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CFO Disc Drag Fly Fishing Reel

CFO Disc Drag Fly Fishing Reel

The CFO fly fishing reel has been the choice of technical fly fisherman since 1971. Reengineered to be lighter, smoother, and tougher. Although this fly fishing reel is machined using the most modern of materials and state-of-the-art machining technology, the CFO disc drag fly reel is a reverent nod to fly fishing tradition. The reel's signature look and sound are synonymous for thousands of fly fisherman with great moments on the water. It matches as perfectly in spirit, looks and performance with Orvis Superfine or bamboo fly rods as it does with our high-tech Helios and Hydros fly rods.

Average Customer Rating: 4.581 out of 5 4.6 out of 5
42 of 43 (98%) customers would recommend this product to a friend.

Customer Questions & Answers: 4 Questions |  4 Answers

Customer Reviews for CFO Disc Drag Fly Fishing Reel

Overall Rating: 5 out of 5 5 / 5
CFO Disk Drag Fly Reel, March 14, 2010
By: GoneFishing24

"Still Winter hear in Indiana, so I have not had a chance to use the Reel, but I have no doupt that this purachse coupled with my ORVIS 71/2 ft Fly Rod will be an outstanding combination for Pan Fish as well as for the Small Mouth Bass that I catch in the rapids of my favorite, Little Flat Rock
River fishing spot."


Review 2 for CFO Disc Drag Fly Fishing Reel

Overall Rating: 5 out of 5 5 / 5
Solid reel, March 8, 2010
By: mnfly from Driftless Area MN/WI

"I purchased a CFO over the winter, and finally got out on WI early opener to give it a workout. Never mind 40 degree air temps and snow and ice, the reel didn't miss a beat. Fished a slow, but steady midge hatch with the CFO on a 3wt rod, the brookies were happy to entertain me and the new reel."

Review 3 for CFO Disc Drag Fly Fishing Reel

Overall Rating: 5 out of 5 5 / 5
Excellent quality, March 4, 2010
By: Sluggo from Avid Flyfisherman, Sedona, Arizona

"I purchased the CFO 1 on sale, could not pass it up. This reel exceeds my expectations. Orvis you have done it again. Thank you for such a work of art."

Review 4 for CFO Disc Drag Fly Fishing Reel

Overall Rating: 5 out of 5 5 / 5
Good Reel, February 21, 2010
By: souza539

"The reel feels good and sold ,and works great so far. Got it on sale for $150 ,and thus far has been worth while ."

Review 5 for CFO Disc Drag Fly Fishing Reel

Overall Rating: 5 out of 5 5 / 5
What a deal, February 6, 2010
By: 5160

"I live in Chester Vermont. I have lived here my whole life an LOVE to fish. My wife an I are moving to Colorado and I have been waiting for a long time to fish somewhere else. Sooo...I went to Orvis the other day an got a superfine rod an a CFO 1 reel!! I am soo happy. :) The rods are the best and my uncle had worked there making rods for over 20 years so I know just what to look for. The reel is also great! looks great to. Can't wait to try the new toy out on the river!! Do what you love,Love what you do no matter what the price is."

Review 6 for CFO Disc Drag Fly Fishing Reel

Overall Rating: 5 out of 5 5 / 5
A Sweet Reel, February 4, 2010
By: Chuch

"A smooth reel that met my expectations as with most Orvis products. Smooth action and nice drag setting not too mention that it just simply looks and feels nice. For the price I would recommend this reel in a second. Thanx."

Review 7 for CFO Disc Drag Fly Fishing Reel

Overall Rating: 5 out of 5 5 / 5
Orvis CFO III, February 3, 2010
By: DunbarFlyFisherman from West Newton, PA

"I've got to be honest, I hadn't planned on purchasing another Orvis reel after the production was moved from England several years ago. But after seeing these reels on sale during January I thought I'd try it. I was very pleasantly surprised by the quality of the reel when I received it. I'm a machinist by trade so I really do notice very slight imperfections in manufacturing (its my job to). This reel is machined very close to perfection (yes, I actually did get my dial calipers and measure most aspects of the reel). The machining is done to fairly tight tolerances and the finish of the reel is outstanding. My only regret is that I didn't purchase one of these a few years ago. Great job!!! Its really nice to see a company still offering a NON-large arbor reel that actually "clicks" too. Well done Orvis!"

Review 8 for CFO Disc Drag Fly Fishing Reel

Top 100 Contributor Top 100 Contributor
Overall Rating: 5 out of 5 5 / 5
Great Reel, January 28, 2010
By: GunnarJ

"I have this reel on my 2 wt. Helios Ion and absolutely love it! It is a perfect fit that performs and looks spectacular. This is a great low arbor reel with no plastic gears that fishes like a dream."

Review 9 for CFO Disc Drag Fly Fishing Reel

Overall Rating: 5 out of 5 5 / 5
THE ULTIMATE REEL, January 10, 2010
By: TCDKT from Traverse City, Michigan

"I have fished with my CFO spring and pawl for 25 years and it has never let me down
. This reel is a precision designed and tooled light-weight bullet proof companion. Because of its light weight, I like it on my 7'6" bamboo 4wt and my Superfine Far and Fine 5wt.
Yes,I am a traditionalist: I prefer my spring and pawl CFO and my ORIGINAL
Far and Fine. Could it be that we have had so many wonderful adventures together?
But Orvis has gone to CFO exclusively in disc drag. Folks, this is still a CFO: it is still the best designed and built light trout reel out there; it can still be palmed to handle 20" plus trout on those 7'-7'6" rods and it is still bullet proof
The Jan. 2010 sale is too much for me. I will have the CFO disc and I will fish it until my days on the rivers are over.

The traditional simplicity (and beauty) of this reel has not changed significantly in decades. Why? Because it is the ultimate medium reel for trout.

See it, throw it, buy it, love it. I did; I do."


Review 10 for CFO Disc Drag Fly Fishing Reel

Top 50 Contributor Top 50 Contributor
Overall Rating: 5 out of 5 5 / 5
Super Fine with a Superfine, August 8, 2009
By: MrPebbles from Roanoke, Va

"I just purchased a Superfine 664-3 and I was debating which reel to get. My girlfriend surprised me with a CFO II to celebrate us being together for 2 years. I have fished with this reel a handful of times and the drag is incredibly smooth and looks pretty handsome on my Superfine. All I'm going to say is that my girlfriend is a keeper and so is this reel."

2 of 2 people found this review helpful.

Review 11 for CFO Disc Drag Fly Fishing Reel

Top 1000 Contributor Top 1000 Contributor
Overall Rating: 1 out of 5 1 / 5
No, June 25, 2009
By: aannibal from Milan, Italy

"I bought my CFO I for my superfine trout bum wt 2 6" 4 pcs (very good) but have been let down by the cheap mechanisms. Brake works only halfwheel, the other half working real loose (interrupting also the usual "tic-tic" sound), and adjusting the screw feels more or less like a toy. Honestly I had grat expectations on this reel that were met only by the appearance viewpoint.
Can fish it anyway, but too bad for such a poor quality/cost ratio..."


Response from Orvis: By Orvis Customer Service Team, August 24, 2009
Orvis Customer Service contacted this customer and apologized that the customer received a defective reel. Orvis thanked the customer for this feedback, as we are constantly trying to find ways to improve our items. Orvis also offered to exchange this item or give a complete refund. We will cheerfully exchange or refund your purchase at any time, for any reason. Our 100% Satisfaction Guarantee is the strongest in the business.

Review 12 for CFO Disc Drag Fly Fishing Reel

Top 250 Contributor Top 250 Contributor
Overall Rating: 5 out of 5 5 / 5
Classic look and design, November 20, 2008
By: GuyFlyFisher from MI

"I have used a CFO 1 on a Trout Bum 3wt for the last 2 years. The finish and feel is only matched by the classic "click" it makes. The drag range is more than enough for what might get to the reel in a fight. It easily holds the backing and DT 3wt line. The perfect size for a small stream rod."

Review 13 for CFO Disc Drag Fly Fishing Reel

Top 100 Contributor Top 100 Contributor
Overall Rating: 5 out of 5 5 / 5
CFO III Fly Reel, November 9, 2008
By: Mac1081 from Fairbanks, AK

"I paired this reel with a Helios 5wt and have since received nothing but compliments on a very handsome outfit. The overall quality of the reel is great, inside and out. The drag range is very wide from free-spool to nearly locked. The outer edge of the spool also makes it easy and enjoyable to palm when fighting a fish and that is where the value of this purchase really shines through. The drag protects lighter tippets (I use 5x - 7x nearly exclusively) and so, I have been able to fight more fish. Nothing beats the sound of fighting a fish 'on the reel' than the clicker in the CFO."

Review 14 for CFO Disc Drag Fly Fishing Reel

Top 100 Contributor Top 100 Contributor
Overall Rating: 5 out of 5 5 / 5
ORVIS CFO III Disc, October 29, 2008
By: Michael1 from Germany

"Owning classic reels of other makers (Hardy, Peerless etc.), I must say regarding price to performance ratio this reel beats them all. Mine has no flaws whatsoever and the tolerances are as good as possible.
Balances my new Superfine Trout Bum 7,9ft #5 Full Flex rod perfectly.
Sound id very nice drag is very smooth, looks a re great, anodizing color is no a brownish-olive exactly as the Superfine rods finish color is.
I wish they would make the CFO III Disc also upgraded as a Trout Bum edition. But this normal version is as good as my Trout Bum CFO II Disc edition.
Excellent reel."


Review 15 for CFO Disc Drag Fly Fishing Reel

Top 25 Contributor Top 25 Contributor
Overall Rating: 5 out of 5 5 / 5
WORLD'S BEST FLY REEL FOR TROUT, September 25, 2008
By: ALLABOUTTROUT from EVERETT, WASHINGTON

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BEAUTIFUL REEL AND EXTRA SPOOL
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ALMOST TOO NICE TO USE!
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"IN MY OPINION THERE IS NO BEATING THE CFO FLY REEL FOR TROUT. I THINK THE SOUND OF THESE REELS IS THE FEATURE I LOVE THE MOST ABOUT THE CFO. THEY ARE EXTREMELY TOUGH. (I FELL INTO THE RIVER ON TOP OF MY CFO AND THOUGHT IT'D BE DAMAGED, BUT ONLY A SMALL DING IN THE SPOOL. ) THE FIRST CFO I BOUGHT IN 1981 WITH MY FAR AND FINE AND I'VE LOVED THEM EVER SINCE. THE NEW ONES ARE EVEN BETTER WITH INTEGRAL LINEGUARD WHICH IS TOUGHER AND MORE TROUBLEFREE. I WISH THEY WERE STILL MADE IN ENGLAND, HOWEVER. DRAG IS ALSO VERY GOOD. THEY ARE EXTREMELY HANDSOME REELS ALSO! I CAN'T SAY A BAD THING ABOUT THEM. I OWN 1, 2, AND 3 AND STILL HAVE MY ORIGINAL CFO III. BUY THIS REEL, YOU WON'T BE DISAPPOINTED."

Review 16 for CFO Disc Drag Fly Fishing Reel

Overall Rating: 5 out of 5 5 / 5
awesome reel, September 13, 2008
By: jdbe from utah

"I have been using Galcin large arbor reels for a while on my 4/5 wt rods but I recently got a 2 wt and a 6 wt, so needed a new reel for them. I looked around and was really dissapointed with the drags on most reels and did not want to spend over $300 for a second Galvin so I looked a orvis mid arbor. I was very pleasantly surprised right from the start. The drab is by far the most adjustable on the market and the quality and construction was outstanding on the reel. It balanced very well on my Scott 9ft 2 wt g-series rod and has never failed to protect a tippet. I do not know what the one neg comment regarding paint durability is all about as I beat the heck out of this reel and it looks brand new! Do not hesitate to grab one or three of these - I will be getting a second spool on min soon as just picked up a 3 wt 6and a half foot Scott rod that I am loading with dt4 wt that I use on my 9ft 4wt g-series ( will take the wt off my spare spool for my Galvin and swap it to the smaller orvis to use on both the scott 9ft and 6.5 foot and then use spare galvin to load with sinking line for my 6 wt ). The point is that this reel is every bit as good as my $300 plus Galvin - nuff said."

Review 17 for CFO Disc Drag Fly Fishing Reel

Top 25 Contributor Top 25 Contributor
Overall Rating: 5 out of 5 5 / 5
Classic reel, August 1, 2008
By: pescator7 from New York, NY

"Classics never go out of style! This reel is well designed both aesthetically and functionally with a solid, lightweight feel and a precise, easy to adjust drag setting. A perfect match for my 3 wt Superfine."

Review 18 for CFO Disc Drag Fly Fishing Reel

Top 250 Contributor Top 250 Contributor
Overall Rating: 5 out of 5 5 / 5
sweet reel, June 7, 2008
By: bodhi317 from Stroudsburg, PA

"Purchased this reel for my Zero Gravity 5 Wt. This reel is the perfect match for this rod. The drag is very precise and it sounds Awesome when a fish is on. Great reel!!!"

Review 19 for CFO Disc Drag Fly Fishing Reel

Top 50 Contributor Top 50 Contributor
Overall Rating: 3 out of 5 3 / 5
Good reel, April 5, 2008
By: GreenSandpiper from Cumbria, England

"Not as good as the models previously made in England (the quality shows). Problems also arise with line memory because of the small diameter. Nevertheless, for the price, an excellent, good looking reel which does the job."

3 of 3 people found this review helpful.

Review 20 for CFO Disc Drag Fly Fishing Reel

Top 100 Contributor Top 100 Contributor
Overall Rating: 5 out of 5 5 / 5
SEEEEEXXXXXXY!, January 21, 2008
By: ChrisB

"What a sexy reel!! Looks good performs spot on and built to last. Envious looks allround when i'm out with this baby!"

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