The Encounter is the most affordable complete outfit Orvis sells — rod, reel, line, backing, and leader, rigged and ready to fish out of the box. If someone in your life keeps saying they want to try fly fishing, this is the honest answer that does not cost a fortune and does not set them up to fail.
What's in the outfit
- Orvis Encounter fly rod, 4-piece, with rod tube
- Large-arbor Encounter reel, pre-spooled
- Weight-forward floating line, backing, and tapered leader — rigged loop-to-loop
Sizes we stock
| Length | Line | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| 8' 6" | 5 wt | Smaller water, easier casting |
| 9' 0" | 5 wt | The all-around starter outfit |
| 9' 0" | 6 wt | Wind, streamers, bigger water |
| 9' 0" | 8 wt | Bass, pike, light salt |
All four-piece. Current pricing is on the selector above.
Which one? The 9' 5 weight, almost always. It handles dry flies, nymph rigs, and small streamers on every river near this shop, and it is the size a beginner will grow into rather than out of.
Encounter or Clearwater? The Encounter gets you fishing for less. The Clearwater outfit costs more and is worth it if you already know you are going to stick with this — better rod built on Helios tapers, a sealed-drag reel, and the 25-year rod guarantee. Both are on our site, and we are happy to tell you honestly which one fits how much you are actually going to fish.
Buy it here and we do the part that matters. We check the rigging, show you the two or three knots you need, and set the reel up for your retrieve hand before you leave. Beginners who get that ten minutes at the counter are dramatically more likely to still be fishing next year.
Ed's Fly Shop, 432 E Main St, downtown Montrose, Colorado.
