Orvis Clearwater Reel Review [The Best]

When you are looking for a lightweight fly reel with a large arbor, the Orvis Clearwater Reel from Orvis certainly stays there as your top choice. Without any suspense, we have to tell you that today’s article is about Orvis Clearwater Reel review. This amazing fly reel has enough weight to balance with your fly rod and has all the features required to be superior from other fly reels with similar specifications. If you are thinking about getting a fly reel designed with cast aluminum, you might want to know about this outstanding fly reel manufactured by Orvis. This guide will certainly help you get enough information about the awesome Orvis Clearwater Reel.

Top Orvis Fly Reels

Orvis – Who Are They?

The Orvis Clearwater Reel is manufactured by Orvis, US-based retail and mail-orders business. The Orvis Company was founded in the year 1856 by Charles F. Orvis in Manchester, Vermont, United States. In the beginning, Orvis used to offer premium, high-end fly-fishing equipment along with amazing customer support service for their satisfaction.

Now, Orvis is a family-owned retail and mail-order company based in Sunderland, Vermont in the United States along with 88 retail stores and 11 outlet stores in the United Kingdom and the United States. 70 retail stores and 10 outlet stores can be found in the United States. The current CEO of the Orvis company is Leigh H ‘Perk’ Perkins.

Orvis has been producing high-quality equipment for fly fishing over a period of 162 years, ever since Charles F. They started selling fishing tackle in 1856. Orvis is also the oldest mail-order retailer company in the United States and specializes not only in fly fishing equipment but also in clothing, household, gifts, dogs, luggage and other outdoor equipment. The major focus of Orvis is to provide people with more wonderful lives full of adventures of the natural world with a deep personal connection with nature.

Orvis Clearwater Reel Review

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Costing just between $89.00 – $98.00 with the two models (II and IV), the Orvis Clearwater Reel is a premium, high-quality fly fishing reel manufactured by Orvis. This amazing reel consists of a large arbor designed with cast aluminum along with a stacked disc drag. This Clearwater Reel is an all-new fly reel from Orvis manufactured in such a way that it costs lower than the other Orvis reels, but can compete with other reels with hefty price tags. Without waiting any longer, let’s look at the cool features offered by Orvis in this outstanding fly reel.

Salient Features

• This premium fly reel is available in the following two models for two different line weights:
  1. Orvis Clearwater LA II – Compatible with line weight of 4-6, 5.5 ounces, 3.375 inches diameter
  2. Orvis Clearwater LA IV – Compatible with line weight of 7-9, 6.3 ounces, 3.875 inches diameter
• The Orvis Clearwater Large Arbor Fly Reel is made up of cast aluminum which helps in making the reel lighter without interrupting its balance with your fly rod.
• This reel features a positive-click drag knob which allows you to make consistent adjustments every time you use it for fly fishing.
• There are left-hand and right-hand retrieves in this reel and you can convert from one to another efficiently.
• It consists of a powerful inline, Rulon® to stainless and stacked disc drag which can hold its own with the high-end machined reel.

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Features We Loved

• It is easy to convert from left-hand to right-hand retrieve and vice-versa.
• You can get free shipping if you order products with a total of over $150.
• This amazing fly reel is easy to carry from one place to another since it is lightweight.
• Unlike other reels of its kind, this fly reel doesn’t need a lot of maintenance.
• It is less expensive while looking at its cool features that can compete with high-priced reels.

We Didn't Like

Till now, no disadvantage has been detected with the usage of this tremendous fly reel from Orvis. Every customer who has purchased this fly reel through different online stores have left positive feedback regarding this fly reel.

The price of this fly reel might be a little expensive, but if you purchase it once, you’ll be able to achieve the best out of your money.

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Now you know the features and advantages of this outstanding large arbor fly reel. And you might be interested in getting this reel for fly fishing. With this large, yet lightweight fly reel, you’d able to obtain the best features you can find in any premium fly reel tagged at a hefty price tag just for $89 to $98. We highly recommend you to get this fly reel right now if you are interested in getting a fly reel that can perform the task like a machined reel and can totally change the fly fishing experience like a die cast reel.

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Comparison With Other Orvis Reels

When this tremendous Clearwater Reel from Orvis is compared with other fly reels from the same manufacturer, you’d be able to find a lot of similarities as well as some major upsides.

Orvis Hydros SL Reel

The Orvis Clearwater Reel might fall under the Orvis Hydros SL Fly Reel, but the major factor is, it possesses a similar retrieval rate as that of the latter one. However, you may not be able to obtain an increased backing capacity that the Hydros SL offers with the use of the Clearwater Large Arbor reel.

Also, the Hydros SL fly reel has 3 times stronger drag system. It features 0 start-up inertia. However, it costs more than double the price of the Clearwater Reel.

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Full Review

Orvis Hydros SL II Reel

The Orvis Hydros SL II CITRON Fly Fishing Reel is also a large arbor fly reel like the Clearwater Reel, but it also features a 3 times stronger drag including zero start-up inertia which makes it superior to the Clearwater reel from Orvis.

However, it also costs double the price of the Clearwater reel. The Clearwater reel can be better since it is affordable. However, with a high price tag, you can get similar features as that of the Hyrdos SL II CITRON Reel.

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Orvis Battenkill Reel

The Orvis Battenkill Disc Drag Fly Fishing Reel is another fly reel from Orvis featuring a mid-arbor design. Both the Orvis Battenkill Reel and the Clearwater Reel are priced at an accessible price tag. Based on their performance, it can be said that it is actually a good factor.

This fly reel also features a superior sealed drag system similar to the Hydros SL fly reel. However, it costs nearly twice the price of Clearwater reel even though it has a mid-arbor design.

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Orvis Mirage Reel

The Orvis Mirage USA Fly Reel costs 4 times the price of the Orvis Clearwater Large Arbor reel, but there are several reasons behind its hefty price tag. It is designed with high-quality 6061 T6 aluminum. However, the latter one is designed with lightweight cast aluminum. It features a sealed, stainless steel drag system along with very large backing capacity.

It is also available in 5 different models for different fly line weights. This means you have a lot more options than the Clearwater reel.

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Full Review

Wrapping Up

Now you got the overall review of the Orvis Clearwater Reel along with its comparison with other high-quality reels from Orvis. The Clearwater reel has been found as the most affordable among all. However, other reels with specialties are priced with a hefty price tag. It is highly recommended for you to get this Clearwater Large Arbor Reel from Orvis. This is one of the best lightweight, portable, affordable reels with large arbor design. Last but not least, this reel is able to balance with any fly rod weight.