Orvis Encounter Fly Rod Outfit - Fishing Rod and Reel Combo Starter Kit

As a newcomer to the world of fly fishing, I chose the Orvis Encounter as my first fly rod combo purchase. This choice was not made lightly, but after narrowing it down to three contenders that were within my budget, the Orvis name and reputation won me over. While I've had this combo for only a week, I have been able to take it fishing and catch my first trout with it. The 8'6" 5wt was my choice, and the rod felt more than capable handling the catch. This is a 4-piece rod with dots to line up where each section connects. The reel seems to be made of a type of ABS plastic, but it is substantial, and I don't anticipate any issues with it. It also came preloaded with backing, fly line, and tippet. I'm happy with my purchase.

Very nice rod and reel. The action on the rod is very smooth. It comes in a very nice, quality case. I would recommend this product to anyone.

Great package deal for a spare setup

Great rod to get into the sport with. Got a 9' 5wt in July of 2021 and have fished it hard in that time. I've since gotten an Orvis Recon 8'6" 3wt (approx. 600$) rod. Of course, the Recon is a nicer rod, but I'm always pleasantly surprised when I need to take out the 5wt on bigger water or when steamer fishing or dry, dropper, dropper days. The reel is far lower quality than the rod and the line is on the low end of mediocre. I broke the plastic reel on maybe the 5th trip and replaced with a Battenkill disc which is all I could ever see myself wanting in a reel. Looking forward to replacing the line with one of the Orvis Pro lines. The weight forward line is great if you are just learning or fishing tight waters, but gets unwieldly with a little distance. In all honesty, I'd like to have a nicer 5wt eventually, but this rod is nice enough that there is no hurry. I'm going to fill out the quiver a bit and will probably always hold onto this one as a spare or for taking out friends.

nice fly rod.

Great rod for the money. Includes case, reel and line. Flexible and up to Orvis standards. Would recommend especially for beginners.

Fantastic addition to my fishing collection. Arrived exactly as advertised, just tie on a fly and get to work. This has already been a valued addition to my traveling fishing equipment in the RV.

You can buy an expensive rod or a good rod from a well known company. I went with Orvis and it’s good value product.