanks and kits. … and, our 2024 Xi’s are already taking off! matte black finish.  AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, OUR XI’S FISH LIKE A DREAM! 

Recently, I had an opportunity to build a rod for myself using the X2i Blank. Instead of using my usual cork handle and maple (aluminum U3 with maple insert) reel seat, I used a carbon fiber handle and reel seat. I used two oversized stripping guides, but all of the running guides were single-footed wire rings, running guides, I also used the new Poly NCP Thread in size “A”
The Xi finished rods cast well, the action of the rod is medium/fast, and is very forgiving for those who struggle a bit with their casting ability. The White River is very windy, and the Xi handles the wind very well. I guide out of a 20’ Jet Boat designed for fishing on the White River. I can get my clients with an easy casting range of the fish according to their abilities, but if you need to make the “long cast,” you can cast into the backing if needed.

That said, personally, I would rather fish with a rod, where the action of the rod is a bit faster, and I have that option with the X2i blank. I am used to fishing with rods that I build with, single-footed ring guides with a ceramic ring insert. I built this rod using the single-footed wire ring guides that Ron suggested, as well as the carbon fiber handle and reel seat. This made for an extremely lightweight rod, with the action that I like, using both of these blanks, you do not have to “aim” your cast, you just ‘think it to the target’.

I was shocked to discover that the wire guides also enabled me to cast long into the backing if needed.

I guided on the White River for a week using the rod built with the X2i blank as my primary rod on the White River with several different clients, I will be building these clients’ rods using the X2i blanks so that they may add this rod to their collection of most favored rods. All of the clients that I fished with on this trip already had a fly rod built with the Xi blank.
Whether you are looking for a great blank to build an affordable fly rod for a client or you are looking for a great blank to build a rod from for your own fly fishing pleasure, you cannot go wrong with an Xi for a ‘medium/fast’ action blank, or an X2i for a ‘fast’ action.

Tight lines!

Mike (Eskimo) Haverland

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