I’m thinking about getting an Orvis Clearwater 8.5 ft. 5wt. rod and an Orvis Battenkill Mid Arbor III reel. Is this an overkill for a first timer. I will be using it for trout in Pa. and NJ. thanks
hi, ecks. nope, not overkill unless you can’t afford it. sounds like a nice combo. just curious… why the mid-arbor? i’d have gone with the battenkill barstock disc drag and saved a few bucks on the reel. then again, i’m new at this stuff still.
Thanks Diane, since I know nothing about fly fishing tackle I’ve been asking a lot of questions and I’ve noticed that large or mid arbor are big buzz words in reels so I assumed that maybe the mid arbor might be worth the extra 20 bucks.
Large arbor? Who cares? It won’t make all that much difference when fishing for trout, anyway. The only LA reels I own are for saltwater / steelhead purposes.
Hi ecks,
I fish PA and find the 8 1/2’ for a 5 a great all around rod. As you progress maybe a 9’ for nymphing or a 7 or 71/2 for small streams but the 8 1/2’ is fine.
Also I use, and recommend, the standard Orvis battenkill reels. for 15 yrs they have performed flawlessly on PA trout up to a 27" rainbow. They’re about $80.
I’d save money on the reel and put it toward a good line which, I believe, is more important than the reel in this instance.
Good luck!
I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again. Mid-Arbor and Large-Arbor reels are nothing more than a marketing gimmick to sell fly reels to people that already own fly reels.
That being said, I think you are making a good choice in your rod selection. For the reel, the regular Battenkill gets the thumbs up.