orvis clearwater...insight?

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blakew510

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Mar 15, 2016
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I have the opportunity to get a brand new 8'6" 5wt Orvis Clearwater rod. I've gone fly fishing say 25 times and definitely know what I'm doing and can catch fish, but by no means am I highly skilled. Is this a good rod at $149? I'm currently using a Cabelas 3 forks 8'6" which has been good but I think im ready for a slight upgrade. My girlfriend is looking to buy this for my birthday. What do you guys think?
 
I haven’t used a Clearwater before but I know that’s a great price. Go down to the outlet pick one up and see if you can cast it. For what it’s worth, I have a few nice rods but the one I still use the most is my redington 8’6” 4 wt ct. I also had a 3 forks which severed its purposhe but after 3 broken roads I hung it up and upgraded.
 

I can’t speak to the new one that was just released this year but I really like the previous one for that length and weight. I think you will be very happy with it.

I have bought multiple for friends and family and take one as a back up for myself on trips.
 
The rod only makes the angler at the fly shop. It's a fine rod at a great price.

I would recommend you keep the three forks (assuming it's a 5 weight) and get the Clearwater in a 3, 4 or 6 weight. Why, because the rod doesn't make the angler and now you have choices when you go fly fishing. if you cannot afford another reel and line then i would not replace the rod at all.
 
For what it's worth, I recently bought a 10' 3wt Clearwater. Today I fished it for the first time and absolutely love it! The fit and finish of this rod is much better than I expected at that price point.

My other favorite rod is a Clearwater 8'6" 5wt from about 15 years ago.

 
Blakew,

I bought a Fenwick Aetos from Trident for about the same price or cheaper on sale. Now Orvis has a great deal on the clearwater. I saw it as low as $129 during their last sale. Please note that the sale is on the old rod as they are clearing inventory. This sale won't last forever. These are good rods. I have used these rods with guides and also loved everyone. I would check Trident also.

Funny, I first used a 3 forks and still have it.

Cheers,
 
I had a the previous model 8'6" 4 weight and just picked up a 10' 3 weight of the current model. Both rods are excellent for the money. The 4 weight in particular felt great and was my go to dry fly rod until I bought the 4 weight superfine glass.

I imagine the 5 weight clearwater would be a great rod as well
 
If you already have an 8'6" 5wt, I'd recommend getting something different. If you plan on fishing larger streams maybe get the Clearwater in a 9' 6wt or the most popular size for trout fishing the 9' 5wt.
 
For the money its a great rod. You'll notice a huge difference.
 
blakew510 wrote:
I have the opportunity to get a brand new 8'6" 5wt Orvis Clearwater rod. I've gone fly fishing say 25 times and definitely know what I'm doing and can catch fish, but by no means am I highly skilled. Is this a good rod at $149? I'm currently using a Cabelas 3 forks 8'6" which has been good but I think im ready for a slight upgrade. My girlfriend is looking to buy this for my birthday. What do you guys think?

A birdie told me they are using the same graphite for the new Clearwater rods that they are currently using for the recons .
 
I have had one for years. I use it as a back up and primary rig depending on the water I'm fishing. Great fly rod. I use an old Orvis multiplier reel on it. Balances out nicely. You could do far worse. Money well spent.
 
Fredrick wrote:
A birdie told me they are using the same graphite for the new Clearwater rods that they are currently using for the recons .

That's a little like saying that Ford uses the same steel as GM. The point being that Recons are made in-house by Orvis and Clearwaters are an outsourced rod, Chinese rod. They are different products and I don't think anyone should shop Orvis rods thinking that by purchasing a Clearwater that they are getting a Recon for half price.

Now with that in mind, I don't think you can beat the current Clearwaters for performance and brand reputation at that price point. They stand up on their own very well.
 
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