Charles F. Orvis opened a tackle shop in Manchester, Vermont, in 1856. His 1874 fly reel was described by reel historian Jim Brown as the "benchmark of American reel design," the first fully modern fly reel. His elegantly printed tackle catalogue distributed to a small but devoted customer list in the late 19th century, were the early forerunners of today's enormous direct-mail outdoor products industry. Charles's daughter, Mary Orvis Marbury, took charge of the Orvis fly department in the 1870s. By 1892, when she published a milestone encyclopedic reference book on fly patterns--Favorite Flies and Their Histories, Orvis had emerged as the country's foremost arbiter of fly-pattern authenticity and style.
Following Charles's death in 1915, sons Albert and Robert managed the company until the 1930s, when it essentially collapsed during the Depression. .Under Perkins and Jordan's successor as chief rod builder, Howard Steere, Orvis became the world's largest and most versatile manufacturer of high-quality fly rods and reels. In 1989, Tom Peters, author of In Search of Excellence, named the Orvis fly rod one of the five best products made in the United States in the 1980s.
Through its fishing and shooting schools and growing network of retailers, Orvis became a leading force in marketing the traditions and activities associated with the broader country lifestyle of which fly fishing was just one part. Historian Kenneth Cameron has written that Perkins' accomplishment was to "define the look of contemporary fly fishing and the entire social universe in which it fits, no small achievement."
Charles Orvis and Mary Orvis Marbury have been inducted into the Fly Fishing Hall of Fame. Among their successors at Orvis, Dudley Corkran, Wes Jordan, Leigh Perkins, and Howard Steere could all be regarded as legitimate candidates for eventual induction.
Today, Orvis has published a multitude of instructional books and Podcasts, most often published or written by fly fishing mentor Tom Rosenbauer who has been with the company for over 30 years.
ORVIS FLY RODS
Orvis Clearwater Fly Rods - Each size is tailored to have the best action suitable for that line weight. Built with a significant upgarde in reel seat and cosmetics, these rods will revolutionise performance for price.Orvis Encounter Fly Rods are the best starter rod, reel and line outfits. They are also fantastic value and are perfect for anglers of all ages who are just starting out in fly fishing. These perfectly balanced outfits are built to Orvis’ exacting specifications and are designed to make fly fishing as easy as possible.
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ORVIS FLY REELS
Orvis Fly Reels have been on the market for a long time and are made to a high standard to enhance your casting ability.Orvis Hydros Trout Fly Reels are designed for superb performance and stopping power. A true large arbor game reel on the market that carries this disc drag performance at a great price.
Other fishing reels include the Orvis Battenkill Disc Reel and the Orvis Battenkill S&P Reel
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ORVIS BACKING
Whether you’re after Bluefin tuna or brook trout, Orvis Dacron backing or low diameter Orvis Gel Spun will help you succeed. Choose the lengths and colours to make sure you’re always in the game.View All Orvis Backing »
ORVIS LEADERS
Orvis Super Strong Leaders are preferred for standard dry fly fishing, for smaller nymph fishing in broken water, and for fly fishing with small streamer patterns.ORVIS TOOLS & ACCESSORIES
Orvis Tools & Gadgets - Orvis have assembled a collection of must-have tools and gadgets, all designed to make your day on the water more productive - and more fun. These include the Orvis Durable Stripping Basket to the Orvis Saltwater Pliers.
Orvis Nipper & Zingers - Keep your essentials close by with quality zingers and never worry about losing another tool when on the water. These include the Orvis Wire Cord Zinger to the Orvis Ergonomic Snips.
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In 1840 Charles Farlow founded our sister brand Farlows in London, England. 16 years later, Charles F. Orvis founded the Orvis Company in Manchester, Vermont, America. Both brands were built around providing superior fishing products and unrivalled customer service, values which have kept them as industry leaders for over 160 years.
Still headquartered in Vermont, today Orvis is an international, multi-channel retailer with approximately 1,700 employees and a major operation in Stockbridge, Hampshire on the banks of the world famous river Test. While it also sells country clothing and dog products, its core UK offering is around fly fishing.
In addition to fly fishing tackle, its other services cover fly-fishing adventures abroad, as well as fly-fishing instruction, day rod letting, guides, and fishing events in the UK, such as the Orvis Saltwater Fly Fishing Festival.
100% customer satisfaction has been our commitment since 1856. It's who we are. If you aren't happy with a product or service, we want to know about it. And we'll make it right.
THAT'S THE ORVIS WAY.
The Orvis family ran the business for over 150 years. Leigh H. Perkins purchased The Orvis Company in 1965 and over the next three decades transformed it into one of America’s most respected sporting, apparel, and dog brands. His sons, Leigh H. “Perk” Perkins Jr. and David Perkins, also made Orvis their lives’ work. When Leigh retired in 1992, Perk became president and CEO, with Dave working alongside him. Under their leadership, Orvis quadrupled in size. Today, the company is run by Perk’s son, Simon, while his brother, Charley, and his cousin, Hannah, also hold important positions in the business. It remains privately owned and family run.
SHARED BRAND VALUES
Beyond their continued commitment to quality products and 100% customer satisfaction, Orvis also shares some of the same other values as Farlows and Sportfish. They all invest to grow the sport, to encourage more people into it (especially women and kids) and they all believe in protecting what they love through commitments to helping the environment.
While Sportfish and Farlows do this through actively supporting key environmental charities, Orvis do this through donating 5% of pre-tax profits every year to protecting nature, supporting communities, and advancing canine health and well-being. With a unique matching grant program, Orvis and its customers have raised and donated more than $20 million to protecting nature over the past 25 years.
ORVIS FISHING TACKLE
As you’d expect from a brand with over 150 years of producing top quality products and a commitment to customer satisfaction, all the Orvis fishing tackle that we stock is world class. Their full product range is impressive - we’ve selected some of the best bits to complement our own range of other top quality brands.
ORVIS FISHING RODS
The Orvis Clearwater® is one of the best value-for-money fly rods you can buy but with a significant upgrade in performance and looks. Each rod is designed with a purpose-built profile and action to handle the kind of fishing the rod size would traditionally be used for from a medium action, small-stream rod to medium-fast freshwater rod. The 8 x 4 piece rods in the range, from 7ft 6” #4 all the way to 10ft #8, all come with the Orvis 25 Year Guarantee, as do the 4 x 6 piece range of Clearwater Travel rods.
The Orvis Encounter® rod, reel and line outfits offer fantastic value and are perfect for anglers of all ages just starting out in fly fishing. These balanced outfits are built to Orvis’ exacting specifications and are designed to make fly casting as easy as possible. Available in 5 different lengths / line weights to cover most types of fishing, just add a fly and you’re ready to go.
The Orvis Practicaster is a one-piece, 36ins long, practice rod with a green fly line and an orange fly. It perfectly imitates the cast and allows you to develop and improve the exact motion used in a real cast. It comes with multiple casting game instructions and three velcro "trout" targets. The fly rod is shorter and more compact for indoor casting practice anywhere.
ORVIS FLY REELS
The Orvis Battenkill Click-and-pawl fly reel is a trusted classic, redesigned for optimum performance and aesthetics. If you prefer putting a running fish in the palm of your hand with a click-and-pawl fly reel, this one takes some beating. This next generation workhorse features a click-and-pawl drag system that is adjusted internally, a curved reel foot that won't knik leaders, improved hand feel and even smoother operation.
If you prefer a disk drag reel, the Orvis Battenkill Disc fly reel is similar to its brother above, but features a drag system which incorporates six interacting carbon and stainless drag surfaces and is simple and easy to adjust.
The Orvis Hydros fly reels feature a large arbor design for quick line retrieval. The strong, smooth sealed carbon and stainless-steel drag is more than twice as powerful as its predecessor with zero start up inertia. The fully machined aluminium frame has also been redesigned to be lighter and stronger and to balance better with lighter rods.
ORVIS BACKING & LEADERS
The Orvis Dacron fly line backing is a top quality fine diameter super smooth braided line, available in white or orange, with 20lb and 30lb options on spools from 100 to 300 yards. It won’t rot and stores well on the fly reel.
Orvis Gel Spun fly line backing is the choice of big fish anglers. Braided from gel-spun polyethylene, this incredible fishing line backing is 10 times stronger than steel in equal diameters. A very small diameter for higher yardage on the fly reel means slower spool rpms on runs and faster pickups. Gel-Spun has virtually no stretch, is extremely abrasion resistant, yet has a very low coefficient of friction so fishing line backing will not damage your fly rod's guides, and retains 100% of its strength while in the water. Unaffected by UV, petrol, oil, salt, or detergents.
Orvis Superstrong+ nylon knotless tapered leaders have superior knot strength and are a perfectly balanced blend of elasticity, knot strength, abrasion resistance and suppleness combined with low stretch. Available from 3X to 6X breaking strains, with 7ft 6”, 9ft and 12ft options.
ORVIS ACCESSORIES
From surgical-grade stainless steel nippers, forceps, zingers, 40” tape measure, fly boxes, strike indicators, UV sun protection gloves, a tie fast tool, to flip focal lens that can attach to the brim of your hat, Orvis has got you covered.
WHAT MAKES ORVIS GREAT?
The simple answer here is its longstanding commitment to quality (both of its products and its customer service), coupled with its adherence to 3 core Orvis values:
- Surprise & delight your customer
- Take pride in your product
- Protect what we love
I’ve had an Orvis Battenkill fly reel for many years. Not only is it a piece of masterful engineering, it is also a thing of beauty, part of my tackle collection that I cherish more than others. Orvis will be 170 years old next year. I’m pretty sure it will still be around in another 170.
Do you have any Orvis stories of your own? Share them in the comments area below!
